Xena, Gabrielle, Callisto, Hercules, Iolaus, Joxer,
Salmoneus, Ares, Autolycus, Ephiny, Cupid/Caesar, Draco,
Aphrodite, Lao Ma, Borias, Alti


Xenaverse - the name Xena fans(Xenites) give to the world of Xena, that often seems to have little relation to recognised chronology or historical accuracy.

This is a brief introduction to some of the characters you might see on Xena:Warrior Princess and the actors that play them.

Xena

The character of Xena is played by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless. Xena comes from the town of Amphipolis. The middle child and only daughter of innkeeper Cyrene and soldier, Atrius. Xena's beloved younger brother Lyceus was killed when the warlord Cortese attacked Amphipolis. Xena led the fight against him, and this is the event that started her on the path of violence. She was given the title of Warrior Princess, probably by her troops. Xena's army rampaged through the land for ten years, until Xena met Hercules. She wanted to kill him, and attempted to get at him through his friend Iolaus, who she seduced. However, after stopping her evil leuitenant Darfus from killing a baby, Xena was ousted from her own army. Hercules helped her to begin a new life, and to atone for her past misdeeds. Xena has many skills, and now fights for those in need. She had a son named Solon, her horse is named Argo.
Lucy Lawless first appeared in the TV movie, Hercules and the Amazon Women, then in the Hercules series as Lyla, a good friend and later wife of the centaur Deric. When the character of Xena was originally thought up, another actress was lined up to play Xena, but had to withdraw through injury. After several other actresses were unwilling to travel to New Zealand for the role, the producers tracked her down to play Xena. Lucy is 5'10 and a half, and while those blue eyes are all hers, the dark hair is dyed, and body make up gives her that tanned look. A talented singer, Lucy comes from a large Auckland family, and is divorced from first husband Garth (yes Lawless IS her real married name) with a young daughter named Daisy. She is now married to Executive Producer Robert Tapert.

The Lucy Lawless FAQ is very comprehensive
Xena Online Resources is HUGE!
Tom's Xena Page is the best there is


Gabrielle

Gabrielle is played by Texan actress Reneé O'Connor. Gabrielle comes from the town of Poteidaia. She has a sister named Lila, her parents are Herodotus and Hecuba. We first met her in the episode Sins of the Past where Xena saved her and other girls of Poteidaia from slavers working under the warlord Draco. Gabrielle left her village and her dull and stupid fiance Perdicus to follow Xena, and soon demonstrated her verbal skills, saving Xena from stoning. She became an Amazon princess in the episode Hooves and Harlots and was crowned queen in the epidsode The Quest. Gabrielle was married- very briefly to Perdicus in Return of Callisto. S3 saw her kill for the first time in The Deliverer, and become the mother of Hope in Gabrielle's Hope. She went through a great deal in S3, including a major rift with best friend Xena. Series 4 sees Gabrielle exploring her spiritual side and looking for a peaceful way.
Renee O'Connor first worked with producers Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert on the first Hercules film, Hercules and the Lost Kingdom. She played a plucky character not disimilar to Gabrielle. She began acting when young and has appeared in a number of tv and film roles. After the Hercules TV movie, she worked again with Raimi and Tapert on Darkman 2 before landing the role of Gabrielle. She has just finished directing her very first XENA episode, the S4 season ender Deja Vu All Over Again.

Renee O'Connor's Official Fanclub web page is pretty good, although the fan club itself is now defunct
The ROC file is a very good site with tons of links
The Temple of ROC
The Clan MacConnor- the new name for the MacGabbers, strange but fun


