Ray Stevenson Biography

George Raymond "Ray" Stevenson was born in Northern Ireland on 25 May 1964 and grew up in England. He is a film and television actor. He is known for playing Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series Rome (2005"2007), and in film as Dagonet in King Arthur (2004) and as Frank Castle/The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone (2008) and The Super Hero Squad Show. Stevenson recently appeared as Volstagg in Thor, based on the Marvel Comics character and as real life Cleveland mobster Danny Greene in Kill the Irishman. In 2012 he appeared in the seventh season of Dexter as Isaak Sirko.

Early life

Stevenson was born in Lisburn, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, the second of three sons of a Royal Air Force pilot father and an Irish mother. He moved with his family to Lemington, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in 1972, at the age of eight, and later to Cramlington, Northumberland, where he was brought up. Stevenson attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29.

Career

Film

Stevenson has starred in several feature films, primarily in supporting roles. He made his debut in The Theory of Flight (1998) with Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter, where he played the part of a gigolo hired to help Bonham Carter's character to lose her virginity. In 2002, Stevenson starred in a short film No Man's Land, which was the antipodal picture from actor/director Edward Hicks prior to his graduation from the London Film School. In the 12½ minute film, set during World War I, Stevenson portrayed an experienced Private who is forced to help a novice Officer (David Birkin), back to safety after they both find themselves trapped and isolated in "No Man's Land" during the Battle of Ypres. In 2004, Stevenson starred alongside Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in King Arthur. He portrayed Dagonet, a knight of the round table who sacrifices his life for his comrades.

Stevenson's first leading role in a film was in the Scottish horror picture Outpost (2008), portraying a mercenary pitted against Nazi zombies in a bunker somewhere in Eastern Europe. That same year, he also starred in Punisher: War Zone, as Frank Castle, "The Punisher," a former Marine turned vigilante after the murder of his family. In 2010, Stevenson played the primary antagonist in the comedy The Other Guys, alongside Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell.

In 2011, Stevenson appeared in the film Kill the Irishman, based on the book To Kill the Irishman, as Danny Greene, an Irish American mobster who took on the Italian mob in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1970s. He worked with Kenneth Branagh again, this time as a director, in the adaptation of Marvel Comics' Thor, starring in the role of Volstagg, one of Thor's trusted comrades. Also that year, he played Porthos in Paul W.S. Anderson's adaptation of The Three Musketeers. On 8 July 2011, Stevenson was cast as Firefly in G.I. Joe: Retaliation (which was released in 2013).

Television

He is perhaps best known for playing the character of legionary Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series Rome. He shares the lead starring role in the series with Kevin McKidd.

His other TV-work includes guest appearances in popular TV series including Waking the Dead and Murphy's Law as well as lead roles in City Central and At Home with the Braithwaites. He has also appeared in several TV films such as Some Kind of Life in 1995, in which he co-starred with Jane Horrocks, and The Return of the Native, which also featured Catherine Zeta Jones. Some of his earliest parts were in two Catherine Cookson films: The Dwelling Place (1994) and The Tide of Life (1996). Ray reprises his role this time as the voice of the Punisher in The Super Hero Squad Show. Stevenson plays as Isaak Sirko in the 7th season of Dexter in 2012.

Stage

His stage work includes playing the part of Jesus Christ in the York Mystery Plays in 2000 at York Minster. In 2001 he took the part of Roger in the play Mouth to Mouth by Kevin Elyot, at the Albery Theatre in London with Lindsay Duncan and Michael Maloney. His most well-known part is perhaps that of the Cardinal in The Duchess of Malfi by John Webster with Janet McTeer at the Royal National Theatre in 2003.

Personal life

Stevenson was married in Westminster, London, in 1997, to actress Ruth Gemmell, whom he met when they worked together on the TV drama Band of Gold (1995). They later played a husband and wife on screen in Peak Practice (1997). The couple divorced after eight years of marriage. His current girlfriend is Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia, whom he met while filming Rome. The couple have two sons: Sebastiano Derek Stevenson, born on 24 December 2007, and Leonardo George Stevenson, born on 11 April 2011.

Credits

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	The Theory of Flight	Gigolo
1999	G:MT " Greenwich Mean Time	Mr Hardy
2004	King Arthur	Dagonet
2008	Outpost	DC
2008	Punisher: War Zone	Frank Castle/The Punisher
2009	The Vampire's Assistant	Murlough
2010	The Book of Eli	Redridge
2010	The Other Guys	Roger Wesley
2011	Kill the Irishman	Danny Greene
2011	The Three Musketeers	Porthos
2011	Thor	Volstagg
2013	G.I. Joe: Retaliation	Firefly
2013	Jayne Mansfield's Car	Phillip Bedford
2013	Thor: The Dark World	Volstagg
2014	Divergent	Marcus Eaton	Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1993	A Woman's Guide to Adultery	'Journalist'
1995	Band of Gold	Steve Dickson	12 episodes
1996	The Tide of Life	Larry Birch
1997	Peak Practice	Joe Higson	1 episode: "Home Truths"
1997	Drover's Gold	Armstrong	5 episodes
1998	City Central	DI Tony Baynham	32 episodes
1999	Love in the 21st Century	Alex	1 episode: "Toyboys"
2000	Holby City	Laurence Haney	1 episode: "Taking It on the Chin"
2000	The Bill	Sgt. Gartland	1 episode: "Over the Edge"
2001	At Home with the Braithwaites	Graham Braithwaite	11 episodes
2001	Dalziel and Pascoe	Jeff Parry	1 episode: "Truth and Consequences"
2003	Red Cap	Sgt. Chris Roxborough	1 episode: "Cover Story"
2003	Murphy's Law	Robert Eaglan	1 episode: "Kiss and Tell"
2004	Waking the Dead	Dr Tim Faulkner	1 episode: "Fugue States"
2005	Rome	Titus Pullo	22 episodes
2007	Life Line	Peter Brasco	TV movie
2009	The Super Hero Squad Show	Frank Castle/The Punisher	1 episode: "Night in the Sanctorum"
2012	Dexter	Isaak Sirko	9 episodes Nominated " Saturn Award for Best Guest Starring Role on Television

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2000	York Mystery Plays	Christ
2001	Mouth to Mouth	Roger
2003	The Duchess of Malfi	the Cardinal