| Ray Stevenson | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Raymond Stevenson 25 May 1964 Lisburn, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouse(s) | Ruth Gemmell (1997–2005) (divorced) |
George Raymond "Ray" Stevenson (born 25 May 1964) is a British film and television actor. He is widely 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).
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Early life
Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, 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 raised. The second of three sons of a Royal Air Force pilot father and an Irish mother,[1] Stevenson, as a child, dreamt of becoming an actor but thought the dream impossible to achieve. So he pursued his other love, art, and went to art school instead. He was an interior designer with an architectural firm in London when he at 25 decided to try out acting. Eventually he attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, graduating at the age of 29.
Career
Film
Stevenson finished filming Punisher: War Zone in December 2008. He starred as Frank Castle, a former Marine turned vigilante. The movie opened on December 5, 2008 and premiered at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Monday, December 1, 2008. His first lead role in a movie was in Scottish horror film Outpost (2008), where he portrayed a mercenary facing Nazi zombies in a bunker system somewhere in Eastern Europe.
Stevenson has also starred in other films, primarily in supporting roles, like the part of Dagonet, the knight who sacrifices his life for his comrades in King Arthur in 2004. His first big screen movie role was in The Theory of Flight (1998) with Kenneth Branagh and Helena Bonham Carter, where he played the part of a gigolo hired to help the character played by Bonham Carter to lose her virginity. In 2002 Stevenson also starred in a short film "No Man's Land" which was the graduation movie of actor/director Edward Hicks from the London Film School. In the 12.5 minute film, set during the First World War, Stevenson played an experienced Private who is force to help a novice Officer, (David Birkin), back to safety after both find themselves trapped and isolated in No Man's Land during the battle of Ypres. In 2008, he starred in Outpost as the mercenary ex-commando leader.
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 portrayal of Pullo's fierce and loyal character and the character's development and adaptation to the changing circumstances of life and history has won both critical and public acclaim.
His other TV-work includes guest appearances in popular TV series like 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 movies 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 movies: The Dwelling Place (1994) and The Tide of Life (1996).
Stage
His stage work includes playing the part of 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,[2] 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 has a son, Sebastiano Derek Stevenson, born on 24 December 2007.
His love of art and his capabilities as an artist were demonstrated when he participated in the television programme Watercolour Challenge in 2001, where he together with actors Cherie Lunghi and Malcolm Tierney painted watercolours of Blenheim Palace.
Filmography
Film
- The Theory of Flight (1998) as a gigolo
- G:MT – Greenwich Mean Time (1999) as Mr Hardy
- King Arthur (2004) as Dagonet
- Outpost (2008) as DC
- Punisher: War Zone (2008) as Frank Castle/The Punisher
- The Vampire's Assistant (2009) as Murlough
- The Book of Eli (2010) as Redridge
- The Irishman (2010) as Danny Greene
- Tribes of October (2010)[3]
- Slaughter's Road (2010)
- Thor (2011) as Volstagg[4]
- The Other Guys[5]
Television-movies
- The Dwelling Place (1994) as Matthew Turnbull
- The Return of the Native (1994) as Clym Yeobright
- Some Kind of Life (1995) as Steve
- The Tide of Life (1996) as Larry Birch
- Green-Eyed Monster (2001) as Alec
- Life Line (2007) as Peter Brisco
Television-series
- A Woman's Guide to Adultery (1993) - as a journalist
- Band of Gold (1995-1996) - 12 episodes as Steve Dickson
- Drover's Gold (1997) - 5 episodes as Armstrong
- Peak Practice (1997) - 1 episode as Joe Higson in Home Truths
- City Central (1998-1999) - 32 episodes as DI Tony Baynham
- Love in the 21st Century (1999) - 1 episode as Alex in Toyboys
- Holby City (2000) - 1 episode as Laurence Haney in Taking It on the Chin
- The Bill (2000) - 1 episode as Sgt. Gartland in Over the Edge
- At Home with the Braithwaites (2001) - 11 episodes of series 2 and 3 as Graham Braithwaite
- Dalziel and Pascoe (2001) - 1 episode as Jeff Parry in Truth and Consequences
- Red Cap (2003) - 1 episode as Sgt. Chris Roxborough in Cover Story
- Murphy's Law (2003) - 1 episode as Robert Eaglan in Kiss and Tell
- Waking the Dead (2004) - 1 episode as Dr Tim Faulkner in Fugue States
- Rome (2005-2007) - 22 episodes as Titus Pullo
- The Super Hero Squad Show (2009) - Frank Castle/The Punisher[6]
Stage
- York Mystery Plays (2000) as Christ
- Mouth to Mouth (2001) as Roger
- The Duchess of Malfi (2003) as the Cardinal
References
- ^ Rome - this autumn on BBC TWO - press pack phase two
- ^ Marriages England and Wales 1984-2005
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.superherohype.com/news/thornews.php?id=8836
- ^ http://www.iesb.net/extensions//index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7522:the-other-guys-starring-will-ferrell-and-mark-wahlberg-begins-production-in-new-york&catid=41:news&Itemid=71
- ^ http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0907/28/index.htm
External links
- Official website
- Ray Stevenson at the Internet Movie Database
- Review of the York Millennium Mystery Plays
- Review of Mouth to Mouth
- Review of The Duchess of Malfi
- Review of Some Kind of Life
- Interview for The Evening Chronicle Jun 20 2007
- Interview for the Star May 6 2007
- Interview for the Star Dec 4 2005
- Interview BBC Rome Press release Oct 18 2005
- Future Movies questions about Outpost, Punisher: War Zone, Rome and Cirque du Freak May 13 2008
- Review of Outpost in Empire Magazine
- Review of Outpost at allthingshorror.co.uk
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