On May 21, 2023, Ray Stevenson died at the age of 58.
The news rocked the entertainment industry.
In celebration of the actor's career and life, let's take a look back at the late Ray Stevenson.
When the shocking news of Ray Stevenson's death was announced, many of his co-stars
and friends took to social media, where they posted heartfelt tributes to the Northern
Irish actor.
On Instagram, Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson shared several photos of her with Stevenson on set,
writing,
"A giant of a man.
[...] Stunned and reeling from this tragic, devastating news.
Gone too soon from this world.
At a loss for words.
Just wanted to mark this moment and share your ever ready and present smile.
Love you forever."
Stevenson was a complex and unconventional action hero whose path to movie and TV stardom
was anything but ordinary.
That being said, he always exhibited enthusiasm and appreciation for his work, the process,
and what he ultimately achieved.
And he was quick to share the credit with everyone – in front of the camera and behind
the scenes – who'd been a part of his acting journey.
Ask any actor who their favorite performer is and there will usually be several answers.
Don't be surprised, though, if more than half the responses feature the names of acclaimed
leading men like Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, and Paul Newman.
As an actor cut from a different cloth, Ray Stevenson looked to a different set of thespians
as inspirations, telling Backstage,
"It was the likes of Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman.
Never a bad performance, and brave and fearless within that caliber.
It was never the young, hot leading man; it was men who I could identify with."
While impressed by Marvin and Hackman's work, the actor stressed that it was the combination
of other elements which helped these actors shine on screen.
Stevenson believed actors excel as performers when the right creative talent in other parts
of the production is supportive and provides the necessary tools for success.
To quote the horrid and cheesy corporate-approved term: "Teamwork makes the dream work."
From a notorious swashbuckling historical pirate to Marvel's most infamous gun-toting
vigilante, Ray Stevenson brought a litany of characters to life in his storied career.
"Either you are unkillable, or way overdue."
However, like most actors, he had a white whale — the dream part he chased but never
quite caught.
In a 2008 Collider interview, Stevenson admitted his love for a certain Shakespearean play,
saying,
"I've always been intrigued by: Coriolanus.
It's potentially one of the most potent and revealing scripts.
I love the play.
I'd love to do that as a movie one day."
A film adaptation of Coriolanus did arrive in 2011.
Ralph Fiennes directed, produced, and starred in the movie that received near-universal
acclaim.
Unfortunately, Stevenson wasn't part of the blockbuster cast, which included the likes
of Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain, and Brian Cox.
Ray Stevenson's most "punishing" role was in Lexi Alexander's Punisher: War Zone.
Released in 2008, this reboot boasts blood, guts, and more R-rated violence than the average
superhero movie.
Stevenson dazzles as Frank Castle, embodying the vigilante from the brutal Punisher comic
book series.
"See you in hell."
"I see you anywhere near hell, I'll kick your ass out."
Unfortunately, Punisher: War Zone neither lit up the box office nor inspired critics
to get skull tattoos on their biceps.
But, despite the film's underwhelming financial and critical performance, it eventually became
a cult classic.
In a chat with Stevenson for The Action Elite, writer David J. Moore expressed his dismay
that the actor never had a chance to return to the role of Castle.
Stevenson agreed, saying,
"So was I!
Write in and tell them that!
I would in a heartbeat go back!
I loved the storyline and the comic books that it was based on.
It could definitely do with a sequel."
Sadly, this never happened, as Netflix rebooted Punisher as a series, with Walking Dead star
Jon Bernthal as the titular character.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, kickstarted in May 2008 with the release of Jon Favreau's
Iron Man.
While not considered a part of the official MCU, Punisher: War Zone arrived that December.
Considering Frank Castle's significance in the greater Marvel Universe, Ray Stevenson
found himself in an odd situation.
Would his character eventually be incorporated into the MCU?
Or would he be cast in a different role in the franchise?
