Actor Ray Stevenson, most well-known for roles in Punisher: War Zone and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thor franchise, has reportedly died. He was 58. The Wrap was first to report the news. At this time, no further details have been provided, though the outlet reported that Stevenson’s publicist confirmed the actor passed away in Italy.
Stevenson was an Irish actor who began his career in the early ’90s but rose to fame starring as Titus Pullo in HBO’s Rome television show in the mid-2000s. He would later go on to play two Marvel Comics characters: Frank Castle — AKA The Punisher — in War Zone, and Asgardian warrior Volstagg in the MCU. Over the years he also appeared in movies such as The Book of Eli, The Three Musketeers, and the Divergent franchise. One of his most recent roles was as the evil Governor Scott Buxton in S.S.Rajamouli’s Tollywood smash RRR. Next up, fans can see Stevenson in the Disney+ Star Wars series Ahsoka.
Videos by PopCulture.com
In what may have been one of his final interviews, Stevenson spoke with Collider in April and opened up about working on Ahsoka. “There’s eight episodes to see, and I would say it’s episodes 1 to 8. You cannot separate them, it’s like picking which child is your favourite child,” he said of the series, then going on to praise Dave FIloni and Jon Favreau, who developed the project.
“The storylines themselves, it’s second guesses, it’s this, and it’s that, where does it all lead? There’s a lot of cliffhanging surprises and journeys and unexpected events, and Dave just kept it going and kept it coming, it was just a delight to go to work,” he said. “Exhausting, but a delight.”
“Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have this unique ability to facilitate everybody to bring the best of themselves to work,” Stevenson continues. “They aren’t expecting genius, but just the best of you. Why do you get up in the morning? To hope you can bring the best of yourself to work, and they do that. It’s a humility of greatness from them, it’s so empowering and humble.” Notably, in Ahsoka, Stevenson portrays Baylan Skoll, “a former Jedi who survived Order 66 by fleeing into the Unknown Regions,” who is also “a master to Shin and ally to Thrawn.” This is said to be his final on-screen performance.
