Daring, noble, invincible Xena "Warrior Princess" has become the image of a strong woman for a whole generation. And this incredible image was embodied on the screen by New Zealand actress, model and singer Lucy Lawless.
Biography and personal life
The Ryan family, living in the New Zealand town of Mount Albert, had six children, four older sons and two girls, one of whom, born at the end of March 1968, was named Lucy. Since childhood, my daughter has been a real bully, not afraid of anything in the world and constantly getting into various adventures with her pugnacious older brothers.
The children grew up in the mine, and Lucy made maps of the mines, scampering through ravines, falling from rocks, jumping over venomous snakes. The girl was educated at a church school at a local monastery, and at the age of 17 she went to study at the University of Auckland. Parents dreamed of seeing their daughter, gifted with a beautiful voice and perfect hearing, an opera singer, but Lucy was always wayward.
At the university, she met her future husband, Garth Lawless, who suggested that the chosen one quit her studies and go to travel the world. The idea delighted Lucy, and they went on a trip to Europe, interrupted by odd jobs, even reached America. Returning home in 1988, the lovers got married, and soon the Lawless had a daughter, Daisy.
In 1996, Lucy divorced Garth and moved to the United States, and in 1998 she married the producer of Xena, a year later giving birth to his son Julius, and in 2002 the couple had a second child, Jude's son.
Career
After the birth of her daughter, Lucy decided to win a beauty pageant and succeeded, becoming Miss New Zealand in 1989. After that, offers from advertising campaigns fell on the future warrior queen. Shooting in commercials allowed her to get a role in a small comedy show.
Soon, gaining a foothold in television, Lucy became the host of the travel program "Travel Magazine", in which she was greatly helped by the experience of traveling in Europe. When the American television company began filming the series "The Amazing Journeys of Hercules" in New Zealand, Lucy was invited to play the role of the villain, with whom she successfully coped, while not having any acting education.
The audience greeted Lucy so enthusiastically that the executive producer of "Hercules" Robert Tapert, already in love with Lucy, conceived a new project, especially for the new actress. Thus was born "Xena", in which Lucy unfolded in all the splendor of her eccentric character and talents.
She had to sing, dance, learn horseback riding, hand-to-hand combat skills, and learn sword fights. And all this delighted her, and at the same time delighted the audience. Lucy almost never used the help of stuntmen, performing all the stunts on her own.
Modern period
After the 2000s, Lucy appears only in episodic roles in various films and TV series, acts as a presenter on the Discovery Channel, participates in various shows and ceremonies, voices cartoons, is an active participant in Greenpeace and misses the old days, when she was a real "Warrior Princess"
Recently, the 50-year-old actress radically changed her appearance, becoming a pretty blonde, and Xena's fans unanimously condemned these changes, although the star looks pretty good for her age.