The latter seemed highly unlikely until Kenneth Branagh's 2011 movie Thor, in which Stevenson
debuted as Volstagg, a member of Asgard's Warriors Three team.
In an interview with The A.V.
Club, Stevenson expressed surprise at the way events unfolded, saying,
"What a great privilege from Marvel, because they have kind of an unwritten rule that once
you play one of their major protagonists or characters, in order to maintain a certain
degree of integrity for their audience, you don't get to do it again."
While not a major role like the Punisher, Volstagg appears in the first three Thor films,
played by Stevenson each time.
As one of the most popular TV shows of all time, HBO's Game of Thrones changed the lives
of its cast members, making them household names.
But no one predicted the epic fantasy series' game-changing success when it first began
production.
Consequently, many actors turned down roles on the show, and Ray Stevenson was one of
them.
In 2015, Stevenson revealed to Movie.com that he had the opportunity to join the Game of
Thrones cast but turned it down, admitting,
"[The show] was already too far down the line for me.
[...] I would rather have been involved in the growth of a show, even though everyone
gets bumped off left, right, and center."
Stevenson didn't disclose the role he was offered, so as not to take away from the actor
who ultimately played the part.
He did say it would have kept him busy from anywhere from four to six months, but he had
already agreed to play Blackbeard on Starz's Black Sails.
In showbiz, actors and directors receive all the praise when action scenes go full throttle.
However, stunt performers are the unheralded heroes of cinema.
It's the stunt doubles who perform the death-defying, dangerous sequences that make a movie and
its actors look good for the audience.
Stevenson made a lot of action films and worked with many stunt specialists across his various
projects.
Speaking to ComingSoon.net, he praised the daredevils for putting their bodies on the
line, singling out Rob Mars, who doubled for him in several movies.
Stevenson also discussed the process of working with his stunt doubles, peeling back the curtain
of movie magic to explain how the transition between actor and double occurs.
He explained,
"When you have a stuntman and this is his discipline, you go right up to the stunt itself
and then act during the stunt, so you have this overlap, and I involve them in my process."
The Northern Irish-born star expressed a high level of respect for what stunt teams do,
adding that he developed personal friendships with many of them over the years.
Jon M. Chu's G.I.
Joe: Retaliation hit the big screen in 2013.
While billed as the sequel to 2009's G.I.
Joe: The Rise of Cobra, the film largely focuses on a new group of heroes, led by Dwayne Johnson's
Roadblock.
In the opposite corner stands Ray Stevenson as Firefly, an explosive villain who works
with the sinister Cobra.
"Making more things go boom by nine a.m. than most people do all day."
Naturally, as the two big men on the film, Roadblock and Firefly eventually battle each
other in a clash of the titans.
During the filming of G.I.
Joe: Retaliation, an encounter between Stevenson and Johnson left one of them a bloody mess.
In an interview with The Daily Record, Stevenson recalled,
"The worst moment was when we filmed the first big fight.
I spun round and accidentally caught him right across the bridge of his nose.
I drew blood and I was worried.
But Dwayne just shrugged it off.
He was great about it and just said, 'These things happen.'"
Stevenson added how the intensity and physicality of their action scenes resulted in numerous
bruises throughout production, and admitted that Johnson ended up popping him on the nose
as well.
In the world of pro wrestling, that's referred to as a receipt.
Due to his height and rugged good looks, Ray Stevenson was often cast as physically formidable
characters in mostly action-centric productions.
The fact that so many fans still consider him the quintessential version of the Punisher
is evidence of his powerful reputation as an on-screen tough guy.
"Aren't you quite vicious, my dear."
Yet Stevenson surprised viewers with his work in different genres when the opportunity arose.
For example, he received praise for his turn as Roger Wesley in Adam McKay's cop comedy
The Other Guys, which also starred Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.
Speaking with The A.V.
Club, Stevenson gushed about the experience of working with comedians like Ferrell, and
revealed that McKay called him a few days before cameras started to roll to suggest
his character speak with an Australian accent.
