Ray Stevenson
Stevenson in 2014
Born	George Raymond Stevenson (1964-05-25)25 May 1964 Lisburn, Northern Ireland
Died	21 May 2023(2023-05-21) (aged 58) Ischia, Campania, Italy
Education	Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–2023
Spouse	Ruth Gemmell (m. 1997; div. 2005)
Partner	Elisabetta Caraccia
Children	3

George Raymond Stevenson (25 May 1964 – 21 May 2023) was a Northern Ireland-born actor, best known for his film and television work. He had a starring role as legionary Titus Pullo on the BBC/HBO television series Rome (2005–2007), and portrayed two Marvel Comics characters: Frank Castle / The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone (2008) and The Super Hero Squad Show and Volstagg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011–2017).

His other notable film roles included Dagonet in King Arthur (2004), mobster Danny Greene in Kill the Irishman (2011), Porthos in The Three Musketeers (also 2011), and the villainous Governor-General Scott Buxton in RRR (2022). His television roles include Ukrainian mobster Isaak Sirko in the seventh season of Dexter (2012), for which he received a Saturn Award nomination; Blackbeard in the third and fourth seasons of Black Sails (2016–2017), voicing Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels (2016–2017) and Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2020), Othere in 11 episodes of Vikings (2020), and portraying Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka (2023).

Stevenson was married to English actress Ruth Gemmell for eight years, and had three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia.

Early life

[edit]

George Raymond Stevenson was born in Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on 25 May 1964, the second of three sons born to a British father and an Irish mother. His father was a Royal Air Force pilot.^[1] He moved to England with his family at the age of eight, first settling in the Lemington area of Newcastle upon Tyne and later in Seaton Delaval. He attended Bath Lane College (Newcastle upon Tyne) on a design course, then the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29.^{[citation needed]}

Career

[edit]

Film

[edit]

Stevenson made his film debut in The Theory of Flight (1998) as a gigolo hired to help Helena Bonham Carter's character lose her virginity.^[2] In 2002, he starred in the short film No Man's Land, which was the antipodal picture from actor/director Edward Hicks prior to his graduation from the London Film School. In the 12-minute film, set during World War I, Stevenson portrayed an experienced private who is forced to help a novice officer (David Birkin) back to safety after they both find themselves trapped and isolated in "No Man's Land" during the Battle of Ypres. In 2004, he starred in King Arthur as Dagonet, a knight of the round table who sacrifices his life for his comrades.^[2] His first leading role in a film was in the Scottish horror picture Outpost (2008), portraying a mercenary pitted against Nazi zombies in a bunker somewhere in Eastern Europe. That same year, he also starred in Punisher: War Zone, as Frank Castle / The Punisher, a former United States Marine turned vigilante after the murder of his family. In 2010, he played an antagonist in the comedy The Other Guys.^[2]

In 2011, Stevenson appeared in the film Kill the Irishman, based on the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia, as Danny Greene, the Irish mob boss who took on the Italian-American Cleveland crime family during the 1970s.^[3] He starred as Volstagg, one of Thor's trusted comrades, in the 2011 Marvel film Thor. Also that year, he played Porthos in Paul W. S. Anderson's adaptation of The Three Musketeers.^[2] He played Firefly in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, released in 2013. He appeared in the Finnish-American thriller film Big Game.^[4] In 2014, he starred in the film Divergent, based on the first book of The Divergent Series. He reprised his role in the sequels, The Divergent Series: Insurgent, released in March 2015, and The Divergent Series: Allegiant, released in March 2016.^[2]

In 2019, Stevenson was announced as a lead antagonist in the Telugu film RRR, directed by S. S. Rajamouli and released in 2022. This marked his debut in Indian cinema.^[5]

Television

[edit]

