Ray Stevenson, an Irish actor best known for his roles in films such as “Punisher: War Zone” as well as the upcoming “Ahsoka” series has died at the age of 58…
Irish actor Ray Stevenson, who is best known for his role in films such as “Punisher: War Zone,” has died at the age of 58.
Stevenson’s publicist confirmed the news on Monday. No cause of death was revealed.
After first starting out with acting roles on television in the 1990s, Stevenson crossed over into major action films in the early 2000s including a role in the 2004 movie “King Arthur” where he starred opposite Clive Owen.
In 2008, Stevenson landed one of his most memorable roles as vigilante hero Frank Castle in “Punisher: War Zone,” which followed a separate “Punisher” film that starred Thomas Jane in the lead role. While Stevenson’s stoic and gritty take on the character received positive reviews, the film itself did not take off at the box office with the movie only earning $10 million on a $35 million budget.
While the “Punisher” role actually happened outside of Marvel Studios, Stevenson eventually did join the MCU after he appeared as Volstagg in three different “Thor” movies including “Thor: The Dark World” and “Thor: Ragnarok.”
More recently, Stevenson made a memorable appearance in the Oscar nominated film “RRR” as well as appearing in the “Divergent” film series with three separate sequels in those movies.
Stevenson also filmed a major role in the upcoming “Ahsoka” spinoff series that will debut on Disney+ later this year as he joins the “Star Wars” live action universe after previously voicing characters in prior animated series. In “Ahsoka,” Stevenson will star as Baylan Skoll — a former Jedi who eventually changed allegiances and now serves Grand Admiral Thrawn. Stevenson’s co-star Rosario Dawson paid tribute to him on Monday after hearing about his passing.
Stevenson is survived by his three children.
