Biography
Evelyn Renée O'Connor is her full name and she is an American actress, producer and director best known for playing the role of Gabrielle on the TV series Xena: Warrior Princess from 1995 to 2001.
Renée O'Connor born on February 15, 1971 in Katy, Texas. At age twelve, she began studying acting at Houston's Alley Theatre, and later attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. She transferred back to Taylor High School to graduate with her friends. Renée appeared in commercials, including one for McDonalds, a feature film called Night Game (1989), and some work for the Mickey Mouse Club in 1989. She also made guest appearances on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, before starring as Deineira in the Hercules TV movie "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom". She caught the eyes of executive producers Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert, who cast Renée in the 1994 film Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995) (V). Soon after, Hercules' sister show, "Xena: Warrior Princess" (1995) was launched, and Renée was cast as Gabrielle, Xena's trusty sidekick.
Until 2001, Renée resided in Auckland, New Zealand, where Xena was filmed. She was married to restaurant owner Steve Muir (a kiwi, or New Zealander) in October 2000, in Austin, Texas, and they had a son. However, after the series ended, Renée returned to Texas and was divorced from Steve. In 2005, she had a baby girl with her new boyfriend, actor Jed Sura.O'Connor is an accomplished artist, with a showing at the Submerged Art Gallery in Los Angeles, June 2005. She is also proficient in several forms of martial arts; at the black belt level of Taekwondo, experienced in Shinkendo, and has been trained to use the Karate Bō Staff, the Nunchaku, the Sai, and the Japanese Kumori Katana