Stevenson played legionary Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series Rome. His other television work included guest appearances in Waking the Dead, Murphy's Law and lead roles in City Central and At Home with the Braithwaites.^[6] He also appeared in TV films, including Some Kind of Life in 1995, and The Return of the Native. Some of his earliest parts were in two Catherine Cookson films: The Dwelling Place (1994) and The Tide of Life (1996).^[2] Stevenson reprised his role as the Punisher as a voice actor in The Super Hero Squad Show and played the role of Isaak Sirko in the seventh season of Dexter in 2012.^[2]

On 24 March 2015, it was announced by producers that Stevenson would be joining the cast of the Starz series Black Sails as the character Edward Teach.^[7]

Stevenson also appeared in Season 6 of the series Vikings as Othere, which ran from 2013 to 2020. He also appeared in Season 3 of the series Das Boot as Commander Jack Swinburne in 2022.^[8]

At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Stevenson was announced as playing the Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka, a miniseries debuting on Disney+.^[9] After the series' debut following Stevenson's death, Stevenson's Skoll quickly became a fan favorite.^[10]^[11] In an interview on Stevenson's part, showrunner Dave Filoni noted that when he was told to play Skoll as a villain, "[Stevenson] was like, 'I don't think so.' I'm like, 'Okay, I appreciate that you don't think so, and Baylan wouldn't think he's the villain, but you are a villain in this.' And he's like, 'We'll see.' It was kind of perfect." ^[12] Stevenson also offered input on the design of his character's lightsaber hilt.^[13]

Stevenson's performance in Ahsoka also received considerable praise from critics. Metro described his work as "one of the highlights of the entire Star Wars series",^[14] while Collider described Stevenson as having "an inescapable gravitas" and that he "gave a masterclass in character building".^[13]

After Stevenson's death, Rory McCann took over the role for the second season.

Stage

[edit]

Stevenson's stage work included playing the part of Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays in 2000 at York Minster. In 2001, he took the part of Roger in the play Mouth to Mouth by Kevin Elyot, at the Albery Theatre in London with Lindsay Duncan and Michael Maloney. His best-known part was perhaps that of the Cardinal in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster with Janet McTeer at the Royal National Theatre in 2003.^[15]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1997, Stevenson married English actress Ruth Gemmell in London; they had met on the set of Band of Gold (1995), and later played a married couple in Peak Practice (1997). They divorced in 2005 after eight years of marriage.^[16]

Stevenson had three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia.^[17]

Death

[edit]

Stevenson died on 21 May 2023, at age 58, four days before his 59th birthday.^[18]^[9] Although no cause of death has been revealed, his partner, Elisabetta Caraccia, spoke on the Wellness World USA podcast in 2024, explaining that although Stevenson's death was a surprise, it was due to continuing heart problems. He was reportedly hospitalised while on set filming Cassino in Ischia on the Italian island of Ischia.^[19]^[20] Stevenson's co-stars, including Rosario Dawson, Scott Adkins, and James Purefoy, paid tribute.^[19] Stevenson's role in Cassino in Ischia was taken over by Dominic Purcell.^[21]

The first episode of Ahsoka, released just over three months after Stevenson's death on 22 August 2023, includes a dedication to him: "For our friend, Ray".^[22] Ivanna Sakhno, who played Shin Hati, Stevenson's on-screen apprentice in Ahsoka, wrote in commemoration that she would be "forever his Wolf", in tribute to their characters being named after the two wargs who pursued the moon and sun in Norse mythology.^[23] Stevenson was succeeded in the role of Skoll by Rory McCann in Ahsoka's second season. McCann was a good friend of Stevenson and was given the blessing of his partner in taking up the role.^[24]

The film Canary Black (2024), which features Stevenson, is also dedicated to him.

