Stevenson was married to English actress Ruth Gemmell for eight years, and had three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia.
Early life
George Raymond Stevenson was born in Lisburn in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, on 25 May 1964, the second of three sons born to a British father and an Irish mother. His father was a Royal Air Force pilot.[1] He moved to England with his family at the age of eight, first settling in the Lemington area of Newcastle upon Tyne and later in Seaton Delaval. He attended Bath Lane College (Newcastle upon Tyne) on a design course, then the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29.[citation needed]
In 2019, Stevenson was announced as a lead antagonist in the Telugu film RRR, directed by S. S. Rajamouli and released in 2022. This marked his debut in Indian cinema.[5]
On 24 March 2015, it was announced by producers that Stevenson would be joining the cast of the Starz series Black Sails as the character Edward Teach.[7]
Stevenson also appeared in Season 6 of the series Vikings as Othere, which ran from 2013 to 2020. He also appeared in Season 3 of the series Das Boot as Commander Jack Swinburne in 2022.[8]
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Stevenson was announced as playing the Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka, a miniseries debuting on Disney+.[9] After the series' debut following Stevenson's passing, Stevenson's Skoll quickly became a fan favorite.[10][11] In an interview on Stevenson's part, showrunner Dave Filoni noted that when he was told to play Skoll as a villain, "[Stevenson] was like, ‘I don’t think so.’ I'm like, ‘Okay, I appreciate that you don’t think so, and Baylan wouldn’t think he’s the villain, but you are a villain in this.’ And he's like, ‘We’ll see.’ It was kind of perfect.” [12] Stevenson also offered input on the design of his character's lightsaber hilt.[13]
Stevenson's performance in Ahsoka also received considerable praise from critics. Metro described his work as "one of the highlights of the entire Star Wars series," [14] while Collider described Stevenson as having "an inescapable gravitas" and that he "gave a masterclass in character building."[13]
In 1997, Stevenson married English actress Ruth Gemmell in London; they had met on the set of Band of Gold (1995), and later played a married couple in Peak Practice (1997). They divorced in 2005 after eight years of marriage.[16]
Stevenson had three sons with Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia.[17]
Death
Stevenson died on 21 May 2023, at age 58.[18][9] Although no cause of death has been revealed, Ray Stevenson's partner, Elisabetta Carracia, spoke on the Wellness World USA podcast in 2024, explaining that although Stevenson's death was a surprise, it was due to continuing heart problems. He was reportedly hospitalised while on set filming Cassino in Ischia on the Italian island of Ischia.[19][20] Stevenson's co-stars, including Rosario Dawson, Scott Adkins, and James Purefoy, paid tribute.[19] Stevenson's role in Cassino in Ischia was taken over by Dominic Purcell.[21]
The first episode of Ahsoka, released just over three months after Stevenson's death on 22 August 2023, includes a dedication to him: "For our friend, Ray".[22]Ivanna Sakhno, who played Shin Hati, Stevenson's on-screen apprentice in Ahsoka, wrote in commemoration that she would be "forever his Wolf," in tribute to their characters being named after the twowargs who pursued the moon and sun in Norse mythology.[23]
^ abKoncienzcy, Rebecca (10 December 2017). "Where is the cast of Band of Gold now?". Liverpool Echo. Reach Plc. Retrieved 7 March 2019. She married fellow Band of Gold actor Ray Stevenson in 1997, but the couple divorced in 2005.
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