Ray Stevenson Biography

Born on May 25, 1964, in Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, Ray Stevenson was the second of three sons of a Royal Air Force pilot and his Irish wife. In 1972, when he was eight years old, he relocated to Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne, England with his family.

Ray Stevenson starred as a journalist in ‘A Woman's Guide to Adultery’ in 1993. A year later, he appeared in the television miniseries ‘The Dwelling Place’. He worked with the likes of Jane Horrocks and Gwen Taylor on his feature film debut, ‘Some Kind of Life’ (1995).

In 2000, he performed as Jesus Christ in the ‘York Mystery Plays’ at York Minster. A year later, he appeared at the Albery Theatre in London playing Roger in a production of Kevin Elyot’s ‘Mouth to Mouth’. His best-known performance is as Cardinal in ‘The Duchess of Malfi’ by John Webster at the Royal National Theatre in 2003.

Ray Stevenson was cast as Titus Pullo, a hot-headed, hedonistic Roman soldier, in BBC/HBO’s ‘Rome’ (2005-07). Created by John Milius, William J. MacDonald, and Bruno Heller, the series depicts the city state’s sudden and violent transition from a republic to an empire. The show heavily draws from the two Shakespearean plays about the period, ‘Julius Caesar’ and ‘Antony and Cleopatra’.

In 2008, he played the comic-book character Frank Castle/The Punisher in Lexi Alexander’s action thriller film ‘Punisher: War Zone’. He later lent his voice to the character for an episode (2009) of the Cartoon Network/Marvel Animation series ‘The Super Hero Squad Show’.

Ray Stevenson met actress Ruth Gemmell while he was filming the TV drama ‘Band of Gold’ (1995). In November 1997, they exchanged wedding vows at Westminster, London. The couple also appeared together in ‘Peak Practice’ (1997), portraying a husband and his wife. They parted ways in 2005.

He began a relationship with anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia in 2005. They had three sons together, including Sebastiano Derek (born 2007) and Leonardo George (born 2011).

Ray Stevenson passed away on 21 May 2023, at age 58.

Ray Stevenson was a skilled blacksmith and enjoyed creating unique metalwork in his spare time.

He was a passionate advocate for environmental conservation and actively supported various wildlife preservation initiatives.

In addition to his acting career, Stevenson was also a talented musician who played several instruments, including the guitar and piano.

He had a keen interest in history and often visited historical sites around the world to learn more about different cultures and civilizations.

Stevenson was known for his love of adventure sports, particularly rock climbing and scuba diving, and he often sought out new challenges in these areas.