Callisto

The most popular villain on the show is probably Callisto played by Hudson Leick. She first appeared in the episode Callisto where we learnt that her family were all killed in an attack by Xena's army on her home town of Cirra. When Xena's army set fire to the buildings, the people were too scared to run, and burnt to death. Because of this, Callisto hates Xena with a venomous and psychotic hatred. In the Hercules episode Armageddon Now 1 & 2, we learn more about Callisto. She is the daughter of Arleia and Penkos, who had tried to buy their safety by paying Darphus, but to no avail. In A Necessary Evil, Callisto speaks of her mother and sister being her whole family though.
She reappeared in Return of Callisto where her intention to cause Xena the most pain results in tragedy for Gabrielle. She also appeared in the episodes Intimate Stranger where she swaps bodies with Xena, Ten Little Warlords with Xena trapped in Callisto's body, and Necessary Evil where she becomes a goddess. The character also appeared in an episode of Hercules:The Legendary Journeys called Surprise, where she became immortal. She also appeared in one of the best Hercules episodes, the two part Armageddon Now, where Callisto's tragic past was crucial to the story. Callisto is completely ruthless, and more than a little unstable. She has no scruples about killing, and delights in taunting Xena and Gabrielle.
Callisto appears in at several S3 episodes, Maternal Instincts and the musical episodeThe Bitter Suite, and she makes a final return in the two part season finale Sacrifice. She is such a favourite that another return is on the cards for future episodes however.
Hudson Leick (rhymes with 'like') has appeared in a number of US tv shows, and sometimes goes by the name Heidi(!) Apparently she changed it because she thought Heidi Leick sounded like a porn star! It was also her granny's name. She is a natural brunette. Her portrayal of Callisto has been a big hit as her gleeful antics make her a dangerous opponent for Xena. Her character is another reminder to Xena that her crimes continue to haunt her. Hudson expressed her dislike of playing Xena in the episode Ten Little Warlords, as it was dull playing the good girl apparently, and trying to imitate Lucy was not much fun for her. She has appeared in several tv movies and as an angel in Touched by an Angel! One of Hudson's more memorable roles was as producer Liz Friedman in the Hercules episodes Yes Virginia there is a Hercules and For those of you Just Joining us. You can't keep a good baddie down and Hudson returns again in series 4 and 5 of Xena.

Hudson Leick's Official fan club is one of many pages out there
The Temple of Callisto

Hercules

Hercules is played by Kevin Sorbo. He is the son of Zeus, and is a demi-god. He met Xena in Warrior Princess when she wanted to kill him. In The Gauntlet Hercules met Xena again and after a fight, refuses to kill her.His actions help Xena to straighten herself out. The pair became very close in Unchained Heart although Xena realizes that she must leave to find her own way. Hercules appeard in the Xena episode Prometheus when they worked together to free Prometheus for the good of mankind. While again seeming close, Hercules later married another, and is accused of her murder. Xena and Gabrielle appeared in the Hercules episode, Judgement Day. Xena acknowledge that they are long past the time when they could have been together, but helps Hercules to clear his name.
Hercules the tv movies and tv series was the first venture into this field by Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert. Xena:Warrior Princess would not have made it to the screen without the series' success. The two shows are filmed in New Zealand, and many of the producers work on both shows, but there are rarely crossovers. Xena is a darker show, while Hercules is much more the almost too-good-to-be-true hero than Xena ever could be.
Kevin Sorbo is from Minnesota and recently married actress Sam Jenkins who played Serena, who Hercules married last season. After suffering an aneurism in his shoulder last year, he is now recovered and filmed the final episodes of Hercules recently. Kevin is said to be teaming up with Majel Roddenberry Barrett to work on a new Star Trek tyoe series.

Vicki's Tribute to Kevin Sorbo is excellent and well worth a look
Kevin Sorbo's fan club page - now just a link.

Iolaus

Iolaus is Hercules' best friend and sidekick. He is played by Michael Hurst. Iolaus was the target of Xena's attention in Warrior Princess. Xena's plan was to tempt Hercules into a fight with Iolaus and that Hercules would kill his friend and be so remorseful that Xena would be able to kill him. Iolaus often has an eye for a pretty girl, and was taken in by Xena completely. He was highly suspicious when Xena returned to team up with Hercules in Unchained Heart and relations were very uneasy until Xena saved his life in battle. He returned with Hercules in Prometheus, and seemed to be developing a close friendship with Gabrielle. He arrived to help Gabrielle after she was attacked in The Quest and provided comfort and support for a grief stricken Gabrielle.
English born but New Zealand based actor Michael Hurst has acted in the theatre quite extensively, and recently brought his directorial talents to both Hercules and Xena. He directed A Day in the Life a very popular and funny episode, and A Tale of Two Muses in series four. Michael also plays the role of Charon, the grumpy boatman of the River Styx, with LOTS of make up! He is married to actress Jennifer Ward Lealand, who appears as Boudicca in series 3's The Deliverer. He sings and has done stunt coordinating aswell.
Michael had an eventful S5 of Hercules with big things happening for Iolaus...