Filmography

[edit]

Film

[edit]

Key
†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1998	The Theory of Flight	Gigolo		^[2]
1999	G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time	Mr. Hardy		^[3]
2002	No Man's Land		Short film
2004	King Arthur	Dagonet		^[2]
2008	Outpost	D.C.		^[2]
2008	Punisher: War Zone	Frank Castle / Punisher		^[2]
2009	Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant	Murlough		^[2]
2010	The Book of Eli	Redridge		^[2]
2010	The Other Guys	Roger Wesley		^[2]
2011	Kill the Irishman	Danny Greene		^[3]
	Thor	Volstagg		^[2]
	The Three Musketeers	Porthos		^[2]
2013	G.I. Joe: Retaliation	Firefly		^[2]
	Jayne Mansfield's Car	Phillip Bedford		^[2]
	Thor: The Dark World	Volstagg		^[2]
2014	Divergent	Marcus Eaton		^[2]
2014	Big Game	Morris		^[2]
2015	The Divergent Series: Insurgent	Marcus Eaton		^[2]
2015	The Transporter: Refueled	Frank Martin Sr.		^[2]
2016	The Divergent Series: Allegiant	Marcus Eaton		^[2]
2017	Thor: Ragnarok	Volstagg		^[2]
2017	Cold Skin	Gruner		^[2]
2018	Accident Man	Ray "Big Ray"		^[2]
2018	Final Score	Arkady Belav		^[2]
2022	RRR	Governor Scott Buxton		^[2]
	Memory	Detective Danny Mora		^[2]
	Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday	Ray "Big Ray"		^[2]
2024	Canary Black	Jarvis Hedlund	Posthumous release	^[25]
TBA	1242: Gateway to the West †	Cesareane	Post-production, posthumous release	^[26]

Television

[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1993	A Woman's Guide to Adultery	Journalist
1994	The Dwelling Place	Matthew Whitwell	3 episodes	^[2]
1994	The Return of the Native	Clym Yeobright	Television film	^[2]
1995	Band of Gold	Steve Dickson	12 episodes	^[16]
1995	Some Kind of Life	Steve	Television film	^[2]
1996	The Tide of Life	Larry Birch	3 episodes	^[2]
1997	Peak Practice	Joe Higson	Episode: "Home Truths"
1997	Drover's Gold	Armstrong	5 episodes	^[6]
1998	City Central	Detective Inspector Tony Baynham	32 episodes	^[6]
1999	Love in the 21st Century	Alex	Episode: "Toyboys"	^[6]
2000	Holby City	Laurence Haney	Episode: "Taking It on the Chin"
2000	The Bill	Sergeant Gartland	Episode: "Over the Edge"
2001	At Home with the Braithwaites	Graham Braithwaite	11 episodes	^[2]
2001	Dalziel and Pascoe	Jeff Parry	Episode: "Truth and Consequences"	^[2]
2003	Red Cap	Sergeant Chris Roxborough	Episode: "Cover Story"
2003	Murphy's Law	Robert Eaglan	Episode: "Kiss and Tell"	^[2]
2004	Waking the Dead	Dr. Tim Faulkner	Episode: "Fugue States"
2005–2007	Rome	Titus Pullo	22 episodes	^[2]
2007	Life Line	Peter Brasco	Television film	^[6]
2009	The Super Hero Squad Show	Frank Castle / Punisher	Voice, Episode: "Night in the Sanctorum!"	^[27]^[2]
2012	Dexter	Isaak "Volk" Sirko	9 episodes Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television	^[2]
2014	Crossing Lines	Miles Lennon	4 episodes
2015	Saints & Strangers	Stephen Hopkins	Miniseries	^[2]
2016–2017	Black Sails	Edward Teach / Blackbeard	11 episodes	^[2]
2016–2017	Star Wars Rebels	Gar Saxon	Voice, 2 episodes	^[9]
2017	Rellik	Detective Sergeant Inspector Edward Benton	6 episodes	^[2]
2019	Reef Break	Jake Elliot	13 episodes	^[2]
2019	Medici	Ferdinand I of Naples	2 episodes	^[9]
2020	The Spanish Princess	James IV of Scotland	2 episodes	^[2]
	Vikings	Ohthere of Hålogaland	11 episodes	^[2]
	Star Wars: The Clone Wars	Gar Saxon	Voice, 2 episodes	^[9]
2022	Das Boot	Commander Jack Swinburne	8 episodes	^[9]
2023	Ahsoka	Baylan Skoll	Main role, 8 episodes; posthumous release	^[9]