The actor obliged.
Stevenson enjoyed the opportunity to exercise his sense of humor, saying,
"I love doing comedy!
I always maintain that there's humor in everything."
Ray Stevenson's journey to becoming an actor was the farthest thing from conventional.
He was already 25 when he realized it was something he wanted to pursue, eventually
graduating from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School at 29.
A notable talent, he worked his way up the ranks, achieving mainstream recognition thanks
to his role as Dagonet in 2004's King Arthur.
His big breakthrough came a year later when he was cast in the lead role of Titus Pullo
in the HBO limited series Rome.
From there, his career took off and the film offers flooded in.
Surprisingly, Stevenson didn't become a member of the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation
of Television and Radio Artists or SAG-AFTRA until later in his acting career.
Speaking to Backstage, Stevenson revealed how Rome helped him earn the coveted union
card, saying,
"Over the course of two seasons I created quite a bit of interest, and that gave me
my representation in the States and, ergo, started my movie career at 44 — which is
almost unheard of."
It's remarkable to consider how Stevenson worked on a blockbuster like King Arthur without
being a part of the union.
Throughout his career, Ray Stevenson shared the screen with numerous big-name stars, including
Dwayne Johnson, Clive Owen, and Chris Hemsworth.
As is the case in most lines of work, co-workers end up following each other on social media,
occasionally interacting but also getting hard blocks if they rat you out to the boss.
In 2015, Uproxx asked Stevenson who his favorite person to follow online was.
The actor replied,
"A Japanese actor I worked with on Thor, Asano Tadanobu.
He's involved in three or four rock bands, has his own online fashion brand and includes
photos of his latest looks from whatever project he's working on.
And he posts sketch cartoons, which are great!"
In 2011's Thor, Asano portrayed the part of Hogun, one of the Warriors Three, and he returned
to the role for the next two sequels.
The Japanese actor also appeared as Lord Kira in 2013's 47 Ronin and the God of Thunder,
Raiden, in 2021's Mortal Kombat movie.
From Titus Pullo in Rome to Danny Greene in Kill the Irishman and Blackbeard in Black
Sails, Ray Stevenson showed a knack for portraying historical figures on screen.
As a result, the industry and audiences associated him with period pieces, and he appeared to
gravitate toward those types of projects more than others.
In an interview with Geeks World Wide, Stevenson confessed,
"I consider myself a historical nerd and clearly see the correlation between these historical
figures and the massive changes that their world was undergoing with the spread of civilization
and the reach of England."
In the same interview, the actor also revealed how he believed history had been distorted
by sensationalism, such as the pamphlets and stories of pirates like Blackbeard.
"He actually seems to have been a fairly intelligent man, a good leader, a bold dangerous pirate."
However, as an actor researching a role, he would seek out the kernels of truth in each
account and then try to look at the story from his character's unique perspective, coupled
with the demands of the script.
One of Stevenson's last completed films before he died was the historical drama Gateway to
the West, which centers on real-life events in which the Mongolian army invaded Hungary.
Ray Stevenson achieved a unique distinction in the Star Wars universe by portraying two
different characters.
"If Gar Saxon could see you now."
"I know, right?"
The actor voiced Gar Saxon in the animated shows Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars
Rebels, while also playing Baylan Skoll in the live-action Ahsoka series.
The latter sees Stevenson living every fan's biggest dream of wielding a lightsaber and
going toe to toe with Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano.
Stevenson recognized the magnitude and importance of stepping into the beloved Star Wars franchise.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, he revealed the intense preparation and dedication that
went into his portrayal of Baylan, while praising the environment and hard work that his collaborators
put into making the Disney+ series come to life.
On a personal level, Stevenson couldn't help but get caught up in the moment when he picked
up a lightsaber for the first time.
He confided to Entertainment Weekly,
"I must admit, the first time you turn a lightsaber on, you make the noise.