A very nice Michael Hurst page with lots of links
Twanky's Twittling Web Shrine- for fans of "..And Fancy Free" and the Widow Twanky!
Vicki's Tribute to Kevin Sorbo has info on Michael Hurst too

Joxer

Joxer, the fumbling wannabe warrior is played by Ted Raimi. Joxer first appeared in Callisto and was soundly beaten by Gabrielle, who he was supposed to be kidnapping. However, his attempts to be a nasty warrior fail because of his good heart. He appears frequently in the series two episodes Girls Just Wanna have Fun, Return of Callisto, Warrior..Princess..Tramp, Intimate Stranger, Ten Little Warlords, For Him the Bell Tolls, and A Comedy of Eros. Ted Raimi was also in The Xena Scrolls as an Inspector Clouseau type French policeman, and as himself in a present day segment.
Joxer is a comedy character, notable for his ridiculous armour and his annoying ways. He has a theme song- Joxer the Mighty, and while he has a fling with the Xena look alike Meg in Warrior Princess Tramp, he falls for Gabrielle in Comedy of Eros, and his love for Gabrielle is carried on through season three and four.

Ted Raimi is the younger brother of producer Sam Raimi (whoever muttered nepotism, just stop it!) and has appeared in a number of his brother's film projects. Ted continues to appear regularly in series four and five. He had a recurring role in the dismal undersea adventure series Seaquest dsv, and is a REALLY nice guy!

The XOR links page for Ted has loads of them!
Club Ted, the official Fan Club page is not bad

Salmoneus

Robert Trebor plays the salesman and entrepeneur Salmoneus in both Hercules and Xena. Salmoneus was already an established guest character on Hercules before meeting Xena in The Gauntlet. Xena took a liking to him, and Salmoneus is on Xena's side after she is thrown out by her army. He also appeared in Unchained Heart, although Salmoneus has a difficult time after being trapped in a rockslide. He has appeared in three Xena episodes;The Black Wolf where he gets thrown into a cell with Xena after grabbing Gabrielle's tomatoes, The Greater Good is one of the best episodes, and we see Salmoneus in full sales mode, as well as a very touching scene after Xena apparently dies. Salmoneus sends for Xena's help in Here She Comes..Miss Amphipolis when someone tries to sabotage a Miss Known World beauty pageant he is organizing.
Salmoneus is always looking for business opportunities and marketing ploys, but he is essentially a very honourable character. He has appeared in many more Hercules episodes, also appearing with Lucy Lawless in As Darkness Falls, and The Outcast when Lucy played Lyla the centaur's wife.
I love Salmoneus- he is my favourite guest star. Robert Trebor has great comic timing and always livens things up. His scenes with Xena in The Gauntlet showed for the first time that Xena had a good side. The hilarious theme song he invents for her was apparently Robert Trebor's own improvisation.(Read this very interesting interview with Robert Trebor where he discussed this and other aspects of Hercules and Xena)
Robert Trebor appeared in the tv movie Hercules and the Lost Kingdom with Renee O'Connor, and kept in touch with the producers. He has appeared in a variety of stage and tv roles. He showed off his fine singing voice in Miss Amphipolis
Scandalously, Robert Trebor was not signed for any S3 episodes! However he is set to return for an appearance in series four episode Deja Vu All Over Again. He has been involved with writing a story for the Xena comics.

A very nice fan page for Robert Trebor
Blackmonk's Salmoneus Page isn't bad either

Ares

Kevin Smith plays Ares, the god of war. He first appeared in The Reckoning where he tried to tempt Xena to join with him again by framing her for murder, and hoping she would refuse to take the blame. He made an immediate impact as the seductively dangerous Ares- complete with devilish gleam in his eye and a bearded ruggish charm. He returned in Ties That Bind where he disguised himself as Xena's father, and almost succeeded in turning her. In the second series, Ares appeared in three more episodes;Intimate Stranger where he aids Callisto in her body swap with Xena, Ten Little Warlords, where Ares has lost his godhood and Xena must help find his sword to restore his powers. Ares also was in The Xena Scrolls where he was accidentally released from captivity by Mel and Janice after Xena had at some point trapped him for eternity.
Ares is the most dangerous of the gods to appear in the Xenaverse. He loved bloodlust and battles and is a constant trouble to Xena. After Xena helped him in Ten Little Warlords, they seemed to develop an understanding, but Ares will always be a threat to Xena.
Ares appeared frequently during Series 3, in episodes including the opener The Furies, which was a hold over from series 2. He is BRILLIANT in The Bitter Suite and demonstrates a lovely deep singing voice. A lighter side to Ares was seen in The Quill is Mightier, but he was back to dastardly bad ways in Sacrifice. He only appeared in one episode in series four, as he is apparently filming a lot of the Young Hercules series. Shame. Although he is back in S5.
Kevin Smith is a former rugby player who turned to acting after a bad injury. Another Kiwi, he also appears in Hercules both as Ares, but also as Hercules' half brother Iphicles, where he is not quite so dashing! It is quite funny that Iphicles and Hercules share a mother, Alcmene, and Ares and Hercules share a father, Zeus! Kevin is married with two children -darn!


