Name: Renee O`Connor
Character Name: Gabrielle
Birth Date: 15th February 1971
Birth Place: Katy, Texas
Family: husband Steve Muir

Biography

Renee O`Connor began acting a very young age. Early appearances include MacDonalds adverts and the Mickey Mouse Club. Renee appeared in a number of not very good tv movies, and one fun one - a new Rockford Files tv movie, where she was excellent in a funny role as a self absorbed actress receiving death threats. She was cast as Deianara in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, the second (and best) of the Herc TV movies, where she was very good indeed. Shortly afterwards, she worked for Tapert and Raimi again in Darkman 2, before landing the part of Gabrielle in Xena:Warrior Princess. Renee married her long term Kiwi boyfriend Steve Muir in October 2000.
She directed the final episode of Season 4, Deja Vu All Over Again , and Season 6`s Dangerous Prey , she is keen to further her career behind the camera, although the annoucement of her pregnancy in March 2001 might curtail that for a while.
Always an active person, Renee enjoys rock climbing, kick boxing and other outdoor pursuits. Her `abs of steel` are legendary among fans!

Character Description

Gabrielle is the character who has developed the most in XENA. She began as a young innocent village girl with a taste for adventure. She was just a bit annoying and always getting into scrapes. However, halfway through season 1, Gabrielle became an Amazon Princess after trying to save another Amazon. She fought with a staff for a long time after that.

Gabrielle was engaged to Perdicus the opening Xena episode, Sins of the Past, but left him. However, he returned in Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts, and again in Return of Callisto where Gabrielle married him. A short lived marriage however, as he was killed by Callisto, much to the relief of Xena fans!

Later series have many more dramatic changes for Gabrielle so that she is hardly recognisable as the young girl from season one. The Deliverer is one of her most traumatic episodes, where Gabrielle was tricked into killing for the first time, and was then impregnated by an evil deity named Dahok. In Gabrielle`s Hope she gave birth to Dahok`s daughter, foolishly named Hope! Sacrifice 2 saw Gabrielle apparently sacrifice herself to save Xena, but Gabrielle lives on (surprise, surprise) and returns in Season 4's A Family Affair. Her survival is never properly explained.

S4 of XENA, saw Gabrielle searching for meaning in her life, and choosing a path on non violence, after meeting Eli. Not a good idea for her, as Ides of March saw her and Xena crucified by the Romans. Season 5 was one where Gabrielle warrior side came out. With Xena pregnant, she took on the more active role quite frequently.

Episodes as Director

Deja Vu All Over Again
Dangerous Prey

Filmography

• Rubbernecking (1999) - Ashton
• Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998) (voice) - Gabrielle
• Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise, The (1995) (TV) - Laura Sue Dean
• Follow the River (1995) (TV) - Bettie Draper
• Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) (TV) - Deianeira
• Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1994) - Laurie Brinkman
• The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children?(1993) (TV) Leslie
• Sworn to Vengeance (1993) (TV)
• Adventures of Huck Finn, The (1993) - Julia Wilks
• Stone Cold (1991) - Tinselteeth
• Danielle Steel`s Changes (1991) (TV) - Jessica Adams
• False Identity (1990) - Angela Errickson

TV Appearences

• "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" playing "Sunny Day" in episode: "For Those Of You Just Joining Us" (episode # 5.9) 1/4/1998
• "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" playing "Gabrielle2" in episode: "Stranger In A Strange World" (episode # 4.5) 10/27/1997
• "Hercules:The Legendary Journeys" playing "Gabrielle" in episode: "Judgement Day" (episode # 3.15) 2/17/1997
• "NYPD Blue" playing "Rebecca Sloane" in episode: "Oscar, Meyer, Weiner" (episode # 1.10) 12/7/1993
• "FBI: The Untold Stories" (1991) playing "Ofc. Renee Lanot" in episode: "Blue Fiber" 1992
• "Arresting Behavior" (1992)
• "Tales from the Crypt" (1989) (uncredited) (scenes deleted) in episode: "Switch, The" 1992

Links

Renee O'Connor's official web site

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