The actor George Raymond “Ray” Stevenson died yesterday morning at the Rizzoli hospital in Ischia due to severe pneumonia, he would have turned 59 in three days. We have seen him in the role of Tito Pullone in the Sky series “Roma”, the head of government in “Divergent” (including the sequel), the Marvel character Volstagg in the “Thor” trilogy, Frank Castle in “Punisher – War Zone” by Porthos in The Three Musketeers.
He was on set Saturday afternoon when he was rushed to the hospital for a heart attack linked to a serious one anaphylactic shock: He was immediately transported to the recovery room, but doctors discovered that his lungs were seriously compromised. So much so that a post announcing his death had already appeared on the net that day.
The Irish-born actor had arrived less than a week ago on the green island for the filming of “Cassino in Ischia” by Frank Ciota. Inspired by the sixties Italian-American comedy “Caccia alla Volpe” by Peter Sellers, Stevenson played the lead character Nic Cassino, an American action movie actor, former blockbuster, looking for inspiration to get back on the crest of the wave. In the cast alongside her Ugo Digherothe Neapolitansthe Miriam Candurro and the young man Simone Mazzella at her debut on the big screen, the Ischia Luciana De Falco, Carlotta Natoli and Marcello Romolo. Location manager Michelangelo Messina, founder and artistic director of the «Ischia film festival».
The Italian-American co-production (Cattleya for Paramount+ International with Isola Verde Films and De Fina Film Productions), with an entirely Italian technical crew made up of more than 180 professionals in the sector, has asked for maximum confidentiality on the drama. Filming scheduled for today has been cancelled, probably the film will be cancelled in the absence of its protagonist.