Stage

[edit]

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2000	York Mystery Plays	Christ	^[28]
2001	Mouth to Mouth	Roger	^[28]
2003	The Duchess of Malfi	The Cardinal	^[15]

References

[edit]

^ "BBC – Press Office – Rome press pack phase two Ray Stevenson". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au "Ray Stevenson List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Ray Stevenson Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ "Samuel Jackson Hunts a 'Big Game' (Trailer) -". bloody-disgusting.com. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
^ Press Trust of India (20 November 2019). "SS Rajamouli ropes in Olivia Morris Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody for RRR". India Today. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Ray Stevenson". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ Friedlander, Whitney. "'Divergent's' Ray Stevenson Joins Starz's 'Black Sails' as Blackbeard". Variety. Variety Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
^ "Das Boot (TV Series 2018– ) – "Cast" credits – IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Pederson, Erik (22 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson Dies: 'RRR', 'Thor', Vikings' & 'Divergent' Actor Was 58". Deadline. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ Smith, Ryan (7 October 2023). "Baylan Skoll Raises Some of Star Wars' Biggest Questions". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^ Castleton, Lord (3 October 2023). "What Makes Ahsoka's Baylon Skoll So Damn Captivating?". Pajiba. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^ Coggan, Devan (22 November 2023). "Dave Filoni remembers 'Ahsoka' star Ray Stevenson and explains Baylan Skoll's big finale cliffhanger". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b Bardini, Julio (10 October 2023). "It's a Shame We Won't Get More of Ray Stevenson's Baylan Skoll in Star Wars". Collider. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^ Barr, Sabrina (3 October 2023). "Ray Stevenson's performance in Ahsoka before his death purposely paid homage to original Star Wars movies". Metro. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^ ^a ^b Wolf, Matt (3 February 2003). "The Duchess of Malfi". Variety. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b Koncienzcy, Rebecca (10 December 2017). "Where is the cast of Band of Gold now?". Liverpool Echo. Reach Plc. Retrieved 7 March 2019. She married fellow Band of Gold actor Ray Stevenson in 1997, but the couple divorced in 2005.
^ Bahr, Lindsey (22 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson, of 'Rome' and 'Thor' movies, dies at 58". ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ "Ray Stevenson, 'Punisher: War Zone' and 'Rome' Star, dies at 58". TheWrap. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Ray Stevenson: Thor, Volstagg and Star Wars actor dies aged 58". BBC News. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
^ VanHoose, Benjamin (24 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson Was Rushed to Hospital from Set Before Death, Filming Was Suspended: Sources (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
^ Wiseman, Andreas (29 June 2023). "Dominic Purcell Replaces Late Ray Stevenson In Cassino In Ischia Movie From Republic Pictures & Paramount Global". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
^ Ross, Dalton (22 August 2023). "Ahsoka premiere pays tribute to the late Ray Stevenson". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
^ Lammers, Tim (4 October 2023). "Ivanna Sakhno's Tribute To Late Ahsoka Co-Star Ray Stevenson Will Make You Cry". Looper. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/star-wars-ahsoka-season-2-ray-stevenson-rory-mccann-1236105886/
^ Staff, Amazon (2 August 2024). "Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video fall lineup: 13 films you won't want to miss". www.aboutamazon.com. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
^ Vlessing, Etan (25 January 2023). "Ray Stevenson Replaces Kevin Spacey in Epic Drama '1242: Gateway to the West'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
^ "Marvel Super Hero Squad voice Cast". Comics Continuum. 28 July 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Ray Stevenson". Empire. Retrieved 22 May 2023.

External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ray Stevenson.

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany United States France BnF data Czech Republic Spain Netherlands Norway Korea Poland Israel
People	Deutsche Biographie Deutsche Synchronkartei DDB
Other	IdRef