Ray Stevenson, ‘Punisher: War Zone’ and ‘Rome’ Star, Dies at 58

The Irish actor recently played the villain in the Tollywood blockbuster “RRR”

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Ray Stevenson, a towering and imposing character actor best known for starring roles in “Punisher: War Zone” and the “Rome” television show, has died at the age of 58. While his passing has been confirmed by his publicists, the cause of death is currently undisclosed.

George Raymond Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Ireland, on May 25, 1964. He was the second of three sons, and his father was a Royal Air Force pilot. He moved to England at the age of 8 and eventually attended the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He graduated at the age of 29. Stevenson had been a regular fixture at the movies and on television since the early 1990s.

His breakout movie role came in 1998’s “The Theory of Flight,” in which he played a gigolo tasked with helping Helena Bonham Carter’s character lose her virginity. His most notable big screen roles include the title role in Lexi Alexander’s R-rated cult favorite “Punisher: War Zone,” Volstagg in Marvel’s “Thor” movies and real-life Irish-American mob figure Danny Greene in “Kill the Irishman.”

Stevenson had most recently made his Indian cinematic debut playing the imperialist bad guy in S.S. Rajamouli’s Tollywood smash “RRR.” His final completed film was “Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday,” co-starring Scott Adkins.

He co-starred as Titus Pullo in all 22 episodes of HBO and BBC’s “Rome.” His television resume is peppered with guest-starring roles and reoccurring appearances in the likes of “Dexter,” “The Walking Dead,” “Black Sails,’ various “Star Wars” animated shows and “Vikings.” He will next be seen in this summer’s Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka.”

Stevenson had recently signed up to replace Kevin Spacey in the Genghis Khan action drama “1242: Gateway to the West,” in which he would have played a Hungarian Priest standing up against the Mongol army.

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