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Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Biographical Information
Real Name: Kevin Tod Smith
Born: March 16, 1963
Died: February 15, 2002
Age: 38
Height: 6'2 ½
Originally From: Auckland, New Zealand
Wife: Suzanne
Family: 3 children
Status: Deceased
Personal Information
Known For: Xena: Warrior Princess
Portrays: Ares, God of War
GALLERY


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Kevin Smith (March 16, 1963) was a New Zealand actor. He portrayed Ares, God of War on Xena: Warrior Princess.

Life & Career[]

He was born in Auckland, New Zealand and spent his early childhood there. His family moved to the small rural town of Timaru in New Zealand's South Island when he was 11. During high school, he began playing in rock-and-roll bands, but never aspired to a career as an actor. He had a passion for rugby and his dream was to play for the All Blacks, New Zealand's world-famous rugby team. At 17, Smith moved to Christchurch and worked at various jobs before enrolling in Canterbury University at the age of 20. He married his childhood sweetheart, Sue, and stumbled into acting literally by accident when he suffered a concussion playing college rugby in 1987. He was forced to sit on the sidelines for nearly three weeks and during that period, Sue saw a casting call ad for the touring company of Are You Lonesome Tonight, the musical tribute to Elvis Presley, and signed Kevin up for an audition. He landed the part of one of the bodyguards and was understudy to the lead. He played in a number of alternative rock bands in New Zealand, including being one of the lead singers of The Wide Lapels, a local band which inspired rave reviews and a devoted following for its camp renderings of the worst songs of the '70s -- songs like Take a Letter, Maria, Tell Laura I Love Her and Billy, Don't be a Hero -- which qualify for the group's repertoire on the basis of having bad lyrics that don't get better with time. Kevin and his wife Sue resided in Auckland. They had three sons together: Oscar, Tyrone and Willard.

Kevin died in Beijing, China after suffering a severe head injury in a fall. He had just finished work on Warriors of Virtue 2: Return to Tao (2002) at Beijing Film Studio. Kevin was eager to work on the film because of the opportunity to work with a stuntman from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) (a.k.a. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"). Kevin was injured on February 6, 2002, the day after he had finished work on the film. Some sources have said that he fell from a height possibly as great as six storeys. His injuries were critical and he was put on life-support. He passed away 10 days later in his sleep. His wife Suzanne, and parents Geoff and Yvonne were with him. At the time of his death, he left 3 sons: Oscar, 11, Tyrone, 9, and Willard, 3. In March 2002 he was due to begin filming in Hawaii for the action film Tears of the Sun (2003) (which at the time was known as "Man of War") starring Bruce Willis. This would have been his first role in a major Hollywood film and could have finally put him on the US movie map. Kevin was an extremely popular attraction at numerous Xena/Hercules conventions in the US. He was extremely talented and an accomplished singer and musician.

Notes[]

  • From 1998 to 1999, he played the same recurring character, Ares, God of War, on three different series simultaneously: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995), Xena: Warrior Princess (1995) and Young Hercules (1998)
  • Married for 16 years.

Filmography[]

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1986 Screamtime Shop Owner Movie
1991 Deadly Jerry Movie
1991 My Daughter's Keeper Claude Pereira Movie
1993 Desperate Remedies Lawrence Hayes Movie
1994 Heartland Shorty Carmichael 5 Episodes
1995-1999 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Ares, God of War 23 Episodes
1995-2001 Xena: Warrior Princess Ares, God of War 31 episodes
1996 City Life Damon South 2 Episodes
1998 Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie Ares, God of War Movie
1998-1999 Young Hercules Ares, God of War Video
1997 Wildside Lenny Maddox 4 Episodes
1998 Young Hercules Ares, God of War 16 Episodes
1999 Lawless John Lawless TV Movie
2000 Channelling Baby Geoff Movie
2000 Jubilee Max Seddon Movie
2001 Lawless: Beyond Justice John Lawless TV Movie
2001 Lawless: Dead Evidence John Lawless TV Movie
2002 Warriors of Virtue 2: Return to Tao Dogon Movie

Videos[]

Clip_from_ET_when_Kevin_died

Clip from ET when Kevin died

Kevin_Smith_Interview

Kevin Smith Interview

On_The_Set_Of_The_100TH_Episode_Xena

On The Set Of The 100TH Episode Xena

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