Ray Stevenson death at 58: Actor from Northern Ireland had roles in Punisher, Mandalorian, Thor-Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Ahsoka Star Wars series

It has been widely reported that he was originally from Lisburn.

Stevenson also starred in multiple television shows including as soldier Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO series Rome from 2005-2007, as well as a spin-off series for the Star Wars franchise.

He starred as Porthos in the 2011 film The Three Musketeers, alongside Luke Evans, Matthew Macfadyen and Milla Jovovich, and was in Divergent with Kate Winslet and Zoe Kravitz in 2014.

The Peter Mayhew Foundation, set up by the actor who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars films, tweeted: “We are sad to hear of the passing of Ray Stevenson.

“You may recognize Ray as Baylon Skoll from the upcoming Ahsoka show on Disney+. You may also remember his work as the voice of mandalorian super commando Gar Saxon in The Clone Wars. Our sincerest condolences to his family.”

In 2005 he told the BBC about his early life and how he got into acting.

"I was born in the north of Ireland,” he said. “My father was a pilot in the air force and my mother's Irish. I've got two brothers – one older, one younger.

"The Troubles had begun and my father said, 'I've got three young boys and even if they don't pick a side, a side will be picked for them'.

"So he just lifted us out of there and took us to the North-East, which is where I grew up."

And that's where he caught the acting bug.

"I still remember it very vividly. All three of us were still youngsters and on Saturday mornings we used to get parcelled off to a thing called Saturday Morning Picture Show at the Newcastle Odeon.

"All these kids were dumped there while their parents went shopping. We'd watch all the black and white movies, an A-movie, a B-movie, Champion The Wonder Horse."

To young Ray, it was another world – one he aspired to, but regarded as too alien.

"That's what stopped me getting involved earlier because to me, growing up in the North-East of England, what I'd seen on the screen up there, the actors were from some other land, from somewhere else. And it wasn't possible for me to become an actor.

"So I just basically didn't tell anybody. I kept it all to myself, went through school, but the dream was still there, something had been lit.

"I thought as I grew up that it's my alter ego, keep a lid on it, but I had to keep going to the movies and to the theatre.

"Eventually I had a career as an interior designer, but this feeling wouldn't go away."

Inevitably it grew so strong that it escaped of its own accord...

"I was 25, I got drunk with an Australian actor and it all came out. He said 'well, you've got to find out, go to a bona fide school, evening classes'.

"So I did that for about a year and got myself a place at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for two years. I went to drama school and I was 27!”