Renee O'Connor

Reneé O'Connor (born Evelyn Reneé O'Connor on February 15, 1971 in Houston, Texas) is an American actress, producer and director best known for playing the role of Gabrielle on the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995 to 2001.

Biography
Early career
O'Connor had her first acting role at age eight as a caterpillar during a Theater on Wheels production. At age twelve, she began studying acting at Houston's Alley Theatre, and later attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. She transferred back to Taylor High School to graduate with her friends.

Television career
O'Connor began her television career at the age of sixteen with commercials for McDonald's and Exxon. A string of other commercials followed, as well as a series of odd jobs such as Porky Pig at Astroworld and an aerobics instructor in Los Angeles. In 1989, O'Connor landed a recurring role in a serial called Teen Angel, featured on the "New Mickey Mouse Club." This led to roles in another Disney serial called Match Point, and an episode of Tales from the Crypt (directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger), though her Crypt role was later cut. O'Connor then played a  student on the NBC special "The Flood", Cheryl Ladd's daughter in Danielle Steel's "Changes", a woman captured by Shawnee Indians in ABC's Follow the River, an actress who hires Rockford as her bodyguard in The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise, Julia Wilkes in Disney's "The Adventures of Huck Finn", and the daughter of a murdered couple in an episode of NYPD Blue.

O'Connor first came to the attention of Xena: Warrior Princess executive producers Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi with an "over-the-top" audition that won her the role of the young Deianeira in their two-hour "Action Pack" adventure Hercules and the Lost Kingdom. They were so impressed by her performance opposite Hercules: The Legendary Journeys star Kevin Sorbo that they signed her for a starring role in Darkman II: The Return of Durant. She was later cast as Gabrielle, and co-starred opposite Lucy Lawless as Xena's companion on Xena: Warrior Princess.

O'Connor was voted #3 of the most intriguing people in 1996, #2 in 1997, and one of the most beautiful people of 1997, by People Magazine. O'Connor was featured in Maxim magazine in November 1999 with a photo shot and intimate interview. She made the cover of TV Guide on the July 29, 2000 to August 4, 2000 issue as "one of "The Sexiest Stars in the Universe". She was voted #45 on FHM-US and FHM-Australia's 100 Sexiest Women in [2000]. In January 2007, O'Connor topped the 2006 annual list of LesbiaNation.com – establishing her as the longest reigning queen of their top-ten list of "Women We Love". O'Connor has a cult following in the lesbian community, stemming from her role as Gabrielle in Xena: Warrior Princess and her ambiguous relationship with her traveling companion Xena. Although O'Connor is heterosexual, she loves her gay and lesbian fans and has appeared at gay-pride events such as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the 2007 Dinah Shore Weekend in Palm Springs. In June 2007, and again in June 2008, O'Connor was named to the AfterEllen.com Hot 100 List.

After the end of Xena, O'Connor began a movie production company, ROC Pictures. Her first independent production was Diamonds and Guns, a romantic comedy about two friends who go to Las Vegas to find true love. It was shot digitally. O'Connor raised funds for the movie by selling autographed photos and a few of her personal paintings on eBay. In 2008 O'Connor was working on her second ROC Pictures LLC movie..

In 2019 she was to  open her own Theatre Company, named "House of Bards Theatre Company". 

Charity
O'Connor is an active supporter of the Alissa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, working each year at the Southern California Firefighters Burn Relay which benefits the Foundation. She also set up The Renée O'Connor Outreach Fund which is designed to raise money for families in need and to support families whose medical bills have become too overwhelming due to serious illness.

Early life and personal life
O'Connor was born to Walter and Sandra O'Connor. Her mother and stepfather, Sandra and Eddie Wilson, own the restaurant "Threadgill's" in Austin, famous for being the site of Janis Joplin's first performance.threadgills.com. Retrieved October 4, 2006. She has an older brother named Chris, who is a grocery store manager, and her biological father Walter is a finance manager.

From 1995 to 2001, during the filming of Xena, O'Connor lived in Auckland, New Zealand, where she still owns a home. O'Connor married New Zealand native and restaurant manager Steve Muir on October 14, 2000. They have a son, Miles William Muir (born September 22, 2001). The couple divorced in 2005. O'Connor became involved with Jed Sura, an actor she met while filming  Enter in 2003 and later Diamonds and Guns in 2004. She and Sura have a daughter, Iris Sura O'Connor (born March 19, 2006).

O'Connor is an accomplished artist, with a showing at the Submerged Art Gallery in Los Angeles, June 2005. She is also proficient in several forms of martial arts, including Taekwondo and Shinkendo, as well as the use of the Karate Bō Staff, the Nunchaku, the Sais, and the Japanese Kumori Katana.

Awards
 Year  Category  Role  Score 2000  Best Actress TV Series  Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess  Won 2001  UPBEAT Entertainment News Award for Best Actress in a TV Drama or Comedy Series  Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess  Won 2001  The Tube File Awards - Best Actress in a TV Drama or Comedy Series  Gabrielle from Xena: Warrior Princess  Won 2005  One Weekend a Month - Sundance Film Festival - Short Filmaking Award  Meg McDermott  Winner of Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking.

