Who is Ray Stevenson?
George Raymond ‘Ray’ Stevenson was born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, on 25 May 1964 – his zodiac sign is Gemini, and he holds both British and Irish nationality. He’s an actor and a musician, who has appeared in more than 60 movies and TV series, perhaps still known best for his portrayal of Volstagg in the critically acclaimed 2011 action fantasy adventure movie “Thor”. It was directed by Kenneth Branagh, starred Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, and follows the god Thor who has been sent to Earth and has become the humans’ superhero; the movie won five of the 35 awards for which it was nominated.
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Early life and education
Ray was raised in Lisburn the middle of three brothers, by their father who was a pilot in Royal Air Force, and their mother who was a housewife.
When Ray was eight years old, he moved to England with his family, and they initially lived in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, before moving to Seaton Delaval. He became interested in acting while attending a local high school, appearing in nearly all of the plays performed at the school, while Ray was also into playing sports, and excelled at soccer.
He matriculated in 1982, and then worked various jobs for the following seven years, before deciding to focus solely on acting. Ray enrolled at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 1989, aged 25, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in drama in 1993.
Roles in TV series
Ray made his debut TV series appearance in a 1993 episode of the drama “A Woman’s Guide to Adultery”, and played a couple of supporting characters in the remainder of the ‘90s, in series such as the drama “The Dwelling Place”, the romantic drama “The Tide of Life”, and the crime drama “Band of Gold”.
In 2001 and 2002, Ray portrayed Graham Braithwaite, one of the lead characters in the popular comedy drama “At Home with the Braithwaites”, created by Sally Wainwright, and which also starred Amada Redman and Peter Davison. It follows a middle-class family who have just won the lottery, and the series won one of the 12 awards for which it was nominated, including two BAFTA Film Award nominations.
Ray was then invited to appear in an episode or two of a couple of hit series, such as the crime drama “Red Cap”, the mystery crime drama “Murphy’s Law”, and the mystery drama “Waking the Dead”. Between 2005 and 2007, he starred as Titus Pullo in the historical action drama “Rome”, created by Bruno Heller, William J. MacDonald and John Milius, and which also starred Kevin McKidd and Polly Walker. It follows the lives of several Romans in the final days of the Roman Republic, and the series won 26 awards, including seven Primetime Emmys, while it was nominated for 36 other awards.
In 2012, Ray played Isaak Sirko in nine episodes of the popular mystery crime drama “Dexter”, and in 2016, he played Blackbeard in the action adventure drama “Black Sails”.
Three of his most recent TV series roles have been in two episodes of the historical romantic drama “The Spanish Princess”, 11 episodes of the hit action adventure drama “Vikings” both in 2020, and a 2022 episode of the war drama “Das Boot”.
Roles in movies
Ray made his debut film appearance with his portrayal of Clym Yeobright, in the 1994 drama “The Return of the Native”, while some of his other movie roles in the ‘90s were in the 1995 drama “Some Kind of Life”, the 1998 romantic comedy drama “The Theory of Flight”, and the 1999 musical crime drama “G:MT Greenwich Mean Time”.
He gained recognition in 2004, when he played Dagonet in the action adventure drama “King Arthur”, directed by Antoine Fuqua, and which starred Clive Owen, Stephen Dillane and Keira Knightley. It follows the lives of King Arthur and his knights of the round table, and the movie won four of the 12 awards for which it was nominated.
In 2008, Ray played DC in the action science fiction horror “Outpost”, and he portrayed Murlaugh in the 2009 action fantasy adventure “Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant”.
The year 2010 saw him play one of the lead characters, Redridge, in the critically acclaimed action adventure drama “The Book of Eli”, directed by Albert and Allen Hughes, and which also starred Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis. It follows a man who’s travelling through a post-apocalyptic America trying to protect a book which is the key to saving humankind; the film won three of the 19 awards for which it was nominated.
Some of Ray’s other notable performances in the decade were in the 2011 biographical crime drama “Kill the Irishman”, the 2013 action fantasy adventure “Thor: The Dark World”, and the 2018 action thriller drama “Final Score”; he’s currently shooting for the upcoming movies “Memory” and “Accident Man 2”.
Other credits
Ray performed the song “Le Point Du Jour” in the 1994 movie “The Return of the Native”.
He has been featured in various documentaries, including the 1999 video “The Storyteller”, the 2004 short video “Blood on the Land: The Making of a King”, and the 2015 video “Insurgent Unlocked: The Ultimate Behind the Scenes Access”.
Ray has made a guest appearance in a couple of talk-shows, such as “The Wright Stuff”, “Up Close with Carrie Keagan” and “Made in Hollywood”.
Awards and nominations
Ray was nominated for a 2013 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Award for Best Guest Performance in a Television Series, for “Dexter”.
Love life and wife
Ray is highly secretive when it comes to sharing the details of his love life, but it’s still widely known that he was once a married man.
He married Ruth Katrin Gemmell in November 1997; she’s a British actress who has appeared in more than 60 movies and TV series, while she’s perhaps still known best for her portrayal of Sarah Hughes in the 1997 romantic comedy drama “Fever Pitch”. Ray and Ruth divorced in 2005 for unknown reasons.
In the same year, Ray started dating the Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia, and she gave birth to their first son Sebastiano Derek on 24 December 2007, and second son Leonardo George in 2011; they have another son together, but his birthdate and name have been kept hidden from the media’s attention.
As of January 2022, Rey’s in a long-term relationship with Elisabetta Caraccia, and they have three sons together, while he was previously married to the actress Ruth Gemmell.
Hobbies and other interests
Ray was physically highly active in his 20s and 30s, and worked out at the gym nearly every day, while he today has only one or two training sessions per week; he also enjoys playing golf and tennis with his friends.
He’s into travelling, and has been to various European countries, for both work and pleasure, while Ray has also been to many US states to shoot for movies and TV series; his dream travel destination is Venice in Italy.
He’s a dog-lover, and has two pet dogs.
Ray likes to read books in his spare time – his favorite writer is Jonas Jonasson, while his favorite two books are “The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden” and “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared”.
He has his own favorite actors and actresses, some of whom are Bruce Willis, Russell Crowe and Julia Roberts, while a couple of his favorite movies include “Pulp Fiction”, “The Gladiator” and “A Good Year”.
Age, height and net worth
Ray’s age is 57. He has short brown hair and blue eyes, his height is 6ft 3ins (1.9m) and he weighs around 175lbs (80kgs).
As of January 2022, his net worth has been estimated at over $8 million.
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