Hollywood heavy hitters are mourning the passing of celebrated actor Ray Stevenson, 58, and sharing their condolences on social media. Stevenson was mostly known as an Asgardian warrior in the Thor franchise, a soldier in HBO’s Rome, a viking in Vikings, and the governor in the hit Indian movie RRR.
Actor James Purefoy, who appeared alongside Stevenson in Rome, called Stevenson a “brilliant, gutsy, larger-than-life actor who filled every part he played right up to the brim.” Someone else shared a gif of Stevenson in prime form.
DC studio co-head James Gunn said Stevenson was “way too young” and said even though they only interacted sparsely, he was “a joy to work with.”
One commenter reminded everyone of other powerful Stevenson roles.
British actor Scott Adkins said he was “shocked and saddened” by the news.
Rosario Dawson, star of the upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka with Stevenson, called him “a giant of a man” and said she was “reeling” from the news.
Science fiction composer Bear McCreary said he was also “shocked and saddened” and that he was glad he could write him a theme for his “mesmerizingly unforgettable Blackbeard” in Black Sails. Someone else posted a gif for a visial reminder of how Stevenson could completely inhabit a character.
The official Twitter account for the RRR movie said “You will stay in our hearts forever.”
While it’s easy to forget, Stevenson had a part in one of the funniest movies ever: The Other Guys.
Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and started acting on screen in the beginning of the 1990s. He is survived by his three children with girlfriend Elisabetta Caraccia, an anthropologist.
