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

Early life

Born in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, and raised in suburban

Katy, Texas Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Greater Katy area, itself forming the western part of the Greater Houston metropolitan area. Homes and businesses may have Katy postal addresses without being in the City of Katy. The city o ...

, by her mother Sandra, O'Connor at age 12 studied acting at the

Alley Theatre The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning theatre company in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest professional theatre company in Texas and the third oldest resident theatre in the United States. Alley Theatre productions have played on Broadway at L ...

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

. She attended

Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (Kinder HSPVA, HSPVA or PVA) is a secondary school located at 790 Austin Street in the Downtown Houston, downtown district of Houston, Texas. The school is a part of the Houston Independent ...

in Houston, and made her professional debut as a dancing

Porky Pig Porky Pig is an animated character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and '' Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many criti ...

at that city's

Six Flags AstroWorld Six Flags AstroWorld, also known simply as AstroWorld, was a seasonally operated amusement park in Houston, Texas. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park was situated between Kirby Drive and Fannin Street, directly south of Interstate 610 (Te ...

. Afterward, she moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, to pursue an acting career.

Career

She made her screen debut at 17, starring in the "Teen Angel" segment of the

Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...

's ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...

'', and the subsequent '' Teen Angel'' TV series. She went on to the Disney film ''The Adventures of Huck Finn'' and

TV-movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s including ''Follow the River'', ''Danielle Steele's Changes'', and ''

Hercules and the Lost Kingdom ''Hercules and the Lost Kingdom'' is the second television movie in the syndicated fantasy series '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys''. In the film, Hercules comes to the aid of a young woman who is seeking the lost city of Troy. Eventually, ...

'', starring

Kevin Sorbo Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in '' Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', and as Captain Dylan Hunt in '' Andromeda''. Sorbo is also known for actin ...

. There, in the role of

Deianeira Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira (; Ancient Greek: Δηϊάνειρα, ''Dēiáneira'', or , ''Dēáneira'', ), also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her hu ...

, she came to the attention of ''Hercules'' executive producers Rob Tapert and

Sam Raimi Samuel M. Raimi ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for directing the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007) and the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present). He also directed the 1990 superhero film ''Darkman'' ...

, who cast her as Gabrielle in the spinoff TV series '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. In 2001, O'Connor began her own film production company, Roc Productions. The following year, she played

Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth is a leading character in William Shakespeare's tragedy ''Macbeth'' (). As the wife of the play's tragic hero, Macbeth (a Scottish nobleman), Lady Macbeth goads her husband into committing regicide, after which she becomes que ...

in the Shakespeare by the Sea production of ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

''. She reprised the role in a House of Bards Theatre Company production in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: "St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, from October 11 to November 3, 2019. She played Nurse in the Southern Shakespeare Company's May 10–13, 2018, production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' alongside her 16-year-old son, Miles Muir.

Personal life

As of 1998, O'Connor was in a relationship with restaurateur Steve Muir. Renee and Steve were married in 2000 and divorced in 2004. She has a son with Muir, Miles Muir, who was 16 years old as of May 2018. Renee began a relationship with Jed Sura sometime prior to 2006. They have a daughter Iris Sura O'Connor, born March 19, 2006. Renee and Jed were married in 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theatre

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Renee 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Texas American child actresses American film actresses Film producers from Texas American stage actresses American television actresses American television directors American voice actresses American women film directors Film directors from Texas Living people People from Katy, Texas American women television directors High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni American women film producers 1971 births