Ray Stevenson, the Irish actor who played major roles in “Thor” and “Vikings”, has passed away at the age of 58.
According to The Guardian, Stevenson had been hospitalized with a serious illness in recent days. Stevenson’s passing came just four days before his 59th birthday. Among colleagues that worked closely with Stevenson, multiple shared their condolences on Twitter. Director of “RRR” SS Rajamouli said:
“Shocking… Just can’t believe this news. Ray brought in so much energy and vibrancy with him to the sets. It was infectious. Working with him was pure joy. My prayers are with his family. May his soul rest in peace.”
Shocking… Just can't believe this news. Ray brought in so much energy and vibrancy with him to the sets. It was infectious. Working with him was pure joy.
My prayers are with his family. May his soul rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/HytFxHLyZD
— rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) May 23, 2023
Harry Lewis, an actor in the Harry Potter franchise, also expressed his sadness at losing a close friend, saying:
“This is so sad. Ray played my Dad in the first thing I ever did on TV. Almost 30 years ago. A proper actor with a fascinating career and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better first experience in this ridiculous industry. RIP Ray x”
This is so sad. Ray played my Dad in the first thing I ever did on TV. Almost 30 years ago. A proper actor with a fascinating career and I couldn’t have dreamed of a better first experience in this ridiculous industry. RIP Ray x https://t.co/lcdGZgzjY7 pic.twitter.com/nYqNpOmn7Y
— 🇺🇦Matthew Lewis🇺🇦 (@Mattdavelewis) May 22, 2023
Fox News Digital offered a brief summary of the great career that Stevenson had. He held roles in films that helped shape the landscape of movies and television over the last twenty years. Fox wrote:
Stevenson was born in 1964 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. After attending the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and years of working in British television, he made his film debut in Paul Greengrass’ 1998 film “The Theory of Flight.” In 2004, he appeared in Antoine Fuqua’s “King Arthur” as a knight of the Round Table, and several years later, he played the lead in the Marvel adaptation “Punisher: War Zone.”
The Irish actor rose to fame in the United States with his role as soldier Titus Pullo in the HBO series, “Rome,” from 2005 to 2007. Also on the small screen, Stevenson starred in ABC’s “Reef Break,” which was on-air for one season in 2019.
The year after “Rome” went off the air, Stevenson starred in “Punisher: War Zone.” He returned to the Marvel universe to star as Volstagg in “Thor.”
The Guardian shared that Stevenson viewed his role in HBO’s “Rome” as one of the biggest moments of his career. They wrote:
On the small screen he was the roguish Titus Pullo in the HBO series Rome, a role that really got his career going in the US and won him a SAG card at the age of 44. The series ran from 2005 to 2007.
“That was one of the major years of my life,” Stevenson said in an interview. “It made me sit down in my own skin and say, just do the job. The job’s enough.”
In the Variety review of Rome, Brian Lowery wrote that “the imposing Stevenson certainly stands out as a brawling, whoring and none-too-bright warrior — a force of nature who, despite his excesses, somehow keeps landing on his feet”.
Ray Stevenson’s skill as an actor will sorely be missed, and the mark that he left on his fiends and colleagues will be something that does not go away soon. His passing has been followed with comment after comment explaining what a good friend he was.
"*" indicates required fields