|
Lucy Lawless (born Lucille Frances
Ryan; March 29, 1968) is a New Zealand actress and singer. She is best
known for playing the title character of the internationally successful
television series Xena: Warrior Princess which ran from 1995 to 2001. She
has also appeared on the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television
series. Most recently she appeared on the television series Spartacus:
Blood and Sand.
Born in Mount Albert, New Zealand, Lawless is the daughter of Julie, a
teacher, and Frank Ryan, who was a banker and Mount Albert mayor. The
fifth of seven children, she has five brothers and one sister.
Lawless began acting in secondary school. During her adolescence, Lucy
suffered with bulimia, but was able to overcome the illness in college,
the Auckland University, where she studied foreign languages for a year,
including German, Italian and French, and also studied opera for three
years, but gave up on both soon after, moving herself to a course of
violin and jazz.
In 1994, Lawless appeared in "Hercules and the Amazon Women," the
television pilot for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In that episode,
she played a man-hating Amazon named Lysia. She went on to play another
character, Lyla, in the first season episode "As Darkness Falls," but her
key role was given to her when she was asked to play a villainous warrior
woman named Xena in the episode "The Warrior Princess" – aired in March
1995. Vanessa Angel had originally been cast in the role, but fell ill and
was unable to travel to New Zealand for shooting. To differentiate between
Xena and the similar Lysia, Lawless' hair, naturally ash blond, was
coloured black. Xena subsequently returned in two more episodes of the
first season of Hercules, which portrayed her turn from villainous to good
character.
The character was popular enough that a spin-off series was created for
her. Xena: Warrior Princess debuted on 4 September, 1995 (although Lawless
appeared as Lyla once again, in the second season Hercules episode
"Outcast" – aired in October 1995). Xena: Warrior Princess, like its
parent program, was a hit, lasting six seasons, and Lawless became an
international celebrity.
While taping an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in October
1996, Lawless suffered a fractured pelvis when the horse she was riding
lost its footing in the studio parking lot. She made a complete recovery,
and her absence from the Xena set ultimately had minimal impact on the
show.
In 1997, Lawless was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the
World" by People magazine. Days earlier on May 6, 1997, Lawless
inadvertently exposed a breast as she concluded a performance of the US
national anthem at an NHL hockey game in Anaheim, California between the
Mighty Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. Lawless was quoted in Newsweek as
saying, "Obviously, I was mortified....It was quite a bit more exposure
than I want".
Lawless first appeared on Broadway in September 1997 in the Grease play
remake, as the "bad girl" Rizzo character. She had wanted to play the lead
role of Sandy, and later stated her belief that the producers had typecast
her to play "bad girls" following her success as Xena. She said the Sandy
character was very similar to her sheltered childhood, growing up in New
Zealand with many protective older brothers.
Lawless has since appeared onstage in the Vagina Monologues and as a
television guest star in episodes of The Simpsons, The X-Files, Just Shoot
Me!, Veronica Mars, Burn Notice, Less Than Perfect, Curb Your Enthusiasm
and bro'Town. She was also featured in the short-lived television series
Tarzan. Lawless has made cameo appearances in the movies EuroTrip,
Spider-Man and Boogeyman (2005), and in the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm.
She returned to television in the TV movie Locusts! and its sequel Vampire
Bats.
Lawless became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2004
Queen's Birthday Honours List, and therefore is entitled to use the
postnominal letters, MNZM.
From 2005 to 2009, Lawless has had a recurring role in the television
series Battlestar Galactica. She portrays D'Anna Biers, a reporter with
the Fleet News Service who works on a critical documentary about the crew
of the Galactica and is later revealed to be a Cylon (Number Three).
Lawless appeared in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, in season 6 as
herself. She goes on a date with Larry David, only to finally walk away
after Larry makes an inappropriate suggestion about his underwear and the
potential for sex between them.
Lawless competed as one of the celebrity singers on the reality TV show
Celebrity Duets in 2006, finishing as the runner-up to winner Alfonso
Ribeiro. She has also performed as a voice actor in several animated
features.
The lesbian community is interested in Lawless, largely because of Xena's
ambiguous relationship with traveling companion Gabrielle. Although
Lawless is heterosexual, she has appeared at gay pride events such as the
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. In a 2003 interview with Lesbian News
magazine, she said that she had come to see Xena and Gabrielle's
relationship as gay after viewing the series finale, though she has also
stated on several occasions that she was undecided on the nature of the
relationship while playing the role.
Lawless was to appear as one of the leads in the ensemble cast of the ABC
television series, Football Wives, based on the popular British series
Footballers' Wives, in 2007. The series did not continue past the pilot
episode, though the network did extend the options on its contracts with
Lawless and the other actors slated to star in the series (Gabrielle
Union, Kiele Sanchez, Ving Rhames and James Van Der Beek), which seemed to
indicate the show was still under consideration. The series never aired.
