Renee O'Connor

Evelyn Renee O'Connor (credited as Renee O'Connor) is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Gabrielle on Xena: Warrior Princess.

Biography
O'Connor was born in Houston, Texas, on February 15, 1971. Her parents were Walter and Sandra, and she has an older brother named Chris. Sandra O'Connor later remarried to a man named Eddie Wilson for unknown reasons. She was raised in Katy, a Houston suburb, and attended Taylor High School. She then left to attend the Houston High School of Visual and Performing Arts, but later transferred back to Taylor High in order to graduate with her friends. Starting at the age of sixteen, O'Connor made appearances in commercials, including one for McDonalds. She began a professional film career at seventeen, starring in the series Teen Angel.

Early in her acting career, O'Connor appeared in Night Game and did some work for The All New Mickey Mouse Club in 1989. She also made guest-star appearances on TV shows like NYPD Blue, before starring in the made-for-TV movie Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Hercules and the Lost Kingdom. This role caught the attention of executive producers Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert, who cast her in the 1994 film Darkman II: The Return of Durant. Soon after, the sister show of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Hercules and the Lost Kingdom, titled Xena: Warrior Princess, was launched, and O'Connor was cast in her best-known role as Gabrielle, Xena's trusty sidekick.

In her personal life, Renée resided in Auckland, New Zealand (where Xena: Warrior Princess was filmed), until 2001. She was married to restaurant owner Steve Muir in October 2000, in Austin, Texas, and they had a son named Miles. However, after the conclusion of Xena: Warrior Princess, O'Connor returned to Texas and divorced Muir. In 2005, she had a daughter, Iris, with her new boyfriend, fellow actor Jed Sura. She also founded her own film production company, ROC Pictures. Her first independent production under the company is the romantic-comedy film Diamonds and Guns, which was released on DVD in January 2008. She then wrote, directed, and produced the award-winning short film Words Unspoken two years later.

On Criminal Minds
O'Connor portrayed Pam Baleman, the mother of a fire victim and the husband of a murder victim, in the Season Three episode A Higher Power.

Filmography

 * The Usual (2015) as Mrs. Ford (short)
 * Last Chance (2015) as Carrie
 * Beyond the Farthest Star (2015) as Maureen Wells
 * Infinity (2011) as Elizabeth (short)
 * Deadrise (2011) as Paula
 * 2010: Moby Dick (2010) as Dr. Michelle Herman (video)
 * Ark (2010) as Connie Miller (9 episodes)
 * Words Unspoken (2010) as Sue (short)
 * Bitch Slap (2009) as Sister Batril
 * Monster Ark (2008) as Dr. Ava Greenway
 * Diamonds and Guns (2008) as Ashley
 * Criminal Minds - A Higher Power (2008) TV episode - Pam Baleman
 * Boogeyman 2 (2007) as Dr. Jessica Ryan (credited as Reneé O'Connor)
 * Ghost Town: The Movie (2007) as Little Jack
 * Alien Apocalypse (2005) as Kelly
 * One Weekend a Month (2004) as Meg McDermott (short)
 * Mataku (2002) as American Buyer
 * Xena: Warrior Princess - A Friend in Need (The Director's Cut) (2002) as Gabrielle (video)
 * Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001) as Gabrielle/Various Other Characters (134 episodes)
 * Accidents Don't Happen (2001) as Ashton
 * Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1997-1999) as Gabrielle/Sunny Day/The Executioner (4 episodes)
 * Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998) as Gabrielle (video, voice)
 * Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen (1997) as Gabrielle (short)
 * Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1995) as Laurie Brinkman (video)
 * The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise (1995) as Laura Sue Dean
 * Follow the River (1995) as Bettie Draper
 * Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Hercules and the Lost Kingdom (1994) as Deianeira
 * NYPD Blue (1993) as Rebecca Sloane
 * The Flood: Who Will Save Our Children? (1993) as Leslie
 * The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) as Julia Wilks
 * Sworn to Vengeance (1993) as Unknown Character
 * FBI: The Untold Stories (1992) as Ofc. Renee Lanot/Tina Marie Risico (3 episodes)
 * Stone Cold (1991) as Tinselteeth
 * Changes (1991) as Jessica Adams
 * ABC Afterschool Specials (1991) as Linda
 * False Identity (1990) as Angela Errickson
 * Tales from the Crypt (1990) as Waitress (scenes deleted)
 * Black Snow (1990) as Jennifer Winslow
 * Teen Angel (1989) as Nancy Nichols
 * Night Game (1989) as Lorraine Beasley
 * Match Point (1989) as Robin

PRODUCER

 * The Usual (2016) - Executive Producer (short)
 * Last Chance (2015) - Executive Producer
 * Stranded from an Island (2013) - Executive Producer (short)
 * Infinity (2011) - Producer (short)
 * Words Unspoken (2010) - Executive Producer/Producer (short)
 * Diamonds and Guns (2008) - Executive Producer/Producer

DIRECTOR

 * Broken Things (2014)
 * Are You Kidding Me (2011)
 * Words Unspoken (2010) (short)
 * Diamonds and Guns (2008) - Co-Director/Second Unit Co-Director
 * Xena: Warrior Princess (1999-2001) - 2 episodes

WRITER

 * Words Unspoken (2010) (short)

EDITOR

 * Stranded from an Island (2013) - Assistant Editor (short)

LINKS
For an up-to-date filmography, see here.