With Ray Stevenson‘s passing at the age of 58, many Hollywood figures have shared emotional tributes for the beloved character actor. Stevenson first came to prominence for playing Dagonet in 2004’s King Arthur and received further acclaim for his starring role as Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series Rome from 2005 to 2007. He was known for bringing an imposing but charming aura to the characters he portrayed throughout his three-decade acting career.
Following Stevenson’s death in Italy on Sunday just four days before his 59th birthday, many people from the Hollywood film scene took to social media to share their remembrances about the actor. Stevenson, who was born in Northern Ireland and raised in Northumberland, England, received love from a wide range of former collaborators, including co-stars, screenwriters, directors, and even composers who spoke about the honor they drew from creating a theme for a Stevenson character. Check out the social media tributes below:
Ray Stevenson’s Best Roles
Stevenson has the unique distinction of being one of the few actors in Hollywood to have played not one, but two different Marvel characters. He portrayed Frank Castle/The Punisher in 2008’s Punisher: War Zone, which was one of his biggest roles and one of his most well-remembered despite the movie being a box office failure. Stevenson also played Thor’s friend Volstagg in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, with the most recent being 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.
While Stevenson’s large frame and booming British voice often found him cast in villainous roles, such as Governor Scott Buxton in the hit Tollywood film RRR and Admiral Baylan Skoll in upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka, he had his most success playing a much more layered character, Titus Pullo, in Rome. Pullo allowed Stevenson to show off his range as an actor, displaying the brutish physicality that a man of his size can’t help but bring to a role while also serving as the heart of the show by providing comical levity at times and emotional gravitas at others.
In recent years, Stevenson also made some very memorable guest appearances on acclaimed series including roles as Blackbeard on Black Sails and Othere on Vikings. He also played Marcus Eaton in the Divergent film series and turned Ukrainian mobster Isaak Sirko into an anti-hero and one of the few bright spots in Dexter season 7. Ray Stevenson also made notable contributions as a supporting player in projects such as the post-apocalyptic film The Book of Eli, crime thriller Kill The Irishman, and action romps like The Three Musketeers and G.I. Joe: Retaliation.
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