[And then you're like] 'Oh, I'm so sorry.'
Everybody does that, but you just can't help it!"
Even after he established himself in blockbusters, Stevenson occasionally popped up in unexpected
films.
One of his more out-of-the-blue roles came in 2018's action film Accident Man, based
on the comic written by Pat Mills and Tony Skinner and illustrated by a variety of artists.
The film stars Scott Adkins as Mike Fallon, an assassin who possesses the ability to make
his hits look like accidents.
"Never get angry, never get involved, and most importantly, never get caught."
Stevenson plays Fallon's mentor and father figure Big Ray.
Adkins and Stevenson reprised their parts for the 2022 sequel Accident Man: Hitman's
Holiday.
Adkins, who was also the producer and co-writer of the films, revealed to The Hollywood News
that the role of Big Ray was conceived with Stevenson in mind, saying,
"He was always on the list and he was the first guy we went out to and the first guy
we got.
That was a great coup.
[...] We need someone who is a great actor and someone who can sign on and help us finance
the movie."
So, for those who watched and enjoyed the Accident Man franchise, you owe Stevenson
a debt of gratitude for adding his star power to the project.
Thanks to his versatility as an actor and desire to spread his wings, Ray Stevenson
appeared in everything from historical pieces to big-budget blockbusters.
This afforded him the opportunity to star alongside a wealth of extraordinary talent,
such as Anthony Hopkins and Rene Russo in Thor, Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman in
The Book of Eli, and Samuel L. Jackson in Big Game.
During the press junket for Big Game, Stevenson revealed to Topless Robot that he didn't get
overawed by the stars with whom he shared the screen.
No matter how famous they were, he found them to be professionals like him, who were there
to serve the movie, not their egos.
He went on to say,
"It just appears to be such a great, warm, cuddly, teddy-bear feeling is the fact that
the bigger they are, the more open and giving and consummately professional actors are — and
there's fearlessness."
Stevenson explained that, in his experience, the more experienced actors weren't afraid
to change things up in the middle of scenes to figure out what worked best for the film.
More importantly, they never tried to outshine or upstage others, choosing to be collaborators
with their focus always remaining on the best way to elevate the film in question.
Although there was no direct sequel to Lexi Alexander's Punisher: War Zone, Ray Stevenson
did get another chance at running amok as Frank Castle, albeit in a more family friendly
manner.
He lent his voice to the animated version of the Punisher that appears in The Super
Hero Squad Show.
"We're nothing but white blood cells, hunting the infection called crime, a sickness that
sneaks in through the cracks.
He voices the character in the same gritty way he played him in the live-action movie,
leaving the other more fun-loving heroes shocked at how intense he is.
Undoubtedly, Stevenson's straight delivery adds to the comedic effect of his scenes,
as he becomes almost – but not quite – a parody of Marvel's edgy antihero and his bloodlust
for vengeance.
Speaking about the role to The A.V.
Club, Stevenson opened up more about the experience, saying,
"It was strange.
I went up to a studio somewhere in L.A. and voiced over all these lines.
I haven't even seen it!
But, yeah, apparently it's out there in the wonderful world."
While he may not have seen the fruits of his labor, he jumped at the opportunity to play
the Punisher again.
As a result of the experience, Stevenson admitted to a keen interest in doing more voice acting.
He'd done a bit of it in London when he was a young actor.
However, he knew the timing would be tough to work out with his busy movie and television
career.
When actors are asked about their favorite performance, they'll often tell the interviewer
it's their current one — much the same way a musician always says their new song or album
is their best work ever.
But Ray Stevenson decided on a different approach when he spoke to journalist Arthur Kade during
the press tour for Black Sails.
Instead of declaring the pirate series to be his greatest accomplishment to date, Stevenson
cited Rome — not only because it was the project that elevated him to superstardom
but for personal reasons, as well.
Stevenson recalled,
"It has to be Rome.
That was one of the major, major periods of my life.
