13 Stars Who Appeared on ‘Xena: Warrior Princess,’ Now 30 Years Old
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys begat another fantasy TV show 30 years ago with the premiere of Xena: Warrior Princess on September 4, 1995. And before long, Xena — led by Lucy Lawless as the titular redemption-hungry warrior and Renee O’Connor as faithful companion Gabrielle — surpassed Hercules and became syndicated TV’s most-watched series.
Now, upon Xena’s 30th anniversary, check out how more than a dozen familiar faces shared the screen with Lawless and O’Connor on the show, playing characters both mortal and mythological.
Shiri Appleby
Manu Bennett
Claudia Black
Black, an alum of both Farscape and Stargate SG-1, played the Amazon chief Karina in Season 5’s “Lifeblood,” an episode pieced together from the unaired pilot of a proposed spinoff called Amazon High.
Selma Blair
In that same episode, Blair played the young tribe member Cyane, who was actually a teenager transported from 1990s Los Angeles. By the time Amazon High scenes aired in “Lifeblood,” however, Blair’s breakout role in Cruel Intentions had already hit theaters.
Bruce Campbell
In that same episode, Blair played the young tribe member Cyane, who was actually a teenager transported from 1990s Los Angeles. By the time Amazon Highscenes aired in “Lifeblood,” however, Blair’s breakout role in Cruel Intentions had already hit theaters.
Simone Kessell
Long before she starred in Yellowjackets, Kessell played beauty pageant contestant Miss Messini in Xena Season 2’s “Here She Comes… Miss Amphipolis.” (Fun fact: Kessell and Lawless reunited a few years ago in an episode of My Life Is Murder.)
Rose McIver
Kathryn Morris
Before starring as Detective Lilly Rush in the 2000s procedural Cold Case, Morris recurred in Xena’s fourth season. In the episodes “Crusader” and “The Covert,” she played Najara, a corrupt warrior following the Way of the Light.
Timothy Omundson
Before his parts in Psych and This Is Us, Omundson appeared in several Xena Season 4 and Season 5 episodes. He played Eli, a mystical healer known as the Avatar of the God of the Ultimate Way.
Antony Starr
The actor behind The Boys’ Homelander played two roles on Xena: the centaur Mesas in Season 1’s “Hooves and Harlots” and the biblical figure David in Season 2’s “The Giant Killer.”
Tony Todd
This actor, known for his long-running roles in the Candyman and Final Destination film franchises, guest-starred as Cecrops, a sailor cursed by Poseidon, in Season 2’s “Lost Mariner.”
Gina Torres
This Suits and 9-1-1: Lone Star alum portrayed the real-life Egyptian queen Cleopatra in the third-season episode “The King of Assassins.” (Coincidentally, Torres also starred in Cleopatra 2525, a sci-fi series show from Xena producers.)
Karl Urban
Urban, who goes head to head with Starr on The Boys, is the Xena cast member with the sixth-highest episode count. He played appeared in all six seasons, playing a variety of characters across 14 episodes — most frequently the real-life Roman general Julius Caesar.
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Someone copied Selma Blair's description twice, with it ending up under Bruce Campbell's name as well. He played Autolycus, the King of Thieves.
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Loved Xena, an interesting show.
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I would tell my 7 children that they didn't exist for 2 hours when Hercules and Xena were on. They had to stay with dad. And I never annoyed them when they watched masters of the universe cartoons.
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