It is unclear whether the Hollywood writers' strike, which delayed and
effectively halted numerous television and film productions, played a part
in the series not continuing.
Lawless returned to television on Nov. 10, 2008 in a guest-starring role
on the hit CBS television series, CSI: Miami playing a madame with
connections to a murder. She is also set to guest star in the show The L
Word, and also had a role in the Adam Sandler movie, Bedtime Stories,
released Christmas 2008. Also in 2008, Lucy stars with her former Xena
stuntwoman Zoe Bell in Sony (Crackle)'s new web series Angel of Death
written by Ed Brubaker set to debut online in early 2009.
In 2009 Lawless guest-starred on the hit HBO series, Flight of the
Conchords as Paula, assistant to the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
Lucy Lawless is currently co-starring in Starz original series, Spartacus:
Blood and Sand. The show is based on the life of Spartacus, the famous
gladiator, and the slave revolt he led, and is produced by long-time Xena
producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. Lawless plays the role of Lucretia,
the wife of Lentulus Batiatus, who are both the owners of a gladiator
ludus.
Lawless provided the voice of Goldmoon for Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn
Twilight, a direct-to-DVD animated movie based on the novel of the same
name, as well as Wonder Woman in the direct-to-video animated movie
Justice League: The New Frontier.
At 19, Lawless became pregnant with Garth Lawless's child. In 1988, they
married in Kalgoorlie, Australia. They returned to New Zealand and had a
daughter, Daisy Lawless (born July 15, 1988). The couple divorced in 1995.
Lawless married Xena executive producer, Robert Tapert, on March 28, 1998.
They have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert (born October 16, 1999) and
Judah Miro Tapert (born May 7, 2002), both born in Auckland, New Zealand.
Lawless is a member of the board of trustees of the StarShip Foundation,
the charity arm of the Starship Children's Health (hospital) which is part
of the Auckland District Health Board. It is set up to provide additional
equipment, support and help to staff, patients and families. She devotes
much time and energy to fundraising for the organization. She recently sat
for the New Zealand television series The Sitting , an arts series where
celebrity portraits are produced during an interview session with the
portraits later auctioned for charity. Lucy attended the auction where her
portrait fetched the top price, with the whole event raising $39,000 for
Starship. Lawless has often raised money for concerts and events, donates
part of her salary in favor of the institution, and has sold some Xena
costumes to contribute funds. Friday, 21 September is "Lucy Lawless Feel
the Love Day". The day is organised by the Official Lucy Lawless Fan Club
and kicks off a week of charitable acts and donations by fans in honor and
support of Lucy.
In May 2009 Lucy Lawless became a 'climate ambassador' for the Greenpeace
'Sign On' campaign. |
|
"Spartacus: Blood and Sand"
.... Lucretia (6 episodes, 2010)
- Sacramentum Gladiatorum (2010) TV episode .... Lucretia
- The Red Serpent (2010) TV episode .... Lucretia
- Episode #1.13 (2010) TV episode .... Lucretia
- Episode #1.4 (2010) TV episode .... Lucretia
- Episode #1.5 (2010) TV episode .... Lucretia
(1 more)
Angel of Death (2009) .... Vera
... aka Ed Brubaker's Angel of Death (USA: complete title)
Bitch Slap (2009) .... Mother Superior
"The L Word" .... Sgt. Marybeth Duffy (2 episodes, 2009)
- Last Word (2009) TV episode .... Sgt. Marybeth Duffy
- Long Night's Journey Into Day (2009) TV episode .... Sgt. Marybeth
Duffy
"The Flight of the Conchords" .... Paula (1 episode, 2009)
... aka Flight of the Conchords (USA: promotional title)
- NewZealandTown (2009) TV episode .... Paula
"Battlestar Galactica" .... D'Anna Biers (16 episodes, 2005-2009)
... aka BSG (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- Sometimes a Great Notion (2009) TV episode .... D'Anna Biers
- Revelations (2008) TV episode .... D'Anna Biers
- The Hub (2008) TV episode .... D'Anna Biers
- Rapture (2007) TV episode .... D'Anna Biers
- The Eye of Jupiter (2006) TV episode .... D'Anna Biers
(11 more)
Bedtime Stories (2008) .... Aspen
"CSI: Miami" .... Audrey Yates (1 episode, 2008)
... aka CSI: Weekends (USA: promotional title)
- Cheating Death (2008) TV episode .... Audrey Yates
"Late Show with David Letterman" .... D'Anna Biers / ... (1 episode,
2008)
... aka Late Show Backstage (USA: title for episodes with guest
hosts)
... aka Letterman (Australia)
... aka The Late Show (USA: informal short title)
- Brooke Shields/Seth Meyers/The Gutter Twins (2008) TV episode
(uncredited) .... D'Anna Biers / Top Ten List Presenter
Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) (V) (voice) .... Wonder
Woman
Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2008) (V) (voice) ....
