LUCY LAWLESS AND RENEE OCONNOR

(INFORMATION SOURCED FROM WIKIPEDIA)

 

LUCY LAWLESS

 

Lucy Lawless, MNZM (born Lucille Frances Ryan; 29 March 1968) is a New Zealand actress, activist and musician best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess.

She is also widely known for her role as Number Three on the re-imagined Battlestar Galacticaseries, and for the role of Lucretia on the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, its prequelSpartacus: Gods of the Arena, and its sequel Spartacus: Vengeance.

 

Lawless was born in the Auckland suburb of Mount Albert in New Zealand, the daughter of Julie Ryan, a teacher, and Frank Ryan, who was a banker and Mount Albert mayor. Lawless was the fifth of six children, and has four brothers and one sister, and has described her parents and siblings as "this big, sprawling Irish Catholic family." While filming in Ireland for the Discovery Channel in 2004, Lawless told Ireland on Sundaythat her father's family originated in Quilty, County Clare, and her great grandfather arrived in New Zealand as a convict.

Lawless appeared in her first musical at the age of 10, and began acting in secondary school. She attended Marist College, New Zealand. She later said she "used to quite like bulimia", but was able to overcome the illness. Lawless attended The University of Auckland and studied foreign languages for a year, including German, Italian and French, and she also studied opera for three years. After learning that opera required changes in her lifestyle she was not ready to make, she gave up on both and studied violin and jazz instead, and considered becoming a singer. But university studies in opera and languages were abandoned after she decided that opera would mean compromising her own mantra of being the best she could at everything she tried.

At 18, like many young New Zealanders she went on her "overseas experience", traveling through Europe and Australia – where she met future husband, Garth Lawless.

 

Acting career

Her debut on television was two and a half seasons as a cast member of the New Zealand sketch comedy series "Funny Business" – after which she studied drama at the William Davis Centre for Actors Study in Vancouver.

 

 

 

In 1994, Lawless appeared in Hercules and the Amazon Women, a Pacific Renaissance Pictures made-for-television film that became the television pilot for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In that episode, she played a man-hating Amazon named Lysia. She went on to play another character, Lyla, in the first season episode "As Darkness Falls". She received her best-known role when she was asked to play a villainous warrior woman named Xena in the episode "The Warrior Princess", which aired in March 1995 (R. J. Stewart, one of Pacific Renaissance Pictures' in-house writers, dramatised the teleplay from a story that Robert G. "Rob" Tapert commissioned John Schulian to write). Vanessa Angel was originally cast in the role, but fell ill and was unable to travel to New Zealand for shooting. To differentiate between Xena and the similar Lysia, Lawless' hair, previously ash blonde, was coloured black. Xena subsequently returned in two more episodes of the first season of Hercules, which portrayed her turn from villainess to a good, heroic character.

The character was popular enough that a spin-off series was created. Xena: Warrior Princess debuted on 4 September 1995 (Lawless appeared as Lyla once again in the second season Hercules episode "Outcast" – aired in October 1995). Xena: Warrior Princess, like its parent program, was a hit, lasting six seasons, and Lawless became an international celebrity.

 

 

While taping an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in October 1996, Lawless suffered a fractured pelvis when the horse she was riding lost its footing in the studio parking lot. She made a complete recovery, but several episodes of the second season of Xena were rewritten to focus on background characters to minimize the time Lawless was needed on set.

In 1997, Lawless was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People Weekly Magazine. Days earlier, on 6 May 1997, Lawless had inadvertently exposed her breasts as she concluded a performance of the US national anthem at an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, California between the Mighty Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. Lawless was quoted in Newsweek as saying, "Obviously, I was mortified....It was quite a bit more exposure than I want."

Lawless first appeared on Broadway in September 1997 in the Grease revival, as the "bad girl" character, Betty Rizzo. She wanted to play the lead role of Sandy, and later stated her belief that the producers typecast her to play "bad girls" following her success as Xena. She said the Sandy character was very similar to her sheltered childhood, growing up in New Zealand with many protective older brothers.

