Who is Lucy Lawless, and What is She Up To?

Lucy Frances Lawless, most commonly known as Lucy Lawless, is an actress and a singer from New Zealand. She is known for playing the famous character of Xena in the popular TV show called “Xena: Warrior Princess.”

When Lucy was young, she performed in school productions and learned opera singing at her college. She dropped out later on and started traveling throughout Europe and Australia while working as a grape picker and a miner.

She married her travel partner Garth Lawless, but they got divorced later on and returned to New Zealand. While raising her daughter, she decided to return to acting and started performing incommercials and movies. She has done many things like acting, singing, and even being an activist and doing charity work.

Television

Lucy is known for her character debut on TV, and that’s where she got her popularity from in the first place.  Some of the most known shows featuring her are as follows:

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Hercules was a popular show aired in the United States. It premiered on April 25, 1994, and features the Greek tales of the heroic Hercules and his adventures. Lucy Lawless got her fame from this show because of her character Xena, which was first introduced here.

Xena is a villain on this show who sets out to kill Hercules but ultimately changes her mind at the end, seeing his morals. She appeared consecutively for six episodes on the show, and her character was well received and liked by the people.

The appearance of Lucy Lawless as Xena on this show formed the basis of her fame.It led to a spin-off version being made of the show, called Xena Warrior Princess, featuring her as the main character.

Xena Warrior Princess

Xena Warrior Princess

The accolades of Hercules, whereXena was first introduced, led to this show. The show first aired in 1995 on MCA TV. It was produced, directed, and written by the same guy, Robert Tapert, who created this spin-off version.

Lucy’s character Xena became even more famous with this show and got a cult following for it. She became an icon in TV history as Xena, the warrior princess who is on a quest to seek redemption for her past sins, using her fighting skills.

The show’s success led to the production of comics, video games, and merchandise, etc.It became the ninth show on TV Guide’s Top Cult Shows Ever, and her character“Xena” was ranked 100 on Bravo’s 100 Greatest TV Characters.

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is the first season of the series “Spartacus,” inspired by the story of a gladiator named Spartacus, who rebelled against the Roman Empire. The show was aired on Starz and became one of the most-watched seasons of the show.

Lucy Lawless plays the character of a Roman noblewoman in the show, called Lucretia, who is married to Batiatus. The character she plays is avery conflicted one,which shows her loving side, as well as the cunning side, where she longs for another man and seeks status. The story of her character is about climbing through the ranks and attaining a high status.

The role she played in the show caught the attention of the public and is regarded to be one of her best roles in TV after Xena.

The X-Files

The X-Files

The X-Files is an American science fiction television series that first aired on TV on September 10, 1993. The show was created by Chris Water, with 11 seasons and a long hiatus between season 9 and 10. It is one of the most influential sci-fi shows to have ever aired on TV.

The show revolves around the FBI and their dealings with weird cases that feature supernatural or paranormal circumstances. Lucy Lawless played a role in this show as Shannon McMahon, an old friend from Agent Doggett’s time in the Marines, which was before he joined the FBI.

She played an important role in both halves of the ninth season’s two-part premiere titled “Nothing Important Happened Today.” McMahon was discovered to be an alien and half super soldier after beingthrown out of the Marines. Do watch the series to fully understand the context.

Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica

Lucy appeared in the television show “BattlestarGalactica,” a remade version of 1978 BattlestarGalactica. She had a recurring role in it from 2005 to 2009, and the show aired on October 18, 2004, on Sci-Fi network.

Lucy Lawless appeared as D’Anna Biers, a reporter with the Fleet News Service, who was working on a documentary about the crew of Galactica. She was later revealed to be a Cylon and is also known as “Number Three” on the show.

Films

After her success asXena, she got opportunities to act in films. Some of the movies she starred in are as follows:

Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie

Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie

The success of the Xena: Warrior Princess led to the expansion of the show, Hercules and Xena. An animated film of the show was made, with the voice acting done by the same castof the TV show. The film was released on January 6, 1998, and directed by Lynne Naylor and written by John Loy.

Spider-Man (2002)

Spider-Man (2002)

The first Spider-Man film we all know and love was released in the year 2002 by Marvel Entertainment. The movie broke the box office records after its release and became the best ranking box office movie of that time. It is the first installment of the Spider-Man series directed by Sam Raimi.

Lucy Lawless had a minor role in this film; she played as the punk rock girl who said,“Guy with eight hands… sounds hot.” She later revealed that she took this role as a favor to her husband, RobertTapert, who was the director of the show “Xena: Warrior Princess” and is good friends with Sam Raimi, who also helped with the show.

Justice League: The New Frontier

Justice League: The New Frontier

“Justice League: The New Frontier” was an animated film released on February 26, 2008, on Cartoon Network. It is based on DC Comics limited series DC: The New Frontier. The film was produced by the collaboration of DC and Warner Brothers Entertainment and was written by Stan Berkowitz with the help of Darwyn Cooke.

Lucy Lawless voiced Wonder Woman in the animated film. The character of Wonder Woman is seen as one of the role models of women empowerment and one that fits perfectly with feminist ideologies. She was the best candidate for the role.

Music

Aside from acting, Lucy Lawless played Betto Rizzo on Broadway in the production of Grease in 1997. She continued singing even when her show “Xena: The Warrior Princess” was ongoing and has contributed some of her work for the show. One of her works made it to the episode of “The Path Not Taken.”

Moreover, Lucy also took part in the singing TV show “Celebrity Duets,” where she was a runner up to Alfonso Riberio.

Activism

In May 2009, Lucy became a “Climate Ambassador” for the Greenpeace “Sign On” campaign advocating for climate change and addressing its impact.

In February 2012, Lawless and other six members of Greenpeace activists went onboard an oil drillingship at Port Taranaki, New Zealand.They stayed on the ship for 77 hours to stop it from leaving for the Arctic, where it had planned to go, to investigate and find oil.

Charity

Lucy Lawless has participated in many charity works. She is a member of the board of trustees of the Starship Foundation, the charity arm of the Starship Children’s Health hospital. The hospital is also part of the Auckland District Health Board. It was set up to provide additional equipment, support, and help to staff, patients, and families. She devotes much of her time and energy to fundraising for the organization.

What is Lucy Lawless Up to Now?

Lucy Lawless is now 52 years old and is happily married with two kids, living the life of a strong mother. She hasn’t played any major roles for the past 20 years. Apart from that, she is still cast into roles that feature strong female characters and those that empower women.

2020 marked the 25th anniversary of Xena: Warrior Princess. It has been 25 years since it was released, and the fans still remember her for it. Furthermore, there were some rumors about celebrating the legacy of the show and how it changed and touched the lives of people all over the world.

Lucy Lawless – The Real-Life Wonder Woman

Lucy Lawless is not only an amazing actress but is a role model for pushing the gender norms and supporting women empowerment. Moreover, she is not only a feminist but also a vigilant activist who cares about the environment.

Lucy is a compassionate person who tries to help people through charity work and is genuinely one of the most inspiring personalities today.