Ray Stevenson, Star Wars and Marvel Actor, Dead at 58

Ray Stevenson has died.

The British actor, who starred in films like RRR, Thor, and Divergent, died on Sunday, May 21, just three days before his birthday on May 25. He was 58.

According to Deadline, Stevenson's reps at Independent Talent confirmed the news but did not provide further details on a cause of death.

THR reports that the actor passed away Sunday morning at the Rizzoli hospital on the island of Ischia. Per the outlet, Stevenson was in the middle of shooting his latest film, Cassino in Ischia when he "suffered an illness that required hospitalization."

The actor began his career on TV shows in the early 1990s before making his big break with his first major film role as Dagonet in King Arthur. In 2008, Stevenson was cast in the Marvel film Punisher: War Zone, where he portrayed the titular role of Frank Castle. He's also known for playing Volstagg in Marvel's Thor franchise along with starring in the Divergent series as Marcus Eaton.

Stevenson previously voiced the character of Gar Saxon in the animated Star Wars series The Clone Wars and Rebels, and was set to join the cast in Disney+'s upcoming The Mandalorian spinoff Ashoka alongside Rosario Dawson, which is set to premiere in August.

His latest work includes starring as the main antagonist, Scott Bruxon, in the Oscar-winning SS Rajamouli film, RRR, which became one of the highest-grossing films in India.

Production for Cassino in Ischia had just begun a few weeks before the actor's death. Stevenson was set to play an older action movie star who seeks to rebuild his career by jetting off to Italy to make a film before being forced to reconcile past rifts with his family.

In addition to Cassino in Ischia, Stevenson was also recently cast in the feature 1242: Gateway to the West where he was set to replace Kevin Spacey.