Ray Stevenson

Ray Stevenson was an Irish actor who was best known for his roles as the Roman soldier Titus Pullo in the HBO series Rome and the vigilante Frank Castle in the film Punisher: War Zone. He also played various characters in films and TV shows, such as Volstagg in the Thor franchise, Isaak Sirko in Dexter, Blackbeard in Black Sails, and Gar Saxon in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and moved to England with his family when he was eight years old. He studied at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and began his acting career on stage and in TV dramas. He made his film debut in The Theory of Flight in 1998, and gained recognition for his role in King Arthur in 2004. He was married twice and had two sons with his second wife, Elisabetta Caraccia, an Italian anthropologist. He died of cancer in 2023, at the age of 58, in Ischia, Italy, where he had a home. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the sea. He was remembered as a versatile and charismatic actor, who could play both heroes and villains with equal skill and charm.