Lawless married Xena's executive producer, Pacific Renaissance Pictures CEO Robert G. "Rob" Tapert, on 28 March 1998. They have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born 16 October 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert (born 7 May 2002), who were both born in Auckland, New Zealand.

Lawless became a 'lesbian icon' because of Xena's ambiguous relationship with traveling companion Gabrielle. This reputation has become cemented after her "graphic lesbian sex scenes" in Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.Although Lawless is heterosexual, she has appeared atgay pride events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In a 2003 interview with Lesbian News magazine, she said that she had come to see Xena and Gabrielle's relationship as gay after viewing the series finale, though she has also stated on several occasions that she was undecided on the nature of the relationship while playing the role.

Lawless became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours List, which entitled her to use the postnominal letters MNZM.

From 2005 to 2009, she had a recurring role in the television series Battlestar Galactica. Lawless appeared as D'Anna Biers, a reporter with the Fleet News Service who worked on a critical documentary about the crew of the Galactica and was later revealed to be a Cylon (Number Three).

She competed as one of the celebrity singers on the reality TV show Celebrity Duets in 2006, finishing as the runner-up to winner Alfonso Ribeiro. Lawless has also performed as a voice actor in several animated features. In 2007, Lawless guest-starred as herself in the cult HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. In a sub-plot of an episode entitled "The TiVo Guy", she met and flirted with Larry David.

Lawless was to appear as one of the leads in the ensemble cast of the ABC television series, Football Wives, based on the popular British seriesFootballers' Wives, in 2007. The series did not continue past the pilot episode, though the network did extend the options on its contracts with Lawless and the other actors slated to star in the series: (Gabrielle Union, Kiele Sanchez, Ving Rhames and James Van Der Beek).

Lawless returned to television on 10 November 2008 in a guest-starring role on the hit CBS television series, CSI: Miami, playing a madam with connections to a murder. She appeared in two episodes of the final season of The L Word, and also had a role in the Adam Sandler movie,Bedtime Stories, released Christmas 2008. Also in 2008, Lawless appeared with her former Xena stuntwoman Zoë Bell in Sony (Crackle)'s new web series Angel of Death written by Ed Brubaker, which debuted online in early 2009.

In 2009 Lawless guest-starred in the HBO series, Flight of the Conchords as Paula, assistant to the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Lawless co-starred in the Starz original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The show was based on the life of Spartacus, the famous gladiator, and the slave revolt he led, and was produced by long-time Xena producers Sam Raimi and "Rob" Tapert (her husband). Lawless played the role of Lucretia, the wife of Lentulus Batiatus, who were both the owners of a gladiator ludus, which also saw Lawless doing nude scenes for the first time. Lawless won the 2011 Saturn Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Lucretia in Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Lawless reprised her role as Lucretia in Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which chronicled life in the Ludus before Spartacus' arrival, and she also returned for the sequel Spartacus: Vengeance.

Lawless provided the voice of Goldmoon for Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, a direct-to-DVD animated movie based on the novel of the same name, as well as Wonder Woman in the direct-to-video animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier. Since 2012, Lawless has had a recurring role on the NBC series Parks and Recreation as the love interest of Ron Swanson.

Other appearances include:

• on-stage in the Vagina Monologues and Chicago;

• guest star in episodes of The Simpsons, The X-Files, Just Shoot Me!, Veronica Mars, Burn Notice,, Super City, Less Than Perfect, No Ordinary Family, Top of the Lake, Parks and Recreation and bro'Town;

• star in the short-lived television series Tarzan.

• cameo appearances in the movies Spider-Man (2002), Boogeyman (2005), and EuroTrip.

• the TV movie Locusts! and its sequel, Vampire Bats.