Filmography
Starring roles
 Year  Title  Role  Other notes 2009  Words Unspoken   A ROC Pictures Production. Writer / Producer / Director / Leading Actor: Renee' O'Connor 2009  Ark  Connie  web series feature and CGI. 2008  Monster Ark  Eva Solomon  TV (SCI-FI) Release Date August 9, 2008 Sci-Fi Channel 2008  Boogeyman 2  Dr. Ryan  Release Ghost House Pictures January 2008 DVD, Sony Entertainment Dist. 2007  Ghost Town - The Movie  Little Jack  Released 2008 DVD, Barnholtz Entertainment Dist. 2007  Diamonds and Guns (Production: 2003/2007)  Ashley  The DVD was first released 09/12/07 by ROC Pictures, LLC - Followed by the International Release 02/04/08 by amazon.com 2005  Xena: The 10th Anniversary Collection  Gabrielle  DVD 2005  Alien Apocalypse  Kelly  TV (SCI-FI) 2004  One Weekend a Month - (A short movie)  Meg McDermott  TV - DVD - movie Festival Winner 2003  Enter  Short movie  Anita Jessie 2003 movie Festival 2000  Rubbernecking (movie)|Rubbernecking  Ashton DVD 1998  Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus  Gabrielle (voice)  Video 1995  "Xena: Warrior Princess" 1995-2001  Gabrielle  Co-Star of this TV Series for 6 yrs. 1995  The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise  Laura Sue Dean  TV Series 1995  Follow the River  Bettie Draper  TV 1994  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys – Hercules and the Lost Kingdom  Deianeira  TV & DVD 1994  Darkman II: The Return of Durant  Laurie Brinkman  Video 1994  A Place For Sara Sara  movie About a Mentally Ill Woman 1993  The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?  Leslie  TV 1993  The Adventures of Huck Finn  Julia Wilks  Walt Disney Pictures film 1993  NYPD Blue - Oscar, Meyer, Weiner Rebecca Sloane TV 1993  Sworn to Vengeance  Julia Wilks  TV 1992  FBI: The Untold Stories - Blue Fiber  Ofc. Renée Lanot  TV 1992  FBI: The Untold Stories - Millionaire Murderer Ofc. Renée Lanot  TV 1991  Stone Cold  Tinselteeth  TV 1991  ABC Afrer School - The Less Than Perfect Daughter   Linda  TV 1991  Changes  Jessica Adams  TV 1990  False Identity  Angela Errickson  TV 1989  Night Game  Lorraine Beasley  TV 1989  Black Snow  Jennifer Winslow  TV & DVD 1989  Match Point  Robin  TV 1989  "Teen Angel"  Nancy Nichols  TV Series

Guest-starring roles
 Year  Title  Role  Episode 2008  Bitch Slap (a movie)  Sister Batrille  Cameo Appearance in this Eric Gruendemann Rick Jacobson Production 2008  Criminal Minds  Pam Bateman  Episode 60 "A Higher Power" April 9, 2008 2002  Mataku  American Buyer  1.2 "The Heirloom" 2001  Entertainment Tonight  Herself  Episode dated February 17, 2001 1999  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys  Sunny Day  5.9 "For Those of You Just Joining Us..." 1999  Entertainment Tonight  Herself  Episode dated October 16, 1999 1998  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys  Gabrielle  4.14 "Armageddon Now: Part 2" 1998  Entertainment Tonight  Herself  Episode dated October 16, 1999 1997  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys  the executioner  4.5 "Stranger in a Strange World" 1997  E! News Daily  Herself  Episode dated October 18, 1997 1997  Hercules: The Legendary Journeys  Gabrielle  3.15 "Judgment Day" 1995  Entertainment Tonight  Herself  Episode dated August 21, 1998 1993  NYPD Blue  Rebecca Sloane  1.10 "Oscar, Meyer, Weiner" 1992 Arresting Behavior  Jade Pearl  1992  FBI: The Untold Stories  Ofc. Renee Lanot  "Blue Fiber"  FBI: The Untold Stories  Tina Marie Risico  "Millionaire Murderer" 1990  Tales from the Crypt  Waitress (scenes deleted)  2.2 "The Switch"

Director
 Year  Title  Other Notes 2009  "Words Unspoken" Director for ROC Pictures, LLC 2008  "Diamonds and Guns"  2nd Unit Director for ROC Pictures, LLC 2001  "Xena: Warrior Princess"  TV Series episode "Dangerous Prey" 1999  "Xena: Warrior Princess"  TV Series episode "Déjà Vu All Over Again" 1995  "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Xena Warrior Princess"  For DVD International

Producer
 Year  Title  Other Notes 2009  "Words Unspoken"  A ROC Pictures, LLC Short Film 2007  "Diamonds and Guns"  Production: 2004/2006) A ROC Pictures, LLC Production

Writer
 Year  Title  Other Notes 2009  "Words Unspoken"  A ROC Pictures, LLC Short Film

Video Game roles
 Year  Title  Role  Other notes 1998  StarCraft  Miscellaneous Crew  Thanks

Live theater roles
 Year  Title  Role  Location 2002  Macbeth  Lady Macbeth Los Angeles, CA

References

 Other websites 

 Official Reneé O'Connor Site
 Renee O'Connor at AUSXIP
 TheStarScoop.com Interview 

Category:1971 births
Category:Living people
Category:American television actors
Category:Xenaverse actors
Category:Actors from Texas
Category:People from Katy, Texas