**Kevin David Sorbo** (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for the roles of Hercules on *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* and Captain Dylan Hunt in *Andromeda*.

Biography
---------

### Early life

Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, where he attended Mound Westonka High School. He is the son of Ardis, a nurse, and Lynn Sorbo, a junior high school mathematics and biology teacher. He is of Norwegian descent and was raised in a Lutheran family. Sorbo was educated at Moorhead State University and worked as a model for print and television advertising in the 1980s.

### Career

Sorbo started his acting career in the late 1980s making guest appearances in several television series such as *1st & Ten*, *Murder She Wrote* and *The Commish*. He was considered for and lost out to Dean Cain as Superman in *Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman* and was a possible contender for the role of Agent Mulder in *The X Files* which went to David Duchovny.

In 1994 he shot to fame for playing the role of Hercules in the television movie *Hercules and the Amazon Women*. This was the first in a series of television movies that served as pilots for the TV series *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* which ran from 1995 to 1999. The series was a huge ratings success throughout different countries becoming one of the most popular syndicated shows in television history and becoming Sorbo's most well-known role. He also guest-starred as Hercules in episodes of the spin-off series *Xena: Warrior Princess* and provided the voice of Hercules in the animated movie *Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus* which released in 1998. In between the years playing *Hercules* he played his first leading movie role in *Kull the Conqueror* (1997).

After Hercules came to an end he played the starring role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the science-fiction drama series *Andromeda* from 2000 to 2005. In 2006 he played a recurring role on the final season of *The O.C* and guest-starred in the sitcom *Two and a Half Men*. In 2007 he appeared in the direct-to-video movie *Walking Tall: The Payback* which is a sequel to the 2004 movie *Walking Tall*. He reprised his role in the second sequel *Walking Tall: Lone Justice* which released later that year. He also starred in the Lifetime Channel movie *Last Chance Café*, the Hallmark Channel movie *Avenging Angel*, co-starring his real life wife Sam Sorbo and guest starred as a bounty hunter in the season 2 episode "Bounty Hunters!" of the series *Psych*. Most recently, he has appeared in the spoof movie *Meet the Spartans* which opened at Number One at the U.S. box office charts.

### Personal life

Sorbo married actress Sam Jenkins on January 5, 1998.Their first child, son Braedon Cooper Sorbo (7 lb. 8oz), was born on August 22, 2001. Second child, son Shane Haaken Sorbo was born on March 31, 2004. His birth weight of 12 lbs. 6oz. broke the Nevada hospital's record. The couple's third child, daughter Octavia Flynn Sorbo (8 lb. 7oz) was born on October 16, 2005.

Sorbo is the spokesman and chair of *A World Fit For Kids*, a non-profit organization that trains teenagers to become mentors to younger children.

Filmography
-----------

### Starring roles

|  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Year** | **Title** | **Role** | **Other notes** |
| 1992 | *Condition: Critical* | Dr. Thaddeus Kocinski | TV |
| 1994 | *Slaughter of the Innocents* | John Willison | TV |
| 1994 | *Hercules and the Amazon Women* | Hercules | TV |
| 1994 | *Hercules and the Lost Kingdom* | Hercules | TV |
| 1994 | *Hercules and the Circle of Fire* | Hercules | TV |
| 1994 | *Hercules in the Underworld* | Hercules | TV |
| 1994 | *Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur* | Hercules | TV |
| 1995 | *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* | Hercules | TV series (1995-1999) |
| 1997 | *Kull the Conqueror* | Kull |  |
| 1998 | *Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus* | Hercules (voice) | Video |
| 2000 | *Andromeda"* | Captain Dylan Hunt | (2000-2005) TV series |
| 2004 | *Clipping Adam* | Father Dan |  |
| 2007 | *Walking Tall: The Payback* | Nick Prescott |  |
| 2007 | *Walking Tall: Lone Justice* | Nick Prescott |  |
| 2007 | *Something Beneath* | Father Douglas Middleton | Sci Fi Channel/RHI Films |
| 2007 | *Avenging Angel* | The Preacher | Hallmark Channel film |
| 2007 | *Last Chance Café* | Chance Coulter | Lifetime Channel |
| 2008 | *Fire From Below* | Unknown name | Andrew Stevens Entertainment |
| 2008 | *Meet the Spartans* | Captain |  |
| 2008 | *Prairie Fever* | Preston Biggs |  |
| 2008 | *An American Carol* |  | in production |
| 2008 | *Never Cry Werewolf* |  |  |

