George Raymond "Ray" Stevenson (May 25, 1964 – May 21, 2023) was a British actor born in Northern Ireland.
His breakout roles were Dagonet from King Arthur (2004) and Titus Pullo from Rome. He went on to take starring roles in Punisher: War Zone and Kill the Irishman. He has played a major supporting role in The Book of Eli, as well as Volstagg the Voluminous in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Stevenson passed away in May 2023 after a sudden illness during the filming of an Italian film, Cassino in Ischia, mere 4 days before his 59th birthday.
Selected Filmography:
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Film
- King Arthur (2004): Dagonet
- Outpost (2008): DC
- Punisher: War Zone (2008): Frank Castle/The Punisher
- The Other Guys (2010): Roger Wesley
- The Book of Eli (2010): Redridge
- Kill the Irishman (2011): Danny Greene
- The Three Musketeers (2011): Porthos
- Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011-2017) as Volstagg the Voluminous
- Thor (2011)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
- G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013): Firefly
- Cold Skin (2017): Gruner
- Accident Man (2018): Big Ray
- Final Score (2018): Arkady
- RRR (2022): Governor Scott Buxton
- Memory (2022): Det. Danny Mora
Television
- Band of Gold (1995-1996): Steve Dickson
- City Central (1998-1999): DI Tony Baynham / Det. Insp. Tony Baynham
- Rome (2005-2007): Titus Pullo
- Dexter (2012): Isaak Sirko
- The Superhero Squad Show (2009-2011) - Frank Castle/The Punisher (voice)
- Black Sails (2016): Blackbeard
- Vikings (2020): Ohthere
- Star Wars:
- Star Wars Rebels (2016): Gar Saxon (voice)
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2020): Gar Saxon (voice)
- Ahsoka (2023): Baylan Skollnote
Tropes Associated with Ray Stevenson:
- Affably Evil: If he's not playing a good guy, his villains usually tend to fall into this category, such as Baylan Skoll and Blackbeard, with very few exceptions like Scott Buxton.
- The Big Guy: When he was not the hero, he was most likely to play this role - being 6'3" surely helps.
- Boisterous Bruiser: His good guy roles: Porthos, Volstagg, Dagonet, and Pullo.
- Fake American: A number of times, most notably as The Punisher.
- Fake Nationality: Ukrainian in Dexter.
- Ink-Suit Actor: In Rebels, Gar Saxon bears much resemblance to him.
- Large Ham: His performance in Cirque Du Freak is a spectacle to say the least.
- Posthumous Credit: He passed away in May 2023, three months before the premiere of Ahsoka.
- Role Reprise: He reprised his role as the Punisher from War Zone in a
One-Scene Wonder for Super Hero Squad Show. If you're curious, he goes into a rant about white blood cells, macaroni and cheese, and brussel sprouts.
