‘Thor’ And ‘Star Wars’ Actor, Ray Stevenson Dies Four Days Before His 59th Birthday

Ray Stevenson, a British actor known for his performances in “Thor, Star Wars, Punisher: War Zone” and the television series “Rome,” has passed away at the age of 58.

Ray Stevenson’s publicist, who confirmed the news in a statement on Monday, revealed that the actor died on Sunday, May 21, just four days before his 59th birthday.

Although the cause of his death has not been disclosed, it was gathered that Ray Stevenson had been hospitalized on the island of Ischia while involved in the production of the film “Cassino on Ischia,” directed by Frank Ciota.

The Peter Mayhew Foundation, established by the actor famous for portraying Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, expressed their sadness through a tweet: “We are sad to hear of the passing of Ray Stevenson.

“You may recognize Ray as Baylon Skoll from the upcoming Ahsoka show on Disney+. You may also remember his work as the voice of mandalorian super commando Gar Saxon in The Clone Wars. Our sincerest condolences to his family.”

Ray Stevenson’s co-stars have been paying tribute to the late actor on social media.

Ray Stevenson Biography

Born on May 25, 1964, in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, Stevenson embarked on his movie career in the early 1990s, making appearances in European TV series and telefilms.

His debut on the big screen came in 1998, when he starred alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Kenneth Branagh in Paul Greengass’ drama “The Theory of Flight.”

His breakthrough in major films arrived with Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 adventure movie “King Arthur,” where he portrayed Dagonet, one of the Knights of the Round Table.

In 2008, Stevenson secured a leading role in the Marvel film “Punisher: War Zone,” portraying the mercenary Frank Castle.

While Lionsgate distributed the film in North America, Disney later acquired the rights to the Marvel universe and reintroduced the character in the Netflix series “Daredevil.”

Stevenson became the third actor to bring the Punisher to life on screen, following Dolph Lundgren’s portrayal in a straight-to-video release in 1989.

Alongside his film work, Stevenson made notable appearances in several television productions. From 2005 to 2007, he played the role of Roman soldier Titus Pullo in HBO’s critically acclaimed historical drama series “Rome,” which earned seven Emmy Awards during its two seasons.

In 2012, Stevenson took on the role of Ukrainian mob member Isaak Sirko in the seventh season of Showtime’s serial killer series “Dexter.”

Continuing his film career, Stevenson starred as Marcus in the first “Divergent” film in 2014, reprising the role in subsequent films in the franchise, including “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” and “Allegiant.”

In “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), alongside a star-studded cast including Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, and Idris Elba, Stevenson portrayed the character Volstagg.

He also lent his voice to the character of Gar Saxon in the animated series “Star Wars: Rebels” (2016) and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (2020).

Stevenson’s television roles included playing Blackbeard in the third and fourth seasons of “Black Sails” (2016-2017) and Othere in the sixth season of “Vikings” (2019).

Recently, he appeared in the Academy Award-winning film “RRR” (2021), portraying Scott Buxton. Additionally, his recent projects include the 2022 film “Memory” and the TV series “Das Boot.”

Ray Stevenson is set to appear as Baylan Skoll in the upcoming “Star Wars” miniseries “Ahsoka” later this year.

KanyiDaily had also reported how 28-year-old Brazilian pop star, Gabriel Diniz tragically passed away after his plane crashed on his way to his girlfriend’s birthday party.