Kevin Smith Online is an excellent starting point
Quite nice fan page for Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith's Official fan club page
Yet another Kevin Smith web site- popular guy!

Autolycus

Bruce Campbell plays Autolycus, the self styled King of Thieves. Autolycus has appeared in just a few Xena episodes, but he and especially actor Bruce Campbell are fan favourites. Autolycus first appeared in the H:TLJ episode, The King of Thieves, then in Xena, he appeared in The Royal Couple of Thieves where he and Xena team up to get a valuble object back. They make a great team, as Autolycus forces Xena to act as his concubine and do a bit of dancing! When Xena needed someone to steal ambrosia to restore her to life in The Quest, Autolycus was the body she entered. He helped Xena and Gabrielle a lot, and got to do Xena's fighting tricks. This story line was to deal with Lucy Lawless' accident, and naturally, the first actor Raimi and Tapert turned to was their friend Campbell.
Bruce Campbell has been associated with Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert for years. They are old high school friends and most of Raimi's projects have involved Campbell, notably the Evil Dead films, including the most recent, Army of Darkness. Campbell has appeared in many tv and film roles, including The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. He directed and appeared in King of Assassins, an episode featuring two Joxers. Kevin Sorbo's recent injury meant Autloycus was on Hercules quite a bit, and he had two further Xena episodes, Tsunami and Vanishing Act.. Bruce is directing and appearing in more series four episodes, Key to the Kingdom (as director and star) and A Tale of two Muses and Takes One to Know One as an actor only.


Very slick Bruce Campbell site- and REAL Bruce imput

Ephiny

Danielle Cormack plays the Amazon, Ephiny. She was initially hostile to Xena and Gabrielle when we first met her in Hooves and Harlots. She is suspicious of Xena and has doubts about Gabrielle as an Amazon princess. By the end of that episode she has become a valuble friend and ally, and it is Ephiny who gives Gabrielle her fighting staff. She turned up in Is there a Doctor in the House? the series one finale, pregnant and alone after her centaur husband Phantes is killed. Xena delivers her baby in amongst the chaos. She appears in two series two episodes, the second and third episodes on the trilogy dealing with Xena's death and Gabrielle's ascent to the Amazon throne. In The Quest, Ephiny persuades Gabrielle to stay with them and take over the queen's mask, thereby involving her in Amazon politics. She helps Gabrielle and clearly shows her alliegance to her against Velasca. In A Necessary Evil, Gabrielle is about to hand over the queen's mask to Ephiny when Velasca appears to spoil the party. Ephiny is the most visable Amazon in the series. She is a good friend to Gabrielle and Xena.
Actress Danielle Cormack recently appeared on Hercules for the first time as a French revolutionary heroine. She got to have fun and do a bit of sword fighting.
Another native New Zealander, Danielle Cormack recently had a baby, and starred in a low budget NZ film called Topless Women Talk About Their Lives, than got a showing at Cannes, but isn't what it sounds like! It's about a group of friends and their experiences, in which Danielle plays a pregnant lady. She appeared in some NZ soaps named Gloss and Shorland Street, and the glossy High Tide, that Kevin Smith and Lucy Lawless also popped up in.
Ephiny appears with her son Xenan in a S4 Hercules episode where Herc meets some nasty Amazons, and Ephiny is the one nice one. She also plays a part in the S3 Xena episode Maternal Instincts. She returns briefly and tragically in series four in the episode Endgame.

