Lucy Lawless
Lucille Frances Ryan (born 29 March 1968)[1] is a New Zealand actress. When she was twenty years old, she got her first acting job in the TV program Funny Business. In 1994, she started in a small role on Hercules, where she became involved her current husband. In 1995, she starred in her first television series, Xena: Warrior Princess, becoming in an international star in this role.[2] In 1995, she divorced her first husband with whom she had been with since she was 18.
Lucy Lawless | |
|---|---|
 Lawless at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Lucille Frances Ryan 29 March 1968 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Lawless is also known for her role as D'anna Biers in the TV series Battlestar Galactica between 2005 and 2008.[3] During a break in 1997 between filming seasons on Xena, Lawless made her onstage debut singing songs on Broadway as Rizzo in the remake of the musical play Grease.
Since her role as Xena, Lawless has pursued a new career in singing after being a contestant on Celebrity Duets. She sang at the Roxy in Hollywood in 2007, and has since performed regularly in concerts and released several CDs.[4] She has a contralto singing range.
Early life
changeShe was born in Auckland on 29 March 1968. Lawless' mother, Julie, was teacher, and her father, Frank, was mayor.[5] She has 6 brothers. She had bulimia and Depression.
Lawless began acting in secondary school, attending Marist College, New Zealand, in Mount Albert. She studied foreign languages at Auckland University for a year[6] before dropping out and leaving for Europe with her boyfriend, Garth Lawless, to travel to Germany and Switzerland.[7] The couple then moved to Australia, where she worked briefly as a gold miner.[5]
Career
changeLawless wanted to act since she was five. She took her first acting class at the school. Lawless starred various national television commercials when she was a child. One of these was for McDonald's.[8] She played an Amazon in the TV movie Hercules and the Amazon Women, in 1994, and Lisya in his Spin-off, the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys em 1995.[9] In the same year, she plays Xena in three episodes, returning later.[10]
In September, Xena won her own series, Xena: Warrior Princess, Lawless was the star in the program during 6 years.[10] Lawless first appeared on Broadway in September 1997 in the Grease play remake, as the "bad girl" Rizzo character. She applied to play the squeaky-clean naive blond girl Sandra Dee, but she claimed the producers after Xena had typed her to playing only "bad girls."[11] 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, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.[12] She was also featured in the short-lived television series Tarzan. Lawless has made cameo appearances in the movies EuroTrip, Spider-Man and Boogeyman. She returned to television in the TV movie Locusts! and its sequel Vampire Bats.[13]
From 2005 to 2008, 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.[3]
Public image
changeIn 1997, Lawless was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" by People magazine.[14] Days earlier on 6 May 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.[14] Lawless was quoted in Newsweek as saying:
| “ | Obviously, I was mortified....It was quite a bit more exposure than I want...[14] | ” |
Lawless has enjoyed a particular cult status in the lesbian community. Some of the lesbian fan base sees Lawless as a lesbian icon.[15] A group called The Marching Xenas has participated in many gay and lesbian pride parades.[16]
Some fans felt that the sexual nature of Xena and the character Gabrielle's relationship was cemented by an interview given by Lucy Lawless to Lesbian News magazine in 2003. Lawless stated that after the series finale, where Gabrielle revives Xena with a mouth-to-mouth water transfer filmed to look like a full kiss, she had come to believe that Xena and Gabrielle's relationship was "definitely gay... there was always a 'well, she might be or she might not be' but when there was that drip of water passing between their lips in the very final scene, that cemented it for me".
Costume donation
changeIn 2006, Lucy Lawless donated her personal Xena costume to the Museum of American History.[17] In an interview the same year with Smithsonian magazine, she was asked the question "Was the Warrior Princess outfit comfortable?" and she responded:
Not at first, because they would put boning in the corset. It would cover up those little floating ribs that are so important for breathing, so I'd feel like I was having panic attacks. But it just became a second skin after a while. It was very functional, once I got over the modesty factor. I admit to being a little bit embarrassed the first couple weeks because I'd never worn anything so short.
— Lucy Lawless, Smithsonian, November 2006, page 44
Personal life
changeAt the age of nineteen, Lawless became pregnant with Garth's child. In 1988, they married in Kalgoorlie, Australia.[18] They returned to New Zealand and had a daughter, Daisy Lawless (born 15 July 1988), who also attended Marist College, New Zealand.[19] The couple divorced in 1995. Lawless married Xena executive producer Robert Tapert on 28 March 1998. Lawless and Tapert have two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert[19] (born 16 October 1999) and Judah Miro Tapert[19] (born 7 May 2002), both born in Auckland.
