Ray Stevenson dies at 58: Irish actor who starred in Marvel’s Thor film and upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka
Actor Ray Stevenson has died aged 58, just days before what DailyMail.com confirmed would have been his 59th birthday.
The Northern Irish thespian was known for starring in various action and fantasy films, including Marvel’s Thor movie, Punisher: War Zone, King Arthur and the upcoming Star Wars-based Ahsoka series.
No cause of death is known. Stevenson died Sunday, his representative said.
Ray Stevenson dies aged 58: Irish actor who starred in Punisher: War Zone and Marvel’s Thor movies (pictured; with Ivana Sakhno and Diana Lee Inosanto in April this year)
The actor was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland on May 25, 1964, the second of three sons of a Royal Air Force pilot and his wife.
The family moved to England when he was eight years old.
As an adult he attended the Bristol Old Vic Theater School, graduating at the age of 29.
After guest appearances in various television shows, and TV movies, Roy made his big screen debut as a gigolo in 1998’s The Theory of Flight, opposite Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter.
He got steady work appearing in various British TV series.
The 6’3″ actor’s commanding presence landed him the part of Dagonet in 2004’s King Arthur, opposite another newcomer, Clive Owen.
After that, he began winning more action parts, playing a burly soldier with a heart of gold in the Emmy-winning mini-series Rome and later as action hero Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone.
In a 2008 interview with Collider, the classically trained actor said he was not familiar with the comic on which the character is based.
‘Actually, when I first read it, I thought, “This is so violent. What is this?’
Referring to the character, he explained ‘You don’t want to be Frank. It’s weird to pick a movie lead or hero that you don’t actually want to be. That’s what intrigued me.’
The actor was adamant that he didn’t want fans to imitate the character and insisted that was made clear in the script.
‘He’s in such a dark place. She may have made peace with him, but there is no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no redemption for Frank. It is deeply curious.’
The vivacious star got to show his tough but loyal side in Thor as a member of the Warriors Three and donned a thick suit for the part.
‘I’m Volstagg and what you see is what you get,’ he told Collider in 2010.
‘He is a lively lover of life, an epicurean goodfellow. He’s a god, which helps. He is full of life.
‘There is a wonderful innocence about him. ‘And the steadfast loyalty of a large St. Bernard dog,’ explains the star. He’ll run through the snow with a keg of beer to save your life. You know, he has a twinkle in his eye. He is always up for a party. Yes, that’s about it. He is an all around good egg. Big eggs but good eggs.’
Roy went back to playing the role
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