Actor Ray Stevenson has died at the age of 58. His death comes just months before he was set to debut in the upcoming Star Wars series on Disney+, Ahsoka. In the series, Stevenson will be a protagonist Baylan Skoll, an ally of Grand Admiral Thrawn.
“Getting to wield the lightsaber is just the best feeling in the world,” Stevenson said Star Wars Celebration last month. “The first time they handed it to me for the camera test, I couldn’t help myself, I made the noise.” In footage shared at Celebration, he could be seen in a lightsaber duel with Rosario Dawson’s Ahsoka Tano.
Stevenson’s appearance in Ahsoka is not his only time bringing a character to life in a galaxy far, far away. He also lent his voice to Mandalorian super commando Gar Saxon in Star Wars: Rebels and The Clone Wars.
The death of Stevenson happened in Italy where he had been filming Cassino on Ischia, from director Frank Ciota. He was on the Italian island of Ischia and was reportedly hospitalized on Friday for an unknown illness.
Ray Stevenson has appeared in multiple other films and was known for his role as Volstagg the Asgardian warrior in the Thor films. He also played Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone. He has over 60 acting credits to his name that date back to the 1990s. His breakout film was as Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series Rome.