Check out a great Danielle Cormack interview in Whoosh#12
A new Official fan club page for Danielle Cormack that looks promising
This is about the only other link I have. Looks wonderful, info sketchy

Cupid/Caesar

Now what do you notice about these two? They are the god of love, Cupid who appears in For Him the Bell Tolls and A Comedy of Eros, and Julius Caesar, who double crossed and crucified Xena in Destiny. They are both played by actor Karl Urban, who first appeared as another baddie in Altared States where he played the wicked brother Mael. Clearly a favourite with the producers, Cupid has also appeared in Hercules. Caesar returns in the series 3 episodes The Deliverer and When in Rome. Caesar returns again in S4 in several episode including the ominous Ides of March - remember your history and that date? Watch your back Caesar! Karl Urban is also supposed to be involved with the new Renaissance production, Amazon High.


Caesar's Palace-very good Karl Urban Site
Krikets Cupid Page is quite nice
The Shrine of the Urbanites is a prety cool site

Draco

Draco is one of my favourite baddies, even though he has only appeared twice. He appeared in the very first XWP episode, Sins of the Past, and also in the series two finale, A Comedy of Eros. In both of these Draco proved to be a much stronger character than the vast majority of the villains of the week. He has similar skills to Xena. Draco is, of course, a warlord, but he seems more honourable than most, even if he does attack Xena's village. The implications are that Xena and Draco shared a THING in the past. In Comedy of Eros, he becomes infatuated with Gabrielle, and his idea of refoming himself is quite amusing.
Draco is played by Kiwi actor Jay Laga'aia. Apart from the fact he is very nicely built, I don't know much about him though. He can be seen in the Aussie crime series Water Rats, and apparently used to be a presenter on a NZ kids show!
Draco is due to return in S5 in a musical episode....

Aphrodite

Alexandra Tydings plays the goddess of love, Aphrodite, and is a very popular character, particularly amongst the men! This surfer chick goddess first appeared in Hercules:TLJ episode, The Apple, and crossed over to the Xenaverse in For Him the Bell Tolls. Mother of Cupid- although she looks younger, but hey, they are gods!- Aphrodite returns again in Series Three's The Quill is Mightier and the hilarious Fins, Femmes and Gems.
Alexandra Tydings is an American actress and former dancer- she visited the UK to compete as an Irish dancer representing the USA! Imagine Aphrodite doing the Riverdance! She remains a popular recurring actress on Xena and Hercules. See if you can spot her tattoos in the very funny S4 ep, If the Shoe Fits.

Konus' Shrine to Aphrodite is worth a look
This Aphrodite Gallery has lots of pictures
A facinating interview with AT on the Whosh website

Lao Ma

Jaqueline Kim appeared as Lao Ma in just two episodes, The Debt I and II, but made a very strong impression as Xena's former mentor in Chin. Lao Ma saved Xena's life, and also her soul she says, as she taught her that there was more to life than violence. She had special powers which Xena almost managed to master.
Rumours of her return are eagerly anticipated by us Lao Ma fans!
American actress Kim is chiefly remembered as Mr Sulu's daughter in the Star Trek:Generations movie. She also appeared in the recent film Volcano with Tommy Lee Jones.

A new and fairly brief Jacqueline Kim page
This Whoosh interview with JK is worth reading

Borias

Borias is the father of Xena's son Solon. We first heard of him in the S2 opener Orphan of War where we learnt he was a friend of the centaurs and had turned on Xena before being killed by one of her men. The brilliant two part story The Debt introduced him as played by Marton Csokas. These flashback sequences showed us a feral Xena and a cunning Borias. In Adventures in the Sin Trade we saw a softening in Borias and he made his (presumably) last appearance in Past Imperfect. A facinating character with a dodgy accent.
Another native Kiwi, Marton Csokas has appeared in Hercules episodes and memorbly also played Khrafstar, who led Gabrielle to lose her blood innocence in The Deliverer. A charismatic actor who certainly made a strong impression on me.

Find out more at Nyx's Shrine to Marton Csokas

Alti

Alti, the evil shamaness, first appeared in Adventures in the Sin Trade, where Xena fell under her spell. She returned in Between the Lines where Xena and Gabrielle had to defeat her in the future. She is responsible for the crucifixion vision that has recurred through series four.
6 foot plus Claire Stansfield has appeared in many film and tv roles. She made in instantly memorable villain.

Claire Stansfield's own web site is pretty great!


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