The incredibly talented actor, and longtime Marvel friend, Ray Stevenson has sadly passed away at the age of 58. The actor who appeared in three Thor movies died only three days before his 59th birthday.
Prior to his death on Sunday [May 21,] Ray Stevenson was rushed to the hospital from the set of a movie he recently began filming in Italy, sources tell People.
The actor, known for movies like Divergent and Thor, died on Sunday, just days before what would have been his 59th birthday on Thursday. At the time of his death, Stevenson was on the Italian island of Ischia, where he was shooting the movie Cassino in Ischia. ~ People
Ray Stevenson has sadly passed away at the age of 58.
Stevenson played roles in the following projects
• The Punisher: War Zone • Dexter • Black Sails • MCU Thor trilogy • Star Wars Rebels • Ahsoka • King Arthur • RRR • The Other Guys • The Divergent Series pic.twitter.com/vdCSn10Qvw
Ray Stevenson has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011, when he first played the role of Volstagg in Thor. A member of the Warriors Three who supported Thor through his adventures in Asgard and beyond, Stevenson’s Volstagg brought both humor and action to the Thor films.
Stevenson reprised his role in Marvel Studios’ Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok, with Volstagg stopping to eat all the delicacies in the realm along the way. After being cast in 2009, Stevenson told Empire,
“He’s got every bit of that Falstaffian verve and vigor, and a bit of a gut to suggest that enormous appetite, but he’s not the sort of Weeble-shaped figure he is in the comics. He’s Falstaff with muscles. I can’t wait!”
Stevenson as Volstagg, Image credit: Marvel
Volstagg wasn’t Stevenson’s only brush with Marvel, though. He played Frank Castle / The Punisher in 2008’s Punisher: War Zone which saw him take on the character. Prior to filming, Stevenson told Collider that he read the whole run of PunisherMAX, explaining, “I think he found his own skin, as it were, and it did incredible things for the character and a mine of back stories and information and character work and issues that weren’t being shied away from and it was tremendous a tremendous process.”
Stevenson later returned to voice the character in the animated series The Super Hero Squad Show in 2009.
Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland on May 25, 1964, and began his early career with appearances on European TV before transitioning to films in the 2000s, with roles in such films as The Divergent series, King Arthur, The Other Guys, and most recently the Oscar-winning RRR. His television credits include Rome, Dexter, and Black Sails.