Filmography
changeMovies
change| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Within the Law | Verity | |
| 1990 | A Bitter Song | Nurse 1 | Short movie |
| 1991 | The End of the Golden Weather | Joe's Girl | |
| 1996 | Peach | Peach | Short movie |
| 1997 | Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen | Xena | Short movie |
| 1998 | Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie | Xena | Voice role |
| 2000 | Ginger Snaps | Announcer on School's PA System | Uncredited[source?] |
| 2002 | Spider-Man | Punk Rock Girl | Cameo |
| 2004 | EuroTrip | Madame Vandersexxx | |
| 2005 | Boogeyman | Mary Jensen | |
| 2006 | The Darkroom | Cheryl | |
| 2008 | Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight | Goldmoon | |
| 2008 | Justice League: The New Frontier | Wonder Woman | Voice role |
| 2008 | Bedtime Stories | Aspen | |
| 2009 | Bitch Slap | Mother Superior | |
| 2010 | Lez Chat | Construction Worker | Short movie |
| 2018 | The Breaker Upperers | Client | |
| 2019 | Mosley | Bera[20] | Voice role |
| 2021 | The Spine of Night | Tzod | Voice role |
| 2022 | Minions: The Rise of Gru | Nun-chuck | Voice role |
Television
change| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Funny Business | Various | Unknown episodes |
| 1990 | Shark in the Park | Kim Hughes | Episode: "Double or Quits" |
| 1991 | For the Love of Mike | Helen | Episode: "1.6" |
| 1992 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Liddy Barton | Episode: "Fee Fie Foe Fum" |
| 1992-1994 | Marlin Bay | TV series | |
| 1993 | The New Adventures of the Black Stallion | Sarah McFee | Episode: "Riding the Volcano" |
| 1993 | The Rainbow Warrior | Jane Redmond | Television movie |
| 1993 | Typhon's People | Mink Tertius | Television movie |
| 1994 | High Tide | Undercover policewoman | Episode: "Shanghied" |
| 1994 | Hercules and the Amazon Women | Lysia | Television movie |
| 1995 | High Tide | Sharon List | Episode: "Dead in the Water" |
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Lyla | 2 episodes |
| 1995–1998 | Xena | Recurring role, 6 episodes | |
| 1995–2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Lead role | |
| 1997 | Something So Right | Herself | Cameo, Season 1 EP 23 |
| 1998 | Saturday Night Live | Herself/host/Various | Episode: "Lucy Lawless/Elliott Smith" |
| 1999 | The Simpsons | Herself/Xena (voice) | Episode: "Treehouse of Horror X" |
| 2000 | Celebrity Deathmatch | Herself (voice) | Episode: "The Return of Lucy Lawless" |
| 2001 | Just Shoot Me! | Stacy | Episode: "The Auction" |
| 2001 | The X-Files | Shannon McMahon | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Tarzan | Kathleen Clayton | Recurring role, 7 episodes |
| 2003 | Warrior Women with Lucy Lawless | Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2004 | Less than Perfect | Tracy Fletcher | Episode: "Ignoring Lydia" |
| 2005 | Two and a Half Men | Pamela | Episode: "It Was 'Mame', Mom" |
| 2005 | Locusts | Maddy Rierdon | Television movie |
| 2005 | Vampire Bats | Maddy Rierdon | Television movie |
| 2005–2009 | Battlestar Galactica | D'Anna Biers | Recurring role, 16 episodes |
| 2006 | Veronica Mars | Agent Morris | Episode: "Donut Run" |
| 2007 | Burn Notice | Evelyn | Episode: "False Flag" |
| 2007 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Herself | Episode: "The TiVo Guy" |
| 2007 | Football Wives | Tanya Austin | Unsold TV pilot |
| 2008 | CSI: Miami | Audrey Yates | Episode: "Cheating Death" |
| 2009 | The L Word | Sgt. Marybeth Duffy | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Flight of the Conchords | Paula | Episode: "New Zealand Town" |
| 2009 | Angel of Death | Vera | Episode: "Help" |
| 2009; 2022 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself | Guest Judge |
| RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under | |||
| 2010 | Spartacus: Blood and Sand | Lucretia | Main role, 13 episodes |
| 2011 | Spartacus: Gods of the Arena | Main role, 6 episodes | |
| 2011 | American Dad! | Stacy (voice) | Episode: "A Piñata Named Desire" |
| 2011 | No Ordinary Family | Helen Burton | 4 episodes |
| 2012 | Spartacus: Vengeance | Lucretia | Main role, 10 episodes |
| 2012–2014 | Parks and Recreation | Diane Lewis | Recurring role, 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Top of the Lake | Caroline Platt | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. | Isabelle Hartley | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Code | Alex Wisham | Recurring role (season 1), 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Adventure Time | General Tarsal (voice) | Episode: "Dentist" |
| 2015–2017 | Salem | Countess Marburg | Recurring role, 15 episodes |
| 2015–2018 | Ash vs. Evil Dead | Ruby Knowby | Main role, 27 episodes |
| 2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Hiidrala (voice) | Episode: "The Cosmic Ocean" |
