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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and raised in suburban

Katy, Texas Katy is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in 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 ...

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

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. She attended Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, and made her professional debut as a dancing

Porky Pig Porky Pig is a cartoon 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 celebrity, star power, and the animators created man ...

at that city's Six Flags AstroWorld. Afterward, she moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, to pursue an acting career.

Career

O'Connor made her screen debut at 17, starring in the "Teen Angel" segment of the

Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...

's ''

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

'', and the subsequent '' Teen Angel'' TV series. She went on to the Disney film ''The Adventures of Huck Finn'' and TV-movies including ''Follow the River'', ''Danielle Steele's Changes'', and '' Hercules and the Lost Kingdom'', starring Kevin Sorbo. There, in the role of

Deianeira Deianira, Deïanira, or Deianeira ( ; , or , ), also known as Dejanira, is a Calydonian princess in Greek mythology whose name translates as "man-destroyer" or "destroyer of her husband". She was the wife of Heracles and, in late Classical acc ...

, O'Connor 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 first three films in the ''Evil Dead'' franchise (1981–present) and the ''Spider-Man'' trilogy (2002–2007). He also directed the super ...

, 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 in the Shakespeare by the Sea production of ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

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

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; ) is a neighborhood located within the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor region of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los ...

, 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

In 1998, O'Connor began dating restaurateur Steve Muir. The couple married in 2000 and O'Connor had a son in 2001. O'Connor and Muir divorced in 2004. O'Connor began a relationship with Jed Sura in 2004 and had a daughter in March, 2006. O'Connor and Sura were married in 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Renee 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Houston 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