Ray Stevenson, ‘Thor’ and ‘Punisher’ actor, dead at 58

Ray Stevenson, who starred in the movies “Thor” and “Kill the Irishman,” died at the age of 58 on Sunday, a rep confirmed to The Post.

There were no further details to share at this time, including his cause of death.

Stevenson had roles in many hit films, such as 2011’s adventure movie “The Three Musketeers,” in which he played Porthos, and “Thor,” in which he took on the role of Volstagg.

He also starred in “Kill the Irishman” in 2011 as lead Danny Greene, a mobster who ignited a “turf war” in Cleveland in the 1970s, and the evil governor in the 2022 Oscar-winning film, “RRR.”

Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, on May 25, 1964, on a British Army base. His father was a pilot in the UK’s Royal Air Force.

Since he was young, Stevenson had always wanted to be an actor, his bio on IMDb reads, but wasn’t sure it would be possible.

However, he decided to take a shot at it when he was 25 years old, working as an interior designer in London. The actor then decided to attend the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in England and graduated at 29.

One of his first film appearances was in a rom-com called “The Theory of Flight” in 1998, where he played Gigolo. He also appeared in the drama “G:MT Greenwich Mean Time” in 1999, and the film “Green-Eyed Monster” in 2001.

In 2004, he played a loyal knight named Dagonet in the movie “King Arthur,” who was one of the Knights of the Round Table, alongside actors such as Keira Knightley and Clive Owen.

He acted as Titus Pullo in the HBO series “Rome,” which ran from 2005 to 2007, chronicling the lives of two Roman soldiers.

It was a role that really left a mark on him, he told Backstage during a 2020 interview.

“At that time I realized what it was to get out of your own way and trust your instincts, and trust that a lot of your work has been done subconsciously and silently,” he told the outlet.

“And also focusing on the career I’m having rather than the career I should be having; it’s this moment now and that’s all that matters — this moment, this production, the actors around me, the director I’m working with. It’s where my life completely changed.”

Stevenson played a major role in a Marvel film “Punisher: War Zone,” as Frank Castle, a k a “The Punisher.”

In 2013, he was nominated for a Saturn Award for best guest performance in a television series in the TV series “Dexter,” as Isaak Sirko, during its seventh season.

He voiced the role of Gar Saxon in the 2020 TV series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”

In 1997, he married actress Ruth Gemmell (“Bridgerton”). They divorced in 2005.

He later began dating his girlfriend, Elisabetta Caraccia. The two shared a son together, Sebastiano Derek Stevenson, who was born in 2007.

According to his IMDb page, he was set to star in three upcoming films: “Cassino in Ischia,” directed by Frank Ciota, as well as historical drama “1242: Gateway to the West” and “Star Wars: Ashoka.” The latter two are both in post-production and set to debut this year.61

What do you think? Post a comment.

He replaced Kevin Spacey in the movie “Gateway to the West,” The Post previously reported.

In his spare time, Stevenson also enjoyed watercolor painting and art.

Per: NYP