Actor Ray Stevenson, who starred in popular movies such as King Arthur, Punisher: War Zone and Marvel’s Thor films, has died at the age of 58.
His publicist confirmed his death on Sunday, May 21st, but no cause has been given.
Stevenson played Frank Castle, also known as Punisher, in the 2008 action movie Punisher: War Zone, alongside Dominic West and Doug Hutchinson.
He was the third actor to play the character on the big screen, following Dolph Lundgren in 1989 and Thomas Jane in 2004.
Jon Bernthal later portrayed him in Netflix’s Daredevil and The Punisher series.
In addition to Punisher, Stevenson played Asgardian hero Volstagg in the first three Marvel Thor films.
He made his last appearance in 2018’s Thor: Ragnarok, opposite Chris Hemsworth’s titular character.
Stevenson is also known for his role as Dagonet, one of the Knights of the Round Table, in Antoine Fuqua’s 2004 film King Arthur.
Stevenson’s upcoming role in the Star Wars spin-off series Ahsoka is highly anticipated.
The series will debut on Disney Plus in August, and Stevenson plays Baylan Skoll, a Jedi who turns to the dark side.
The Lisburn-born actor started his career in the Nineties on various TV shows.
He received his first major film role in King Arthur.
In addition to his prominent film roles, Stevenson also appeared in several small-screen productions, including HBO’s Rome, where he played Titus Pullo, a Roman soldier from 2005 to 2007.
Stevenson played Ukrainian mob member Isaak Sirko in Dexter’s seventh season in 2012.
He also portrayed Blackbeard in the third and fourth seasons of Black Sails (2016 and 2017) and Othere in the sixth season of Vikings (2019).
Stevenson was recently seen in the Oscar-nominated Tollywood action film RRR, as the evil Governor Scott Buxton.
Stevenson’s former co-stars, including Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis and Rome’s James Purefoy, have led tributes to the actor.
Stevenson’s passing is a great loss to the entertainment industry, but his performances will continue to be cherished by fans around the world.