| 2017 | The Changeover | Miryam Carlisle | Television movie (Sci Fi New Zealand) |
| 2019–present | My Life Is Murder | Alexa Crowe | Main role |
| 2020 | Star Wars Resistance | Aeosian Queen (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2020 | Big City Greens | Mimi O'Malley (voice) | Episode: "Cricket's Tickets" |
| 2021 | Mr. Corman | Cheryl | Episode: "Funeral" |
Video games
change- Hunted: The Demon's Forge (2011), as Seraphine
- Evil Dead: The Game (2023), as Ruby Knowby
Stage
change- 1997: Grease! – On Broadway, NY USA
- 2002: The Vagina Monologues – Auckland, NZ
- 2005: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes – Seattle, USA
- 2011: BARE For Christchurch – Auckland, NZ
- 2013: Chicago The Musical – Hollywood Bowl, LA, USA
- 2013: Chicago The Musical – Auckland, NZ
- 2014–2015: Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight – Pasadena, CA, USA
- 2017: Pleasuredome The Musical – Auckland, NZ[21]
Discography
change- Albums
- Come 2 Me
- Come to Mama: Lucy Lawless in Concert: The Roxy Theater in Hollywood
- Concert DVDs
- Come to Mama: Lucy Lawless in Concert: The Roxy Theater in Hollywood
- Gimme Some, Sugar: Lawless, NYC
- Lucy Lawless Live in Chicago: Still Got The Blues
- Lucy Lawless Live at The Roxy Theater: Ho Down
- Lucy Lawless Live in Concert: Welcome to the Pleasuredome
- Other songs
- "Little Child" on Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars
- "4 All of Us" with Pauly Fuemana (OMC)
- "Little Child" on The Starship Christmas Album 2012 – Starship Foundation
Honours
changeIn the 2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, Lawless was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to entertainment and the community.[22]
Awards and nominations
change| Year | Award | Category | Production | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Saturn Award | Best Genre TV Actress | Xena: Warrior Princess | Nominated |
| 2010 | Golden Nymph | Outstanding Actress – Drama Series | Spartacus: Blood and Sand | Nominated |
| 2010 | Saturn Award | Best Supporting Actress on Television | Spartacus: Blood and Sand | Won |
| 2016 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Supporting Actress on Television | Salem | Nominated |
References
change- ↑ "Lucy Lawless". Askmen.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ "Biografia de Lucy Lawless". Jornallivre.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Lucy Lawless returns to Battlestar Galactica". Buddytv.com. 30 July 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ "Lucy Lawless, Come to Mama live in The Roxy Theater". Amazon. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Xena's table". Ussbrazil.com. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ "The actors from William Davis Center for Actors Study". Vanarts.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ "Lucy Lawless at the Entertainment Tonight". WarriorPrincess.com. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
- ↑ "Lucy Lawless biography". Perfectpeople.net. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
- ↑ "Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Xena gets the axe". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ "Other works of Lucy Lawless". Imdb.com. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ "Lucy Lawless start at The X-Files". People. Archived from the original on 1 November 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
- ↑ "Starring Lucy Lawless, Dra. Maddy Rierdon – Locust!". Lucylawless.info. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 People names the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World
- ↑ "Xena and Gabrielle: Lesbian Icons". AfterEllen.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
- ↑ "Top Ten TV – Sex Bombs". warriorprincess.com. Retrieved 31 October 2006.
- ↑ Smithsonian magazine. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution.Page 44: "Lucy Lawless, star of Xena: Warrior Princess, which aired from 1995–2001, has given her signature costume to the Museum of American History."
- ↑ "Biography for Robert Tapert". Imdb.com. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 "Lucy Lawless". Answers.com. Retrieved 17 October 2008.
- ↑ "Mosley". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ↑ "Cast and Crew". Pleasuredome. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ↑ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2004". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 7 June 2004. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
Other websites
change
- Lucy Lawless Archived 2008-09-22 at the Wayback Machine at TV.com Archived 2019-05-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Fan Club at Internet
- Photos Archived 2008-09-14 at the Wayback Machine at Frodisman.com Archived 2008-12-08 at the Wayback Machine
- Biography at Ussbrazil.com
- Lucy Lawless on IMDb