Alexandra Huntingdon Tydings is an American actress, director, writer, producer, and activist, best known for her role as

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

on the television series ''

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' is an American television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles (Hercules was his Roman analogue). Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as ...

'' and its

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

, '' Xena: Warrior Princess.''

Personal life

Alexandra Tydings was born in Washington, D.C. She has four sisters and one brother, and is the daughter of former Maryland U.S. Senator

Joseph Tydings Joseph Davies Tydings (né Cheesborough; May 4, 1928 – October 8, 2018) was an American lawyer and politician. He was most notable for his service as a Democratic member of the United States Senate representing Maryland from 1965 to 1971. Bo ...

and his second wife, Terry Lynn Huntingdon Tydings and the granddaughter of former Maryland U.S. Senator

Millard Tydings Millard Evelyn Tydings (April 6, 1890February 9, 1961) was an American attorney, author, soldier, state legislator, and served as a Democratic Representative and Senator in the United States Congress from Maryland, serving in the House from 192 ...

. She is a graduate of

Sidwell Friends School Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is ' ( en, Let the light shine out from all), al ...

and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, with a degree in film and critical theory. She speaks English, French and Spanish. Tydings counts

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

and

Kevin Spacey Kevin Spacey Fowler (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, obtaining supporting roles before gaining a leading man status in film and television. Spacey has received various accolades ...

among her favorite actors, and as she tol
Whoosh.org
she most enjoys the research and collaborating process of acting; auditioning is her least favorite part of theater arts. She competed in

Irish dancing Irish dance refers to a group of traditional dance forms that originate in Ireland, encompassing dancing both solo and in groups, and dancing for social, competitive, and performance purposes. Irish dance in its current form developed from vario ...

as a child, and performed with The Royal Ballet of London at the Kennedy Center. Dance led to performance of all kinds; in addition to acting, she was the singer and bassist of bands Annabelle Kickbox and She's Seen You Naked. Whoosh.org points out that Tydings maintained a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetarianism m ...

diet for 14 years, and that she enjoys gardening.

Career

After graduating from

, Tydings moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

to pursue an acting career. In her first major feature film, she played opposite Woody Harrelson in Oscar winner Michael Cimino's ''

The Sunchaser ''The Sunchaser'' (marketed simply as ''Sunchaser'' in promotional material) is a 1996 crime drama film directed by Michael Cimino and starring Woody Harrelson, Jon Seda and Anne Bancroft. It was director Cimino's last feature-length film. Plo ...

'', which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She has since performed in dozens of roles in film, television and theater, including six years as a series regular on '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' and ''

''. In 2015, Tydings wrote and directed ''The Trial of Hanna Porn'', a multi-media piece on abortion, which won the Best of Fringe award at the Charm City Fringe Festival. She then went on to write, direct and produce ''Rainbow Bridge'', an independent film about two women advocating for abortion in the United States.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tydings, Alexandra Actresses from Washington, D.C. American television actresses American film actresses Brown University alumni Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Year of birth missing (living people)