RRR actor Ray Stevenson passes away at 58

The actor played the menacing Governor Scott Buxton in SS Rajamouli's RRR.

Ray Stevenson in a still from RRR

Irish actor Ray Stevenson, who was in films like Punisher: War Zone King Arthur, and the Thor films, as well as TV shows like Rome and the soon-to-be-released Ahsoka series on HBO, passed away on Sunday in Italy, his publicist confirmed to Variety. He was 58, and there was no available information about what caused his death.

Stevenson debuted on television in the 1990s, and then in the 2000s he began landing action roles in Hollywood blockbusters. He was born on May 25, 1964, in Northern Ireland. In Antoine Fuqua's 2004 action blockbuster King Arthur he played Dagonet, one of the Knights of the Round Table, in his first major film role. In the film, his character gives his life to King Arthur (Clive Owen) and his band of warrior brothers.

In the 2008 Marvel movie Punisher: War Zone Stevenson portrayed the title character, the mercenary Frank Castle. In North America, Lionsgate released the picture before Disney bought the Marvel franchise and reintroduced the character in the Netflix show Daredevil. In the film franchise, Stevenson is the third actor to play the Punisher.

In the 2010s, Stevenson starred in several action films, including The Book of Eli G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Three Musketeers, and instalments in the Thor and Divergent franchises, both from Marvel. Stevenson's second Marvel role was as Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three and a friend of Chris Hemsworth's Thor. After making an appearance in the first three Thor films, he met his end at the hands of Cate Blanchett's Hela in the third film, Thor: Ragnarok. In the Divergent series, Stevenson portrayed Marcus Eaton, the father of Four (Theo James) and the head of the Abnegation group in the city council.

The recent Tollywood smash RRR featured Stevenson as villainous Governor Scott Buxton, and the film won an Academy Award. This summer, he will also appear on the Disney+ Star Wars series Ahsoka as Baylan Skoll, a former Jedi who has fallen to the dark side and is now an associate of the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn. He has previously voiced Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

In the television realm, Stevenson played the role of Titus Pullo in the HBO series Rome from 2005 to 2007. He played a Roman soldier who was present for several pivotal events in the early history of the Roman Empire, alongside Kevin McKidd's Lucius Vorenus. During its two seasons on air, the show won seven Emmys.

Blackbeard in Starz's Black Sails pirate series; the sailor Othere in Season 6 of Vikings; Isaak Sirko, a Ukrainian mobster, on Showtime's Dexter; and Stevenson in Dexter Season 7; all are roles that Stevenson has portrayed.

Besides Ahsoka Stevenson will be remembered for the films 1242: Gateway to the West and Cassino in Ischia.

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