• the video game Hunted: the Demon's forge as Seraphine

 

Charity

Lawless is a member of the board of trustees of the StarShip Foundation, the charity arm of the Starship Children's Health (hospital) which is part of the Auckland District Health Board. It is set up to provide additional equipment, support and help to staff, patients and families. She devotes much time and energy to fundraising for the organisation. She recently sat for the New Zealand television series The Sitting, an arts series where celebrity portraits are produced during an interview session with the portraits later auctioned for charity. Lawless attended the auction where her portrait fetched the top price, with the whole event raising $39,000 for Starship. Lawless has often raised money for concerts and events, donates part of her salary in favour of the institution, and has sold some Xena costumes to contribute funds. In mid February 2012, Lawless sang at New Zealander Of The Year donating her appearance fee to the Starship Foundation. Friday 21 September is "Lucy Lawless Feel the Love Day."The day, organised by the Official Lucy Lawless Fan Club, begins a week of charitable acts and donations by fans in honour and support of Lawless.

Activism

In May 2009, Lawless became a "climate ambassador" for the Greenpeace "Sign On" campaign.

In February 2012, Lawless and five other Greenpeace activists boarded an oil drilling ship at Port Taranaki, New Zealand, and remained on it for 77 hours to stop it leaving for the Arctic where it was going to take part in oil exploration. She was subsequently arrested and charged withburglary, which carries an imprisonment term of up to 10 years if convicted. She pleaded guilty on 14 June 2012 to trespass charges regarding the February incident. Lawless said she intends for now to remain involved with Greenpeace. In February 2013, she and the other six activists were each sentenced to pay a fine of NZ$651 (about US$547) and 120 hours of community service. The judge denied the $545,000 in reparations that Shell Todd Oil Services had sought from the activists. Following the sentencing, Lawless said: "I consider it a great victory that the court has struck down the reparation demand from Shell, which I think was absolutely ludicrous.

 

Singing career

 

 

 

 

Lawless at the Roxy, 2007

Lawless has a background in musical theatre and she played Betty Rizzo on Broadway in a production ofGrease in 1997.She has continued to pursue a career in singing after being a contestant on Celebrity Duets. She made her onstage debut at the Roxy in Hollywood on 13 January 2007, with a sold-out crowd for back-to-back concerts.

Concerts

• 13–14 January 2007 – The Roxy Theater; Los Angeles

• 31 May – 2 June 2007 – The Canal Room; New York City

• 5–6 October 2007 – Buddy Guy's Legends; Chicago

• 25–26 January 2008 – The Roxy Theater; Los Angeles

• 3–4 May 2008 – "Bad Girls In Heaven", Carling Academy Islington; London

• June 2008 – Live at CityWalk, Universal Studios; Hollywood

• 27 September 2008 – Live at the Herbst Theater; San Francisco

• 30–31 January 2009 – "The Pleasuredome", The Roxy Theater; Los Angeles

Albums

• Come 2 Me

• Come To Mama: Lucy Lawless In Concert: The Roxy Theater In Hollywood

Concert DVDs

• Come To Mama: Lucy Lawless In Concert: The Roxy Theater In Hollywood

• Gimme Some, Sugar: Lawless, NYC

• Lucy Lawless Live In Chicago: Still Got The Blues

• Lucy Lawless Live At The Roxy Theater: Ho Down

• Lucy Lawless Live In Concert: "Welcome To The Pleasuredome"

Other songs

• "Little Child" on Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars

• "4 all of us" with Pauly Fuemana (OMC)

• "Little Child" The Starship Christmas Album 2012 - Starship Foundation

 

Filmography

Films

1990 Within the LawVerity

1990 A Bitter SongNurse 1Short film

1991 The End of the Golden WeatherJoe's Girl

1996 PeachPeachShort film

1997 Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the ScreenXenaShort film

