Ray Stevenson's Death Shocks Actor's Friends and Fans

By Daniel S. Levine

Ray Stevenson's fans, friends, and colleagues are in mourning Monday after news broke of his death. Stevenson died on Sunday in Italy, where he was filming Cassino in Ischia. The Thor actor recently finished filming the Disney+ series Star Wars: Ahsoka and the movie 1242: Gateway to the West. Stevenson was 58.

Stevenson was born on May 25, 1964, in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He was prolific on television and in movies, with more than 60 credits to his name. Marvel fans know him best as Volstagg in Thor, Thor: The Dark World, and Thor: Ragnarok, as well as Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone. His other roles include Marcus Eaton in the Divergent movies, Firefly in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and the villain Governor Scott Buxton in RRR.

HBO's Rome featured one of Stevenson's best performances. He played Titus Pullo in the critically acclaimed series. He also played Isaak Sirko in Dexter, and Blackbeard in the FX pirate drama Black Sails. Other historical figures on his resume include Ferdinand I of Naples in Medici, James IV of Scotland in The Spanish Princess, Ohthere of Hålogaland in Vikings, and Dragonet in the 2004 King Arthur film.

Star Wars fans also came to know Stevenson, first through his voice. He played the Mandalorian supercommando in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He makes his live-action Star Wars debut in Ahsoka as the fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll. The eight-episode series will premiere on Disney+ in August. Scroll on to see how Stevenson is being remembered on social media.

'Shocked and saddened by the tragic news'

"I'm shocked and saddened by the tragic news that a great actor and my good friend Ray Stevenson has passed away," Scott Adkins tweeted. "I will miss you, Big Ray! Life is short so make the most of it people."

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'A great loss of a veteran artist'

"Gut punch this morning learning Ray Stevenson passed away," Clone Wars composer Kevin Kiner wrote. "His truly haunting performance in Ahsoka has a gravity that stunned us all. A great loss of a veteran artist and the craft is poorer for his absence."

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'He was a joy to work with'

"Damn. So sorry to hear about the passing, far too young, of Ray Stevenson. I only knew him a little from shooting post-credits of Thor 2 & a couple interactions at events, but we had some good laughs & he was a joy to work with. His friends & family are in my heart today," Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn wrote.

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'A brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor'

"RIP Ray Stevenson, whose turn as Titus Pullo on ROME is one of the greatest effortlessly charming performances of TV's golden age. A warm guy, by all accounts, and a serious craftsman. He'll be sorely missed," author Gretchen Felker-Martin wrote.

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His 'intensity would elevate anything he was in'

"Tragic to see that the news of Ray Stevenson's passing," a fan wrote. "He was the type of welcome presence whose intensity would elevate anything he was in, no matter the scope of the role or project."

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'Ray always had time to chat and never failed to be gracious and kind'

"Ray Stevenson has passed away suddenly at the age of 58. I'm not even sure I can articulate how tragic that is. Just an unbelievable screen presence. The world is worse off without that titan roaring on the big screen," one fan wrote.

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