It turned my life around.
I found my partner, who was my landlady."
Stevenson joked about how Elisabetta Caraccia raised his rent even after they became a couple
while telling the story about how his work on the series led to them living together,
having three children, and a dog.
He also explained that, while he was working on Rome, he learned to look at acting from
an entirely new perspective.
Instead of second-guessing himself or trying too hard to remember what was next, he shifted
his mindset and focused completely on what was in front of him in his character in that
moment.
This changed the way he approached his work from there on out.
In season 7 of Dexter, Ray Stevenson turns in a memorable performance as the mobster
Isaak Sirko, who wants revenge on Dexter Morgan for killing his lover, Viktor Baskov.
"I run one of the biggest crime syndicates in the Caucasus."
"Who is Dexter Morgan?"
It's a very different kind of role from any he'd played before, which is exactly the reason
the actor agreed to do it.
In an interview with Yahoo, Stevenson talked about receiving a call from Dexter producer
and writer Scott Buck, with whom he'd worked on Rome.
Buck explained how the Sirko character would fit into the overall arc of the show as well
as his underlying motivations — all of which fascinated Stevenson.
Stevenson went on to explain,
"[Sirko] was a cold, stone mobster, a killer [with a secret], [...] but he's basically
a man whose heart has been ripped out of his body."
Stevenson added how Sirko gave up everything — including ultimately his life — in his
quest for vengeance because he loved Baskov with all his heart.
Considering Ray Stevenson's affinity for historical dramas, was anyone really surprised when he
was eventually cast as the wandering sailor Othere in Vikings?
He appears in 11 episodes of Vikings Season 6.
Of course, Stevenson possessed some prior relevant experience of sorts, having portrayed
a space Viking in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
However, as Stevenson revealed to journalist Matt J. Horn while discussing his work in
Thor, he had a closer connection to the world of Vikings than most people may realize.
Stevenson explained,
"I had my formative years in the north-east of England.
[...] A place littered with Vikings and Norse mythology.
Indeed, my father would often tell me that the derivative of my surname 'Stevenson' was
in fact 'Svenson', a fine old Viking name."
Many actors love to talk about how acting is a calling — something more than a profession
— and how they do it for artistic value and spiritual satisfaction.
"If you get to go to work and earn your living as an actor, you're done.
What else would you want?"
Then, there are others who, in addition to the passion they feel for the process, admit
that they don't hate the fame side of the job.
They can be open about enjoying the glitz and glamor of it all, as well as the many
perks of stardom, such as seeing action figures based on the characters they've portrayed.
Ray Stevenson was one of those, and he confessed to having a very particular goal for his career.
In an interview with Build during the press tour for The Transporter Refueled, Stevenson
revealed,
"It was a dream of mine one day to have an action figure."
He couldn't understand how anyone wouldn't be excited about the idea, while expressing
his delight at having not one, but three action figures out in the world.
The actor joked that he couldn't get too carried away with himself, though, because his children
brought him back down to Earth.
In fact, his kids had ripped the heads off his action figures, and one of them even replaced
his dad's head with a Lego one.
While Stevenson didn't say which figure his child re-capitated, he had a good laugh about
the whole thing.
Ray Stevenson's death deeply affected his former co-stars, especially his fellow Ahsoka
castmates, since the Disney+ series was one of his final projects before his passing.
In fact, Ahsoka even includes a tribute to Stevenson in the closing credits of the first
episode, "Part One: Master and Apprentice."
In an interview with People, Rosario Dawson remembered Stevenson and his powerful performance
as Baylan Skoll, but she also took the time to praise him as a special and kind human
being, recalling,
"He'd have these crystals that had all these different meanings from where, you know, he
felt like spiritually, where he came from and what he wanted to be resonating.
And we'd sit and have these conversations about the divine feminine."
Dawson went on to say that he was a fascinating and thoughtful individual to talk to, as he
loved to discuss philosophy and his family.