1998 Hercules and Xena – The Animated MovieXena (voice)Video

2002 Spider-ManPunk Rock Girl

2004 EuroTripMadame Vandersexxx

2005 BoogeymanTim's Mother

2006 The DarkroomCheryl

2008 Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn TwilightGoldmoon (voice)Video

2008 Justice League: The New FrontierWonder Woman (voice)Video

2008 Bedtime StoriesAspen

2009 Bitch SlapMother Superior

2010 Lez ChatConstruction WorkerShort film

Television

1989 Funny BusinessVariousTV series

1990 Shark in the ParkKim HughesEpisode: "Double or Quits"

1991 For the Love of MikeHelenEpisode: "1.6"

1992 The Ray Bradbury TheaterLiddy BartonEpisode: "Fee Fie Foe Fum"

1993 The New Adventures of the Black StallionSarah McFeeEpisode: "Riding the Volcano"

1993 The Rainbow WarriorJane RedmondTV film

1993 Typhon's PeopleMink TertiusTV film

1994 Hercules and the Amazon WomenLysiaTV film

1994 High TideUndercover policewomanEpisode: "Shanghied"

1995 High TideSharon ListEpisode: "Dead in the Water"

1995 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysLylaEpisodes: "As Darkness Falls", "Outcast"

1995 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysXenaEpisodes: "The Warrior Princess", "The Gauntlet", "Unchained Heart"

1995-2001 Xena: Warrior PrincessXenaLead role (134 episodes)

1997 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysXenaEpisodes: "Judgment Day", "Stranger in a Strange World"

1998 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysXenaEpisode: "Armageddon Now: Part 2"

2001 Just Shoot Me!StacyEpisode: "The Auction"

2001 The X-FilesShannon McMahonEpisodes: "Nothing Important Happened Today: Parts 1 & 2"

2003 TarzanKathleen ClaytonMain role (7 episodes)

2004 Less than PerfectTracy FletcherEpisode: "Ignoring Lydia"

2005 Two and a Half MenPamelaEpisode: "It Was Mame, Mom"

2005 LocustsMaddy RierdonTV film

2005 Vampire BatsMaddy RierdonTV film

2005-2009 Battlestar GalacticaD'Anna BiersRecurring role (16 episodes)

2006 Veronica MarsAgent MorrisEpisode: "Donut Run"

2007 Burn NoticeEvelynEpisode: "False Flag"

2007 Curb Your EnthusiasmLucy LawlessEpisode: "The TiVo Guy"

2007 Football WivesTanya AustinUnsold TV pilot

2008 CSI: MiamiAudrey YatesEpisode: "Cheating Death"

2009 The L WordSgt. Marybeth DuffyEpisodes: "Long Night's Journey Into Day", "Last Word"

2009 Flight of the ConchordsPaulaEpisode: "NewZealandTown"

2009 Angel of DeathVeraEpisode: "Help"

2010 Spartacus: Blood and SandLucretiaMain role

2011 Spartacus: Gods of the ArenaLucretiaMain role

2011 American Dad!(voice)Episode: "A Piñata Named Desire"

2011 No Ordinary FamilyHelen BurtonRecurring role (4 episodes)

2011 Hunted: The Demon's ForgeSeraphine (voice)Video game

2012 Spartacus: VengeanceLucretiaMain role

2012-2014 Parks and RecreationDiane LewisRecurring role

2013 Top of the LakeCaroline PlattTV miniseries

2014 - 2015 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.Isabelle Hartley

2014 The code

2014 Adventure time 

2015 - 2017 Salem 

2015 - 2018 Ash V's Evil dead

2016 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 

2016 The Barefoot bandits

2017 The Changeover 

2018 The Breaker Upperers

2019 - Mosley 

2019 - My life is Murder

 

 

RENEE O'CONNOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renee O'Connor (born Evelyn Renee O'Connor on 15 February 1971) is an American actress, producer and director best known for the role of Gabrielle on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess.

