Ray Stevenson's Ex-wife Ruth Gemmell and His Journey to New Love

Ray Stevenson's love life has seen its share of ups and downs. He was previously married to Ruth Gemmell, but their relationship eventually ended in divorce. Before his death in May 2023, he embarked on a new chapter with Elisabetta Caraccia, with whom he shared the joy of parenthood, welcoming three children into their lives from 2007 to 2013.

Ray Stevenson, born in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, on May 15, 1964, was an eight-year-old boy when his parents moved from his birth country to England. They had to move because his father wanted them to be safe.

Though he had good memories of playing with his brothers, climbing trees, and building go-karts in Northern Ireland, he also remembered the soldiers and armored vehicles in the streets and feeling the effects of an explosion of a pub from two miles away.

Stevenson started acting in the early 1990s and starred in various movies and series. In 2008, he starred in "Punisher: War Zone," a film the director told him not to turn down. Between 2011 and 2017, he played Volstagg, an Asgard warrior, in the first three "Thor" films.

The actor also voiced Gar Saxon in the animations "Star Wars Rebels" and "The Clone Wars." He will be seen as Baylan Skoll in "Ahsoka," a live-action series expected to be released in August 2023 on Disney+.

The eight-episode series set in the "Star Wars" universe stars Rosario Dawson as the title character. Another project that was in post-production when he passed away was the action film "Gateway to the West," in which he starred opposite Eric Roberts.

It is unknown how far into filming he was on his last movie before passing away unexpectedly. He is survived by his romantic partner of nearly two decades and their three boys.

They did not have children and divorced after eight years of marriage in 2005.

Stevenson valued his family time, creating a home with cats and a rescue puppy in a tranquil environment far from Hollywood. Before meeting his partner with whom he had three kids, the star was married for a few years at the beginning of his career.

Ray Stevenson Was Married to Ruth Gemmel

Stevenson met his first wife on the British series "Band of Gold" set in the mid-nineties. Ruth Gemmel had a guest spot in the pilot episode, her third professional acting gig, while the actor had a recurring role over two seasons.

The gig was his fifth professional booking as an actor. The pair married in Westminster, London, two years later, in 1997. The couple portrayed a married couple, the Higsons, in the medical drama "Peak Practise" that same year.

The private actors were rarely photographed together and did not share details about their relationship. They did not have children and divorced after eight years of marriage in 2005.

Gemmel has consistently acted in film and television since she began working in 1991. She has had memorable character arcs on "Penny Dreadful," "EastEnders," "Primeval," and "Utopia." The Bristol-born actress had a career resurgence when she was cast as Violet Bridgerton in the Netflix hit "Bridgerton" in 2020.

She reprised the role in the spinoff "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story," in which Connie Jenkins-Greig portrays a young version of her character. Her scene partners are Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte and Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury.

Sadly Ray Stevenson Passed Away

The actor, who survived many battles portraying warriors in "Rome," the "Thor" films, and "Vikings," tragically died at the age of 58 on the Italian island Ischia where he had been filming "Cassino in Ischia."

According to an Italian news site, Stevenson was checked into the hospital with an unspecified illness on Saturday afternoon, May 20, 2023. He died in the early hours of the next morning, four days before his 59th birthday on May 23.

On announcing his death, several celebrities took to Twitter to pay tribute to the actor. Among those were the "Harry Potter" star Matthew Lewis and Indian film director S. S. Rajamouli.

Ray Found Love Again After Divorce From Ruth

Being cast in the HBO/BBC series "Rome" was a big turning point for the actor as he played the rogue Titus Pullo which finally earned him a Screen Actor's Guild card at 44.

In addition, the star also met Caraccia, an Italian anthropologist, while filming the period drama. The show ran for two seasons between 2005 and 2007. "That was one of the major years of my life," Stevenson said:

"It made me sit down in my own skin and say, just do the job. The job's enough."

The couple had three children Sebastiano Derek, born in 2007; Leonardo George, born in 2011; and Lodovico, born in 2013. Stevenson spoke about being "blessed in life" in a 2014 interview with Fame magazine:

"We live on a beautiful island with three cats and a rescue puppy. It's a world away from my work, and when I finish a job, my life is 24/7 family."

The "Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday" actor was mindful that it was easy for him to accept the "gypsy life of an actor," but it is much harder to ask one's loved ones to come to terms with the demanding work schedule of a performer.

Ray Also Experienced the Loss of a Loved One

Four days after Christmas in 2013, Stevenson's 11-year-old godchild Silas Pullen died surrounded by family. He had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in August 2012. The actor said in a statement:

"He fought a valiant battle."

After Pullen's death, Stevenson said: "every day, there are people working so hard to combat this terrible disease." To contribute his quota to those helping, he raised funds in his godson's name for the Brain Tumour Charity. At the time of this publication, there have been no specifics into circumstances surrounding Stevenson's untimely death.