Renee O’Connor started her acting career at just 16 years of age. She went on to appear in shows like “Tales from the Crypt,” “ABC Afterschool Specials,” and “FBI: The Untold Stories” during the early 1990s. After doing a bunch of small TV roles and commercials, Renee hit the jackpot in 1994 when she landed the role of Deianeira in the TV movie “Hercules and the Lost Kingdom.”
This performance caught the attention of Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, the showrunners of “Xena: Warrior Princess,” who instantly cast her as Gabrielle in 1995. And boy, did she rock that role for six wonderful seasons!
Lucy Lawless - Xena
Did you know that before Lucy Lawless blew up with her titular role on "Xena: Warrior Princess," the Kiwi was doing her fair share of comedy? That’s right, Lawless was one of the cast members of the New Zealand-based sketch comedy show "Funny Business."
Gradually, she moved on to relatively small roles in shows such as "High Tide," "Shark in the Park," and "The Ray Bradbury Theater." Eventually, she managed to reprise the role of Xena on the parent series "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." After making a huge impact alongside Kevin Sorbo and the rest of the crew, Lawless was asked to return to the role in her own spinoff series, and the rest was history.
Lucy Lawless - Now
There is no denying that Lucy Lawless has never really been able to top her performance as Xena. In terms of her career, that is still her apex mountain until this very day. With that said, Lawless has added many interesting strings to her bow over the years.
The actress has been married to Robert Tapert since 1998, whom she has had two sons with. In more recent times, Lawless has had voice roles in animated movies such as "Minions: The Rise of Gru" and "The Spine of Night." She also had a minor role as the eventual wife of Ron Swanson in "Parks and Recreation."
Renee O'Connor - Now
Similar to co-star Lucy Lawless, Renee O’Connor has never managed to eclipse her performance as Gabrielle in "Xena: Warrior Princess." Despite this, the talented actress has had some lowkey success in film, TV, and theater over the years.
In the latter, she has had roles as Lady Macbeth in "Macbeth," The Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz," and as The Nurse in "Romeo and Juliet." Since the days of Xena, O’Connor has been married twice, having children from both marriages. Her most recent role came in an episode of "My Life Is Murder," which, funnily enough, stars Lucy Lawless in the lead role.
Ted Raimi - Joxer
Ted Raimi is an acting sensation who started his career at just 17 years of age. He first worked on films for big-time brands like General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler in Detroit. His first credited role came in 1977 when he had a small but significant part in the short film "It's Murder!"
Since then, he's been a regular on TV shows like "Twin Peaks," "Alien Nation," and "Baywatch," to name a few. In 1996, Raimi landed the role of Joxer in the iconic show "Xena: Warrior Princess," which was produced by none other than his brother, Sam Raimi. Talk about keeping it in the family! Joxer became an overnight fan favorite.