 

Evelyn Renee O'Connor was born in Katy, Texas on 15 February 1971 to Walter and Sandra O'Connor. Her mother and step-father, Eddie Wilson, own the restaurant "Threadgill's" in Austin, Texas.

From 1995 to 2001, during the filming of Xena, O'Connor lived in New Zealand, where she still owns a home. She married New Zealand native and restaurant manager Steve Muir on 14 October 2000. Their son, Miles William Muir, was born on 22 September 2001; the couple divorced in 2005. O'Connor became involved with fellow actor Jed Sura in 2004, and the couple have a daughter, Iris Sura O'Connor (born 19 March 2006).

 

At sixteen, O'Connor began her career with a string of commercials and minor television roles. She first came to the attention of Xena executive producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi when she landed the role of Deianeira in their television movie, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom. After Xenaended, O'Connor began her own film company, ROC Productions.

 

Filmography

Film

 

1989 Night GameLorraine Beasley

1990 Black SnowJennifer Winslow

1990 False IdentityAngela Errickson

1991 Stone ColdTinselteeth

1993 The Adventures of Huck FinnJulia Wilks

1995 Darkman II: The Return of DurantLaurie BrinkmanVideo

1998 Hercules and Xena – The Animated MovieGabrielle (voice)Video

2000 RubberneckingAshton

2004 One Weekend a MonthMeg McDermottShort film

2007 Ghost Town: The MovieLittle Jack

2007 Boogeyman 2Dr. Jessica Ryan

2008 Diamonds and GunsAshleyVideo

2009 Bitch SlapSister Batril

2010 Words UnspokenSueShort film

2010 Moby DickDr. Michelle HermanVideo

2011 DeadrisePaula

2011 InfinityElizabethShort film

2013 Beyond the Farthest StarMaureen Wells

2014 The UsualMrs. FordShort film

2015 Race to JudgmentMona BeyersPre-production

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes

1989 Match PointRobinTV film

1989 Teen AngelNancy NicholsTV series

1991 ABC Afterschool SpecialLindaEpisode: "The Less Than Perfect Daughter"

1991 ChangesJessica AdamsTV film

1992 FBI: The Untold StoriesOfc. Renee LanotEpisodes: "Blue Fiber: Parts 1 & 2"

1993 The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?LeslieTV film

1993 NYPD BlueRebecca SloaneEpisode: "Oscar, Meyer, Weiner"

1994 Hercules and the Lost KingdomDeianeiraTV film

1995 Follow the RiverBettie DraperTV film

1995 The Rockford Files: A Blessing in DisguiseLaura Sue DeanTV film

1995-2001 Xena: Warrior PrincessGabrielleMain role (134 episodes)

1997 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysGabrielle / Delaneire / The ExecutionerEpisodes: "Judgment Day", "The Lost City", "Stranger in a Strange World"

1998 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysGabrielleEpisode: "Armageddon Now: Part 2"

1999 Hercules: The Legendary JourneysSunny DayEpisode: "For Those of You Just Joining Us..."

2005 Alien ApocalypseKellyTV film

2008 Criminal MindsPam BalemanEpisode: "A Higher Power"

2008Monster ArkDr. Ava GreenwayTV film

2010ArkConnie MillerRegular role (9 episodes)

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes

2002MacbethLady MacbethShakespeare by the Sea

Other work

 

YearTitleRoleNotes

1999Xena: Warrior PrincessDirectorEpisode: "Deja Vu All Over Again"

2001Xena: Warrior PrincessDirectorEpisode: "Dangerous Prey"

2008Diamonds and GunsProducer, co-directorVideo

2010Words UnspokenProducer, director, writerShort film

2011InfinityProducerShort film

2011Are You Kidding MeDirector

2013Stranded from an IslandExecutive producer, assistant editorShort film

2014Broken ThingsDirectorTV film

2014The UsualExecutive producerShort film