'Thor' and 'Punisher: War Zone' Actor Dies Unexpectedly at Just 58
Actor Ray Stevenson, who was known for his roles in the “Thor” films and “Punisher” War Zone,” died over the weekend at age 58.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor died in Italy on the set of a film called “Cassino in Ischia.”
No cause of death was available as of Monday afternoon when the news broke.
Actor Ray Stevenson, who starred in the #Thor movies and in the recent Oscar-winning Indian hit #RRR, has sadly died #THRNews pic.twitter.com/uFLK7YPJhE
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 22, 2023
Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland on May 25, 1964, and enjoyed a lengthy career in film, TV, and on stage.
The late actor’s first major film credit was 1998’s “The Theory of Flight.”
In 2004, he played Dagonet in director Antoine Fuqua’s “King Arthur.”
In 2008, he portrayed the leading character Frank Castle in “Punisher: War Zone” and also three films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He played the character Volstagg in “Thor,” “Thor: The Dark World” and in “Thor: Ragnarok.”
Stevenson also saw screen time in the “Divergent” trilogy of films and last year played the character of Governor Scott Buxton in S. S. Rajamouli’s Indian film “RRR.”
The star also appeared in 2010’s “The Book of Eli” alongside Denzel Washington and in 2011’s “Kill the Irishman.”
Stevenson first appeared on television as a journalist in the program “Woman’s Guide to Adultery.”
But he made a name for himself on the small screen in the TV dramas “Rome” and “Dexter.”
Stevenson’s death comes before his Disney+ “Star Wars” spinoff series “Ahsoka” was set to release.
The late star said he was influenced by actors such as Gene Hackman and Lee Marvin in a 2020 interview with the outlet Backstage.
“It was the likes of Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman. Never a bad performance, and brave and fearless within that caliber,” he told the outlet.
Stevenson added, “It was never the young, hot leading man; it was men who I could identify with.”
The actor leaves behind three children, Sebastiano, Leonardo, and Lodovico with his Italian anthropologist girlfriend Elisabetta Caraccia.
He would have turned 59 later this week.
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