Ray Stevenson, Actor in RRR, Thor, and Ahsoka, Dies at 58

Ray Stevenson, a prolific actor who recently portrayed the villain in the Oscar-winning Tollywood hit RRR, died yesterday, his publicist has confirmed to IGN. He was 58.

He played Volstagg in Marvel’s Thor films. Stevenson is also known for movies like Punisher: War Zone, where he played The Punisher/Frank Castle, and King Arthur, and TV shows including HBO/BBC’s Rome. He’s appearing in Disney+’s next live-action Star Wars series Ahsoka, returning after voicing Gar Saxon in Star Wars: Rebels.

Stevenson was born in Lisburn in 1964, and made his breakout film debut in 1998’s The Theory of Flight alongside Helena Bonham Carter. Other major roles came in the 2000s, notably playing Dagonet in Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 movie King Arthur. The Punisher, his first foray into Marvel, came in 2008.

He would go on to star in films including The Other Guys, Kill the Irishman, Paul W.S. Anderson’s The Three Musketeers, The Book of Eli, and G.I. Joe: Retailation, where he played Firefly. He also played Marcus Eaton in Divergent, and would reprise the role in sequels Insurgent and Allegiant.

In television, in addition to his role as Titus Pollo in Rome, he joined the cast of Starz’s Black Sails in 2015 as Edward Teach. While he voiced Gar Saxon in Star Wars: Rebels and The Clone Wars, he was shown at last month’s Star Wars Celebration playing Admiral Thrawn ally Baylon Skoll, with footage of him in a lightsaber duel with Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka.

Thumbnail credit: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.