Ray Stevenson (actor)

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George Raymond "Ray" Stevenson (born May 25, 1964) is a British film and television actor, best known for playing Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series Rome.

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[edit] Early life

Born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, he moved with his family to Lemington, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England in 1972, and later to Cramlington, Northumberland, where he was raised. The second of three sons of a Royal Air Force pilot, 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.

[edit] Career

[edit] Film

Stevenson finished filming Punisher: War Zone in December 2007. He stars as Frank Castle a.k.a. the Punisher, an ex-Marine turned vigilante. The movie is scheduled for a December 2008 release.

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.

[edit] 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).

[edit] 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.

[edit] Personal

Stevenson was married in 1997 to actress Ruth Gemmell, 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 have a son, Sebastiano Derek Stevenson, born on Dec 24, 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.

[edit] On film, television and stage

Film

Television-movies

Television-series

  • Rome (2005-2007) - 22 episodes as Titus Pullo
  • Waking the Dead (2004) - 1 episode as Dr Tim Faulkner in Fugue States
  • Murphy's Law (2003) - 1 episode as Robert Eaglan in Kiss and Tell
  • Red Cap (2003) - 1 episode as Sgt. Chris Roxborough in Cover Story
  • Dalziel and Pascoe (2001) - 1 episode as Jeff Parry in Truth and Consequences
  • At Home with the Braithwaites (2001) - 11 episodes of series 2 and 3 as Graham Braithwaite
  • The Bill (2000) - 1 episode as Sgt. Gartland in Over the Edge
  • Holby City (2000) - 1 episode as Laurence Haney in Taking It on the Chin
  • Love in the 21st Century (1999) - 1 episode as Alex in Toyboys
  • City Central (1998-1999) - 32 episodes as DI Tony Baynham
  • Peak Practice (1997) - 1 episode as Joe Higson in Home Truths
  • Drover's Gold (1997) - 5 episodes as Armstrong
  • Band of Gold (1995-1996) - 12 episodes as Steve Dickson
  • A Woman's Guide to Adultery (1993) - as a journalist

Stage

  • The Duchess of Malfi (2003) as the Cardinal
  • Mouth to Mouth (2001) as Roger
  • York Mystery Plays (2000) as Christ

[edit] External links