Ray Stevenson: The Rome Actor’s 10 Best Movies & TV Shows

The late, great Ray Stevenson may be best known for his work on Rome, but his vaunted career extends far past that one role. The British Stevenson first appeared on-screen in the 1993 TV series, A Woman’s Guide to Adultery where he plays an unnamed journalist. A host of smaller TV roles followed until his first feature film debut in 1998’s The Theory of Flight, where he played a gigolo and had a scene opposite Helena Bonham Carter. Stevenson’s career continued to soar, with every year seeming to bring him bigger parts until in 2023 he was starring in a major Star Wars Disney+ series.

Stevenson’s steely-eyed glare and imposing physical presence lent him to being cast as intimidating action characters. Still, he infused these characters with charm and a wry sense of humor that makes each stand out. Over the course of his career, Stevenson has been a part of several major franchises including the MCU, Star Wars, the Divergent series, and many more prestige TV shows and celebrated films. Tragically, Ray Stevenson passed away at age 58 in May 2023. It’s upsetting to wonder what other phenomenal roles her could have performed in his lifetime, but viewers should feel fortunate that he leaves an incredible legacy of performances.

10 The Book Of Eli (2010)

Ray Stevenson plays Redridge

The Book of Eli is a post-apocalyptic neo-Western that follows the titular Eli (Denzel Washington), a wanderer who travels across the irridated United States to protect a sacred book. Along the way, Eli encounters charismatic warlord Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who rules his town with the help of his right-hand man, Redridge (Ray Stevenson). While Redridge is a brutish murderer, he also has a softer side and Stevenson is able to imbue a frightening character with a surprising amount of humanity. The Book of Eli is best known for its big twist but it’s the setting and star-studded cast that make it a worthy watch.

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9 King Arthur (2004)

Ray Stevenson plays Sir Dagonet

In 2004, Stevenson was still mostly unknown, having only appeared infrequently on television and film, until he was cast in Antoine Fuqua’s historical epic, King Arthur. A reinterpretation of the King Arthur myth, King Arthur features an ensemble cast. Stevenson plays Dagonet, a silent but strong knight who has one of the best scenes in the admittedly overstuffed and generic action film. Pursued by an army of Saxons over a lake of ice, Dagonet heroically smashes the ice so he and the Saxons fall through. It’s one of the few unique moments in the movie and Stevenson has the physicality and emotion to make the scene impactful.

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8 The Other Guys (2010)

Ray Stevenson plays Roger Wesley

Stevenson’s comedic abilities are underrated, and many of his characters have a slight comic lilt to them. In The Other Guys, he plays Roger Wesley, the muscle hired to ensure Sir David Ershon (Steve Coogan) pays his employer with police union money. Stevenson is the straight man in his role and he’s equal parts intimidating and arch in his performance. The Other Guys comes from Adam McKay and stars Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell. While many of McKay’s films have a cultural or political message underneath the comedy, the financial graphic-filled credits of The Other Guys point to exactly where McKay would be headed next in The Big Short.

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7 Thor Franchise (2011, 2013, 2017)

Ray Stevenson plays Volstagg

Though Stevenson is not a main character in the Thor films, his entry into the MCU as Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three, was critical in exposing him to a wide audience. He first appeared in the original Thor in what would end up being the most screentime any of the Warriors Three has in the franchise, but Volstagg does have some great moments in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok. Thanks to his size and athleticism, Stevenson is right at home in the action sequences he’s involved in. As a war-loving Asgardian, Stevenson also looks natural smiling and laughing through fight set-pieces.

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6 Ahsoka (2023)

Ray Stevenson plays Baylan Skoll

Released posthumously and with a dedication “For our friend, Ray”, Ahsoka is a spin-off of The Mandalorian and the first live-action series to feature the ever-popular Jedi, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). The show follows Ahsoka’s attempt to thwart the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Complicating her journey is the orange lightsaber-wielding Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll (Stevenson) who survived the Jedi purge. Ahsoka tells a slower and more dramatic story than other Star Wars series, and performances like Stevenson’s as an intimidating but melancholy villain make it unique among the live-action canon.

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5 Kill The Irishman (2011)

Ray Stevenson plays Danny Greene

Stevenson is rarely the star of either his TV shows or movies, so Kill the Irishman is notable for casting him as the lead character and eponymous “Irishman”, Danny Greene. Based on the book by Rick Porrello, Kill the Irishman tells the story of Greene, a real-life mobster in Cleveland. The film only has a 62% on Rotten Tomatoes and is not the most groundbreaking of entries in the crime genre. However, it’s interesting how Stevenson plays Greene; he is not a naive man who finds himself falling in with criminals, he is rough and dangerous from the jump, and Stevenson portrays him with a powerful internal menace.

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4 Black Sails (2016-2017)

Ray Stevenson plays Edward Teach, aka Blackbeard

Black Sails is a Starz epic historical series set during the Golden Age of Piracy and serves as a prequel to Treasure Island. The show first premiered in 2014 and lasted four seasons. James McGraw/Flint (Toby Stephens) sails the oceans encountering real-life figures from pirate history. One of the most notable people he meets on his trips is Edward Teach (Stevenson), better known as Blackbeard the Pirate. Blackbeard appears in seasons 3 and 4 and leaves a memorable impression on the show. Stevenson steals every scene he’s in with his ferocity, and his death scene is one of the more brutal and realistic of the show.

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3 Dexter (2012)

Ray Stevenson plays Isaak Sirko

After Dexter season 4, it’s commonly agreed that the drama about a serial killer who only targets other killers falls off the rails. However, season 7 is one of the best late-series seasons of Dexter and that is thanks in large part to the main antagonist, Isaak Sirko (Stevenson). Isaak is a high-ranking member of a Ukrainian crime syndicate and vengefully seeks to kill Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall). Cool, calm, and incredibly dangerous, Isaak survives multiple assassination attempts and nearly gets the drop on Dexter himself. His final moments with Dexter show that the two share a mutual respect and Stevenson’s pained performance is effecting.

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2 RRR (2022)

Ray Stevenson plays Governor Scott Buxton

RRR was immediately hyped when it hit screens in 2022, and it became one of the most-watched films on Netflix. The Indian Telugu language epic is one of the most expensive Indian films ever made and won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Song (“Naatu Naatu”), and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film. Stevenson plays the villainous Governor Scott Buxton, the embodiment of the British Raj that historical brothers Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) fight against. Stevenson is delightfully villainous in his role, gleefully shouting and pontificating through the bombastic action.

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1 Rome (2005-2007)

Ray Stevenson plays Titus Pullo

Despite Rome only lasting two seasons before the show was unceremoniously canceled for budgetary reasons, it remains an immensely popular and well-regarded historical series. Rome follows two soldiers in the Roman army, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), who end up witnessing and sometimes participating in the most important moments of the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire. The series won seven out of 15 Primetime Emmy Awards and was nominated twice for Golden Globes.

Titus is hedonistic and devil-may-care, but always loyal to his friends and Stevenson plays him as both a charming rogue and a lonely soldier, unsure of his place in the wider world. The role requires athleticism, humor, wit, and an emotional core, all skills that Stevenson had in spades. Titus is also intimidating, kind-hearted, and wry allowing Ray Stevenson to display his mastery of acting in the best performance of his career.

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