Goldmoon
... aka A Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Tale (USA: subtitle)
"Burn Notice" .... Evelyn (1 episode, 2007)
- False Flag (2007) TV episode .... Evelyn
Football Wives (2007) (TV) .... Tanya Austin
"Veronica Mars" .... Agent Morris (1 episode, 2006)
- Donut Run (2006) TV episode .... Agent Morris
The Darkroom (2006) .... Cheryl
... aka Darkroom (USA: DVD title)
Vampire Bats (2005) (TV) .... Maddy Rierdon
Xena: The 10th Anniversary Collection (2005) (V) .... Xena
Locusts (2005) (TV) .... Maddy Rierdon
... aka Locusts: Day of Destruction (Australia)
"Two and a Half Men" .... Pamela (1 episode, 2005)
- It Was Mame, Mom (2005) TV episode .... Pamela
Boogeyman (2005) .... Tim's Mother
... aka Boogeyman - Der schwarze Mann (Germany)
"Less Than Perfect" .... Tracy Fletcher (1 episode, 2004)
- Ignoring Lydia (2004) TV episode .... Tracy Fletcher
EuroTrip (2004) .... Madame Vandersexxx
"Tarzan" .... Kathleen Clayton (7 episodes, 2003)
- The End of the Beginning (2003) TV episode .... Kathleen Clayton
- For Love of Country (2003) TV episode .... Kathleen Clayton
- Surrender (2003) TV episode .... Kathleen Clayton
- Emotional Rescue (2003) TV episode .... Kathleen Clayton
- Rules of Engagement (2003) TV episode .... Kathleen Clayton
(2 more)
Spider-Man (2002) .... Punk Rock Girl
Xena: Warrior Princess - A Friend in Need (The Director's Cut)
(2002) (V) .... Xena
"The X Files" .... Shannon McMahon (2 episodes, 2001)
... aka The X-Files (USA)
- Nothing Important Happened Today II (2001) TV episode .... Shannon
McMahon
- Nothing Important Happened Today (2001) TV episode .... Shannon
McMahon
"Xena: Warrior Princess" .... Xena / ... (134 episodes, 1995-2001)
... aka Xena (Australia)
- A Friend in Need: Part 2 (2001) TV episode .... Xena
- A Friend in Need: Part 1 (2001) TV episode .... Xena
- Soul Possession (2001) TV episode .... Xena / Annie / Meg
- Many Happy Returns (2001) TV episode .... Xena
- When Fates Collide (2001) TV episode .... Xena
(129 more)
"Just Shoot Me!" .... Stacy (1 episode, 2001)
- The Auction (2001) TV episode .... Stacy
Ginger Snaps (2000) (voice) (uncredited) .... Announcer on School's
PA System
"Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" .... Xena / ... (8 episodes,
1995-1998)
- Armageddon Now: Part 2 (1998) TV episode .... Xena
- Stranger in a Strange World (1997) TV episode .... Xena
- Judgement Day (1997) TV episode .... Xena
- Outcast (1995) TV episode .... Lyla
- Unchained Heart (1995) TV episode .... Xena
(3 more)
Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus
(1998) (V) (voice) .... Xena
Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen (1997) .... Xena
"High Tide" .... Sharon List / ... (2 episodes, 1994-1995)
- Dead in the Water (1995) TV episode .... Sharon List
- Shanghied (1994) TV episode .... Undercover policewoman
Peach (1995) .... Peach
Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994) (TV) .... Lysia
"The Black Stallion" .... Sarah McFee (1 episode, 1993)
... aka L'étalon noir (France)
... aka The Adventures of the Black Stallion
... aka The New Adventures of the Black Stallion (USA: new title)
- Riding the Volcano (1993) TV episode .... Sarah McFee
Typhon's People (1993) (TV) .... Mink Tertius
"The Ray Bradbury Theater" .... Liddy Barton (1 episode, 1992)
... aka Le monde fantastique de Ray Bradbury (Canada: French title)
... aka Mystery Theatre (UK: rerun title)
... aka Ray Bradbury présente (France)
... aka The Bradbury Trilogy (UK: rerun title)
... aka The Ray Bradbury Theatre (UK)
- Fee Fie Foe Fum (1992) TV episode .... Liddy Barton
The Rainbow Warrior (1992) .... Jane Redmond
... aka The Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior
The End of the Golden Weather (1991) .... Joe's Girl
"For the Love of Mike" .... Helen (1 episode, 1991)
- Episode #1.6 (1991) TV episode .... Helen
A Bitter Song (1990) .... Nurse 1
"Shark in the Park" (1 episode, 1990)
- Double or Quits (1990) TV episode
Within the Law (1990) .... Verity
"Funny Business" (1987) TV series .... Various (1989) |
