Renee O'Connor
Template:Short description Template:Pp-move Template:Infobox person Evelyn Renee O'Connor (born February 15, 1971)<ref name="Austin Chronicle 1998">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> is an American actress, producer, and director, known for the role of Gabrielle on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Early life
Born in Houston and raised in suburban Katy, Texas by her mother Sandra, O'Connor at age 12 studied acting at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas.<ref name=CurveMagazine>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Austin Chronicle 1998"/> She attended Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, and made her professional debut as a dancing Porky Pig at that city's Six Flags AstroWorld. Afterward, she moved to Los Angeles, California, to pursue an acting career.<ref name="Austin Chronicle 1998"/>
Career
O'Connor made her screen debut at 17, starring in the "Teen Angel" segment of the Disney Channel's The Mickey Mouse Club,<ref name=AboutUs /> and the subsequent Teen Angel TV series. She went on to the Disney film The Adventures of Huck Finn and TV-movies including Follow the River, Danielle Steele's Changes, and Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, starring Kevin Sorbo.<ref name=AboutUs /> There, in the role of Deianeira, O'Connor came to the attention of Hercules executive producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi, who cast her as Gabrielle in the spinoff TV series Xena: Warrior Princess.Template:Citation needed
In 2001, O'Connor began her own film production company, Roc Productions.<ref name=AboutUs>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, she played Lady Macbeth in the Shakespeare by the Sea production of Macbeth. O'Connor reprised the role in a House of Bards Theatre Company production in San Pedro, California, from October 11 to November 3, 2019.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She played Nurse in the Southern Shakespeare Company's May 10–13, 2018, production of Romeo and Juliet alongside her 16-year-old son, Miles Muir.<ref name=TallahasseeDemocrat>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Personal life
In 1998, O'Connor began dating restaurateur Steve Muir.<ref name="Austin Chronicle 1998" /> The couple married in 2000 and O'Connor had a son in 2001. O'Connor and Muir divorced in 2004.Template:Citation needed
O'Connor began a relationship with Jed Sura in 2004 and had a daughter in March, 2006. O'Connor and Sura were married in 2017.Template:Cn
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Match Point | Robin | Television movie |
| 1989 | Night Game | Lorraine Beasley | |
| 1990 | Black Snow | Jennifer Winslow | |
| 1990 | False Identity | Angela Errickson | |
| 1991 | Changes | Jessica Adams | Television film |
| 1991 | Stone Cold | Tinselteeth Hostage | |
| 1993 | Sworn to Vengeance | Unknown | Television film |
| 1993 | The Adventures of Huck Finn | Julia Wilks | |
| 1993 | The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? | Leslie | Television film |
| 1994 | Hercules and the Lost Kingdom | Deianeira | Television film |
| 1995 | Follow the River | Bettie Draper | Television film |
| 1995 | The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise | Laura Sue Dean | Television film |
| 1995 | Darkman II: The Return of Durant | Laurie Brinkman | |
| 1997 | Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen | Gabrielle | Short film |
| 1998 | Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus | Gabrielle | |
| 2001 | Accidents Don't Happen | Ashton | |
| 2004 | One Weekend a Month | Meg McDermott | Short film |
| 2005 | Alien Apocalypse | Lieutenant Kelly Lanaman | Television film |
| 2007 | Ghost Town: The Movie | Little Jack | |
| 2007 | Boogeyman 2 | Dr. Jessica Ryan | |
| 2008 | Diamonds and Guns | Ashley | Also executive producer and co-director |
| 2008 | Monster Ark | Dr. Ava Greenway | Television film |
| 2009 | Bitch Slap | Sister Batril | |
| 2010 | Words Unspoken | Sue | Short film; also director, producer, and writer |
| 2010 | 2010: Moby Dick | Dr. Michelle Herman | |
| 2011 | Deadrise | Paula | |
| 2011 | Infinity | Elizabeth | Short film, Producer |
| 2011 | Are You Kidding Me? | Director | |
| 2013 | Stranded From An Island | Short; executive producer and assistant editor | |
| 2015 | Beyond the Farthest Star | Maurene Wells | |
| 2015 | Last Chance | Carrie | Television film; also executive producer |
| 2015 | Broken Things | Director | |
| 2016 | The Usual | Mrs. Ford | Short film; also executive producer |
| 2017 | Watch the Sky | Shannon | Producer |
| 2017 | A Question of Faith | Mary Danielson |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Teen Angel | Nancy Nichols | |
| 1990 | Tales from the Crypt | Waitress | Episode: "The Switch" |
| 1991 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Linda | Episode: "The Less Than Perfect Daughter" |
| 1992 | FBI: The Untold Stories | Officer Renee Lanot / Tina Marie Risico | 3 episodes |
| 1993 | NYPD Blue | Rebecca Sloane | Episode: "Oscar, Meyer, Weiner" |
| 1997–1999 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Gabrielle | 4 episodes |
| 1995–2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Gabrielle | 134 episodes |
| 2002 | Mataku | American Buyer | Episode: "The Heirloom" |
| 2008 | Criminal Minds | Pam Baleman | Episode: "A Higher Power" |
| 2010 | Ark | Connie Miller | 9 episodes |
| 2021 | My Life Is Murder | Clarissa Klein | Episode: "Pleasure & Pain" |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Macbeth | Lady Macbeth | Shakespeare by the Sea |
| 2017 | Dinner With Friends<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Beth | Little Fish Theatre |
| 2017 | Annie<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Lily St.Regis (as Renee Sura) | Warner Grand Theatre |
| 2018 | Romeo and Juliet<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | The Nurse | Southern Shakespeare Company |
| 2018 | On Clover Road<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Kate Hunter | Little Fish Theatre |
| 2018 | Mary Poppins<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | Ms. Brill (as Renee Sura) | Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center |
| 2019 | The Wizard of Oz<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | The Wicked Witch of the West (as Renee Sura) | Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center |
| 2019 | Uncle Vanya | Yelena Andreyevna | Little Fish Theatre |
References
External links
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
- Actresses from Houston
- American child actresses
- American film actresses
- Film producers from Texas
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- American television directors
- American voice actresses
- American women film directors
- Film directors from Texas
- Living people
- People from Katy, Texas
- American women television directors
- High School for the Performing and Visual Arts alumni
- American women film producers
- 1971 births