Star Wars, Marvel, and Wider Entertainment Industry Mourn Ray Stevenson

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Tributes are pouring in for the late actor Ray Stevenson in the wake of the his sudden death at the age of 58 earlier this week.

Stevenson, who played characters in both Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also lent his talent to several film and TV projects, and is set to appear in the upcoming live action Ahsoka series on Disney+.

"We have lost a great talent and friend in Ray Stevenson," said Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni, who is executive producing the upcoming Ahsoka series. "His kindness and generosity were felt by our entire team on Ahsoka. I always looked forward to working with Ray, and I appreciated his insight and daily wisdom. I am glad that his memory will live on through his family, friends, and the many characters he created. Thank you Ray, for everything."

Stevenson had previously voiced Mandalorian antagonist Gar Saxon in the animated Star Wars: Rebels series, and will yet appear as Baylan Skoll, a force wielding ally of grand admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka.

“Sharing in grief with you all. What a Ray of light,” said Ashoka lead Rosario Dawson. “Been calling cast [and] crew and the rest of my family to say how much I love them. Let this be your reminder to love on your people’s in real time while you can. Ray was so vivacious and unbelievably present and vibrant. He truly lived."

Fellow cast member Diana Lee Inosanto, who plays Morgan Elsbeth in the upcoming live action series, likewise took to Twitter to pay her respects to the late actor. “I am heartbroken and devastated to lose an amazing friend, colleague, and mentor,” said Inosanto.

“Ray Stevenson was a thoughtful and passionate human being, dedicated and loved family man, and he loved his fans immensely. Ray, you were always an amazing force! You will be deeply missed by many.”

The Marvel Cinematic Universe also paid tribute to the prolific actor, who had appeared both as Volstag In the Thor movies and separately as Frank Castle/Punisher in 2008’s Punisher: War Zone. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ray Stevenson, who brought humour and wit to the character of Volstagg,” read a tweet from the Marvel Studios account. “He was a wonderful actor who will be deeply missed, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”

“He was really kind,” said Tadanobu Asasno, who played Hogan alongside Stevenson in the 2011 movie Thor, while DC's James Gunn also took to Twitter to express his regret at the actor’s passing.

“Damn. So sorry to hear about the passing, far too young, of Ray Stevenson,” tweeted Gunn. “I only knew him a little from shooting post-credits of Thor 2 and a couple interactions at events, but we had some good laughs and he was a joy to work with. His friends and family are in my heart today.”

Stevenson also took on a huge range of roles away from the superhero genre. He recently portrayed primary antagonist governor Scott Buxton in the 2022 movie RRR, which focused on a fictitious story surrounding Indian revolutionaries in the 1920s, and which brought home the first Oscar for a feature film from India.

The movie’s Twitter account lauded Stevenson’s lack of hesitation when it came to performing stunts during filming, while lead actor Ram Charan said that he was “shocked and deeply saddened with news of Ray Stevenson passing away” and that he would be “remembered forever”.

Beyond the silver screen Stevenson also made countless appearances on TV, with many fans fondly reminiscing about his appearances in Dexter, Reef Break, Black Sails, and as Titus Pullo in HBO’s Rome.

“So sad to hear the news that Ray Stevenson, our Pullo in Rome, has passed away,” tweeted actor James Purefoy, who played Mark Anthony in the HBO series. “A brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right up to the brim. My thoughts are with his family, his lovely wife Betta and their beautiful kids. What a loss.”

Desmond Chiam, who acted alongside Stevenson in the Australia-filmed TV series Reef Break also had touching words to share about the actor’s character. "Ray Stevenson was a guardian angel during a really tough, really emotional time in my career. I was close to quitting, but he got us through. He is forever one of the good ones.”

Image Credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor at Getty Images

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer



source https://www.ign.com/articles/star-wars-marvel-and-wider-entertainment-industry-mourns-ray-stevenson
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