Star Wars actor Ray Stevenson died on set in Italy 23.05.2023, 08:45

The Northern Irish entertainer died just days before his 59th birthday. Ray felt unwell and was admitted to Rizzoli Hospital in Italy before he died. Stevenson died at the hospital, his spokesman said.

Before his death, the actor was working on the film Cassino in Ischia, where he was supposed to play a downtrodden action star trying to revive his career and the consequences of abandoning his family for fame.

Ray was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland on 25 May 1964. He was the second of three sons of an RAF pilot and his wife. The family moved to England when he was eight years old. When he grew up he entered Bristol’with the Old Vic Theater School, which he graduated at the age of 29.

After making guest appearances in various TV shows and movies, Ray made his debut on the big screen. In 1998, he starred in Theory of Flight as a gigolo alongside Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter. He then got a steady job and starred in a British series.

The actor gained wide popularity and in 2004 embodied the image of Dagonet in the film “King Arthur” together with another promising actor Clive Owen. He then landed more action film roles, playing a tough soldier with a heart of gold in the Emmy-winning miniseries Rome and later as action anti-hero Frank Castle in The Punisher: War Zone.

In an interview with Collider in 2008, the classically trained actor said he was unaware of the comic the character was based on. “Honestly, when I first read it, I was like, ‘This is really brutal. What the hell? You don’t want to be Frank. It’s weird to be the lead character or hero of a movie.” that you don’t really want to be. That’s what got me interested.” Ray said.

Stevenson didn’t want fans to imitate his character. He insisted that this be made clear in the script. “He’s in such a dark place. He may have come to terms with it, but there is no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no redemption for Frank. It’s very interesting,” explained the artist.

He also appeared as Volstagg in Thor. Ray described his character as a life-loving, kind epicurean comrade, ready to help. Stevenson starred in the sequels of the picture: “Thor: The Dark World” and “Thor: Ragnarok”.

The artist joined the Star Wars family after voicing Gar Saxon in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. She will appear as Balan Skoll in the upcoming Star Wars: Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson. The series is set to premiere in August. This is Ray’s latest work.

The Musketeers star is survived by his partner Elisabetta Caraccia and their children: 15-year-old Sebastiano, 12-year-old Leonardo, 10-year-old Lodovico, the Daily Mail reports.

Even more interesting materials in our Telegram channel.