Ray Stevenson

Early life

George Raymond Stevenson was born in Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on 25 May 1964, the second of three sons. His father was a Royal Air Force pilot. 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 a design course at Bath Lane College (Newcastle upon Tyne), then the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29.

Career

Film

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. In 2002, he starred in the short film No Man's Land, which was the antipodal picture from actor/director Edward Hicks before he graduated 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. 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 his family was murdered. In 2010, he played an antagonist in the comedy The Other Guys.

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. 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. He played Firefly in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, released in 2013. He appeared in the Finnish-American thriller film Big Game. 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.

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.

Television

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. 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). 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.

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. 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.

At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Stevenson was announced as playing the Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka, a miniseries debuting on Disney+. After the series' debut following Stevenson's death, Stevenson's Skoll quickly became a fan favorite. 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 perfect." Stevenson also offered input on the design of his character's lightsaber hilt.

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", while Collider described Stevenson as having "an inescapable gravitas" and that he "gave a masterclass in character building". After Stevenson's death, Rory McCann took over the role for the second season.

Stage

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.

Personal life

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. Stevenson remarried an Italian anthropologist, Elisabetta Caraccia, and had three sons.

Death

On 21 May 2023, Stevenson died at the age of 58, four days shy of his 59th birthday. Although his cause of death is unknown, he was reportedly hospitalised while working on an action movie Cassino in Ischia at the island of Ischia in Campania, Italy. Stevenson's co-stars, including Rosario Dawson, Scott Adkins, and James Purefoy, paid tribute. Stevenson's role in Cassino in Ischia was taken over by Dominic Purcell.

The first episode of Ahsoka, released on 22 August 2023, just over three months after Stevenson's death, includes a dedication to him, "For our friend, Ray". Ivanna Sakhno, who played Shin Hati, Stevenson's 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. Stevenson is succeeded in the role of Skoll by Rory McCann in Ahsoka's second season. McCann was a good friend of Stevenson. The film Canary Black (2024), which features Stevenson, is also dedicated to him.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

References

References

1. "BBC – Press Office – Rome press pack phase two Ray Stevenson". bbc.co.uk.
2. (5 January 2015). "Samuel Jackson Hunts a 'Big Game' (Trailer) -". bloody-disgusting.com.
3. (20 November 2019). "SS Rajamouli ropes in Olivia Morris Ray Stevenson and Alison Doody for RRR". India Today.
4. "'Divergent's' Ray Stevenson Joins Starz's 'Black Sails' as Blackbeard". Variety.
5. "Das Boot (TV Series 2018– ) – "Cast" credits – IMDb".
6. Smith, Ryan. (7 October 2023). "Baylan Skoll Raises Some of Star Wars' Biggest Questions".
7. Castleton, Lord. (3 October 2023). "What Makes Ahsoka's Baylon Skoll So Damn Captivating?".
8. Coggan, Devan. (22 November 2023). "Dave Filoni remembers 'Ahsoka' star Ray Stevenson and explains Baylan Skoll's big finale cliffhanger".
9. Bardini, Julio. (10 October 2023). "It's a Shame We Won't Get More of Ray Stevenson's Baylan Skoll in Star Wars".
10. Barr, Sabrina. (3 October 2023). "Ray Stevenson's performance in Ahsoka before his death purposely paid homage to original Star Wars movies".
11. (3 February 2003). "The Duchess of Malfi".
12. Koncienzcy, Rebecca. (10 December 2017). "Where is the cast of Band of Gold now?". Reach Plc.
13. Bahr, Lindsey. (22 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson, of 'Rome' and 'Thor' movies, dies at 58". ABC News.
14. (22 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson, 'Punisher: War Zone' and 'Rome' Star, dies at 58".
15. (22 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson Dies: 'RRR', 'Thor', Vikings' & 'Divergent' Actor Was 58".
16. (22 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson: Thor, Volstagg and Star Wars actor dies aged 58". [[BBC News]].
17. VanHoose, Benjamin. (24 May 2023). "Ray Stevenson Was Rushed to Hospital from Set Before Death, Filming Was Suspended: Sources (Exclusive)". [[People (magazine).
18. (29 June 2023). "Dominic Purcell Replaces Late Ray Stevenson In ''Cassino In Ischia'' Movie From Republic Pictures & Paramount Global".
19. Ross, Dalton. (22 August 2023). "Ahsoka premiere pays tribute to the late Ray Stevenson".
20. Lammers, Tim. (4 October 2023). "Ivanna Sakhno's Tribute To Late Ahsoka Co-Star Ray Stevenson Will Make You Cry".
21. (10 January 2025). "'Game of Thrones' Actor Rory McCann Replacing the Late Ray Stevenson for 'Ahsoka' Season 2".
22. "Ray Stevenson List of Movies and TV Shows".
23. "Ray Stevenson Filmography".
24. Staff, Amazon. (2024-08-02). "Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video fall lineup: 13 films you won't want to miss".
25. Vlessing, Etan. (25 January 2023). "Ray Stevenson Replaces Kevin Spacey in Epic Drama '1242: Gateway to the West'".
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27. (28 July 2009). "Marvel Super Hero Squad voice Cast".
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