LONDON: British actor Ray Stevenson, who portrayed the evil British governor in RRR, Volstagg in the Thor movies, and a major antagonist in the upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka, passed away at the age of 58.
Ray Stevenson also appeared in main TV shows such as Rome, Dexter and Vikings. According to the BBC, he was known for roles in the Divergent series and many UK TV shows like Band of Gold, Peak Practice and Murphy’s Law.
His United States-based publicist firm, Viewpoint, confirmed his death to the BBC but did not provide further details.
No reason for his death has been revealed, but he was hospitalised during filming on the Italian island of Ischia.
He was working on an action movie, Cassino, before his death in Ischia. His death was announced four days before Ray’s 59th birthday. Ray Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland but moved to England when he was eight.
His father was stationed with the British Air Force near Lisburn, County Antrim, at the time of his birth in 1964. His family relocated to Newcastle upon Tyne, and he spent much of his childhood in the UK.
After seeing John Malkovich in a play at a West End theatre in London, Ray Stevenson was inspired to become the actor.
He studied acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in London, and one of his initial TV roles was in the Catherine Cookson drama The Dwelling Place.
He later appeared in many British TV shows, including Waking the Dead, Dalziel and Pascoe and At Home with the Braithwaites.
In 2004, he played the knight in the big-budget Hollywood movie King Arthur, which starred Keira Knightley.
More recently, Stevenson secured roles in successful United States-made TV shows and movies, taking the role of Volstagg in the Thor trilogy and Titus Pullo in HBO’s historical drama series Rome.
He will star as Baylan Skoll in the upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: Ashoka.
