Birth Name: Kevin Tod Smith
Born: March 16, 1963
Birth Place: New Zealand
Nationality: New Zealander
Bio:
Swarthy, hunky New Zealander whose smoldering looks have helped make him a convincing villain in several little-known features and on New Zealand TV. Since his screenwriting debut, 1986's straight-to-video production "Dangerous Orphans", Smith played a nasty boy on the New Zealand soap "Marlin Bay", and appeared in small roles in "Au Pair" (1991) and "Mon Desir" (1992). Smith made his feature lead debut with "Desperate Remedies" (1994), a take-off of 1940s melodramas and jingoistic historical epics, as an Adonis-for-hire who also happens to be a sweet-natured romantic.
Background: Kevin Smith has won international recognition and fan fame for his portrayal of Ares, the malevolent god of war, in the hit syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. This season, he will also star as Ares in Young Hercules, the new action-adventure spin-off series.
One of New Zealand's most popular and accomplished actors, Smith has amassed an impressive list of credits in film, theater and television. He has enjoyed starring roles in such hit series as TV New Zealand's Gloss, Marlin Bay and Shortland Street and has performed in dozens of stage productions ranging from Othello to A Streetcar Named Desire, Cabaret, Glengarry Glen Ross and Into the Woods. His feature film credits include the stylistic turn-of-the century drama Desperate Remedies, which earned international attention at Cannes and other European film festivals.
Kevin has also played in a number of alternative rock bands in New Zealand and he is currently one of the lead singers of The Wide Lapels, a local band which has 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.
Born in Auckland, where he spent his early childhood, Kevin moved with his family 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 to pay the rent 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.
At 24, Kevin was tapped by Christchurch's Court Theater to become the company's new young leading man and he spent the next three years performing on stage. While starring as Stanley in the company's production of A Streetcar Named Desire, he auditioned for the producers of New Zealand's hit primetime soap opera Gloss, won the role of handsome scoundrel Demian Vermeer and moved to Auckland to star in the series' final season. Next he was cast as the "archetypal Kiwi bloke" on the sketch comedy series Away Laughing.
Smith went on to perform in the Mercury Theatre productions of Let's Do It, Rose Tattoo, Ladies Night and Fallen Angels before starring as another bad boy in the primetime drama Marlin Bay. His role on the show lasted two seasons and earned him a 1995 New Zealand Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. Since then, he has recurred as Ares in more than two dozen episodes of Hercules and Xena. He has also made several appearances in Hercules as the demigod's mortal half-brother, Iphicles.
He has played in a number of alternative rock bands in New Zealand and he is currently one of the lead singers of The Wide Lapels, a local band which has inspired rave reviews and a devoted following for its camp renderings of the worst songs of the '70s -- songs like Take a Letter, Kung Fu Fighting, 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 currently make their home in Auckland, where Kev says Sue is in charge, and does most of the handy work. They have three boys Oscar, Tyrone and Willard. The youngest of which recently climbed up a ladder and onto the roof where Sue was working, while Kevin was, you guessed it, watching an All-Blacks game on TV.
