Actor Ray Stevenson, companion of Thor and legionnaire of Rome, died at 58

Ray Stevenson, Northern Irish actor who notably starred Volstagg in the Thor films, a legionnaire in the Rome series and who is to star in the next Star Wars Ahsoka series, has died at the age of 58. Stevenson's relatives said he died on Sunday, four days before his birthday. Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that he was suddenly hospitalized on the island of Ischia, while filming.

Ray Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland in 1964. His family moved to England when he was eight. After a few years of working in British television, he made his film debut in Paul Greengrass' The Theory of Flight in 1998. In 2004, he appeared in Antoine Fuqua's Le Roi Arthur as a knight of the table round. He will also star in an adaptation of the Marvel comics featuring the Punisher hero. A few years later, he landed a recurring supporting role in the Thor films, where he played the god Volstagg.

But Ray Stevenson owes one of his most notable television roles, for which he played Legionnaire Titus Pullo in the HBO series Rome. The ambitious and very expensive series, however, only had two seasons. “These were among the most important years of my life, had estimated Ray Stevenson in an interview with the Guardian. Those who made me who I am and who allowed me to understand that you just have to work to succeed. Work is enough.”

Harry Potter actor Matthew Lewis, who appeared alongside Ray Stevenson as a child in the TV movie Some Kind of Life, wrote on Twitter: "So sad. Ray played my dad in the first thing I did on TV. Almost 30 years ago. A true actor with a fascinating career and I couldn't have asked for a better first experience."