### Guest-starring roles

|  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Year** | **Title** | **Role** | **Episode** |
| 1988 | *1st & Ten* | Barry | 5.5 "...The Clock Runs Out" |
| 1991 | *Santa Barbara* | Delivery man | TV series |
| 1992 | *Cheers* | (uncredited) | 10.18 "License to Hill" |
| 1993 | *Murder, She Wrote* | Michael Burke | 10.5 "A Virtual Murder" |
| 1993 | *The Commish* | Mark | 3.8 "Dying Affection" |
| 1995 | *Cybill* | Rick | 1.11 "The Last Temptation of Cybill" |
| 1995 | *Xena: Warrior Princess* | Hercules | 1.8 "Prometheus" |
| 1996 | *The Rosie O'Donnell Show* | Himself |  |
|  | *"Sin City Spectacular"* | Himself | 1.3 |
| 1998 | *Late Night with Conan O'Brien* | Himself |  |
| 1998 | *Mad TV* | Himself | 4.5 |
| 1999 | *Just Shoot Me!* | Scott | 4.7 "An Axe to Grind" |
| 2000 | *"Xena: Warrior Princess"* | Hercules | 5.12 "God Fearing Child" |
| 2000 | *"Celebrity Profile"* | Himself | "Kevin Sorbo" |
| 2000 | *Howard Stern* | Himself |  |
| 2001 | *Dharma & Greg* | Charlie | 4.13 "Educating Dharma: Part 1" |
| 2001 | *Dharma & Greg* | Charlie | 4.14 "Educating Dharma: Part 2" |
| 2001 | *The Howard Stern Radio Show* | Himself |  |
| 2001 | *Howard Stern* | Himself |  |
| 2001 | *Dharma & Greg* | Charlie | 4.23 "The End of the Innocence: Part 1" |
| 2001 | *Dharma & Greg* | Charlie | 4.24 "The End of the Innocence: Part 2" |
| 2001 | *The Big Breakfast* | Himself |  |
| 2003 | *According to Jim* | Darryl Buckner | 2.19 "The Pass" |
| 2004 | *Hope & Faith* | Kenny | 1.15 "Mismatch" |
| 2004 | *Live with Regis and Kathie Lee* | Himself |  |
| 2005 | *Love, Inc.* | Father John | 1.7 "Amen" |
| 2006 | *Two and a Half Men* | Andy | "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Burro" |
| 2007 | *The O.C.* | Frank Atwood | 4.08 "The Earth Girls Are Easy", 4.09 "The My Two Dads", 4.12 "The Groundhog Day", 4.13 "The Case Of The Franks", 4.14 "The Shake-Up", 4.15 "The Night Moves", 4.16 "The End's Not Near, It's Here" |
| 2007 | *Psych* | Byrd Tatums | "Bounty Hunters!" |

### Producer

|  |  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Year** | **Title** | **Role** | **Notes** |
| 2001 | *Andromeda* | Executive Producer | 2001-2005 TV series |

### Director

|  |  |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Year** | **Title** | **Notes** |
| 1995 | *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* | TV series |

Other websites
--------------


Wikimedia Commons has media related to ***Kevin Sorbo***.

* Kevin Sorbo Official Web Site
* Kevin Sorbo on IMDb
* Official International Kevin Sorbo Fan Club
* Official European Kevin Sorbo Fan Club