Kevin Tod Smith is best known as Ares, the Greek God of War in the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.
Born in Auckland in 1963, Kevin grew up in Timaru from age eleven. He began his theatrical career there in the Timaru Boys’ High School drama club. This was not his only interest, however. Kevin played rugby at a competitive level. He also succeeded as painter and musician.
After enrolling in Canterbury University, Kevin continued to play in bands as well as seriously playing sports. It was after he suffered a concussion playing university rugby that his wife Suzanne signed him up for an audition in the touring company of the Elvis Presley tribute show, Are You Lonesome Tonight. He got the role. Soon Kevin was on his way as an actor. In Christchurch he co-founded the theatre sports group Scared Scriptless, while on television he portrayed the rogue returning character Damian Vermeer on NZ’s primetime soap opera, Gloss.
Future credits included Desperate Remedies and Marlin Bay. For the latter, Kevin won the New Zealand Film and Television Best Supporting Actor award in 1995. It was in the same year that he began appearing in Hercules, to be followed by Xena: Warrior Princess.
Kevin’s life was cut short early in 2002 following an accident while filming a martial arts scene in China.
A TRIBUTE FROM ACTOR MICHAEL HURST
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Kevin Todd SMITH
Died 2002
Block B, Row 02, Plot 30E