Ray Stevenson, of Rome and Thor movies, dies at 58
Ray Stevenson participates in the panel for Black Sails at the Starz 2016 Winter TCA in Pasadena, California, on January 8, 2016. Stevenson died May 21, 2023. (Photo: AP)

Ray Stevenson, who played the villainous British governor in RRR, an Asgardian warrior in the Thor films, and a member of the 13th Legion in HBO's Rome," has died. He was 58.

Representatives for Stevenson told The Associated Press that he died Sunday but had no other details to share on Monday.

Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, in 1964. After attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and years of working in British television, he made his film debut in Paul Greengrass's 1998 film The Theory of Flight. In 2004, he appeared in Antoine Fuqua's King Arthur as a knight of the round table and several years later played the lead in the pre-Disney Marvel adaptation Punisher: War Zone.

Though Punisher was not the best-reviewed film, he'd get another taste of Marvel in the first three Thor films, in which he played Volstagg. Other prominent film roles included the Divergent trilogy, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and The Transporter: Refueled.

A looming presence at 6-foot-4, Stevenson, who played his share of soldiers past and present, once said in an interview, "I guess I'm an old warrior at heart."

On the small screen, he was the roguish Titus Pullo in Rome, a role that really got his career going in the United States and got him a SAG card, at the age of 44. The popular series ran from 2005 to 2007.

"That was one of the major years of my life," Stevenson said in an interview. "It made me sit down in my own skin and say, just do the job. The job's enough."

In the Variety review of Rome, Brian Lowery wrote that, "The imposing Stevenson certainly stands out as a brawling, whoring and none-too-bright warrior — a force of nature who, despite his excesses, somehow keeps landing on his feet."

He was Blackbeard in the Starz series Black Sails, Commander Jack Swinburne in the German television series Das Boot, and Othere on Vikings.

Stevenson also did voice work in Star Wars Rebels and The Clone Wars, as Gar Saxon, and has a role in the upcoming Star Wars live-action series Ahsoka, in which he plays a bad guy, Baylan Skoll. The eight-episode season is expected on Disney+ in August.

In an interview with Backstage in 2020, Stevenson said his acting idols were, "The likes of Lee Marvin (and) Gene Hackman."

"Never a bad performance, and brave and fearless within that calibre," Stevenson said. "It was never the young, hot leading man; it was men who I could identify with."

Stevenson has three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia, who he met while working on Rome.

— AP

Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at https://bit.ly/epaper-login

HOUSE RULES

  1. We welcome reader comments on the top stories of the day. Some comments may be republished on the website or in the newspaper; email addresses will not be published.
  2. Please understand that comments are moderated and it is not always possible to publish all that have been submitted. We will, however, try to publish comments that are representative of all received.
  3. We ask that comments are civil and free of libellous or hateful material. Also please stick to the topic under discussion.
  4. Please do not write in block capitals since this makes your comment hard to read.
  5. Please don't use the comments to advertise. However, our advertising department can be more than accommodating if emailed: advertising@jamaicaobserver.com.
  6. If readers wish to report offensive comments, suggest a correction or share a story then please email: community@jamaicaobserver.com.
  7. Lastly, read our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Polls

Which long-term investment option is more attractive to you at the moment?