“Xena is the Queen of Warriors” is a series through which viewers learned about the existence of such a wonderful actor from New Zealand as Smith Kevin. The god of war Ares, whom the young man played for several years, became one of the most prominent characters in the popular show. Unfortunately, the star's life was cut short at 38 years old as a result of a tragic accident. What is known about Smith's childhood, family, and career achievements?
Smith Kevin: childhood
The birthplace of the future "god Ares" was Auckland, where he was born in 1963. Smith Kevin spent the first eleven years of his life in this village, then his parents took the boy to Timara. In school, the child developed an interest in the theater, which prompted him, in addition to classes, to attend a theater group. It is known that teachers highly appreciated the artistry of the future star, the ability to transform.
Smith Kevin was interested not only in theater, although playing in school plays remained his main passion. Rock music was also close to the guy, which prompted him to create a group whose other members were his friends. Interestingly, the musical group managed to record several albums. In the future, the actor happened to be a member of several other rock groups.
Smith Kevin during his school years showed interest in sports, devoting enough time to playing rugby, bearing plans to do this professionally. Unfortunately, his sports career ended before he could start, the fault of which was already injured while studying at the university.
Adolescence
Kevin Tod Smith is a man who had to grow up early. Immediately after leaving school (in 1980), he left the city where his parents lived, moving to Christchurch. He managed to become a university student only after three years, before that the young man earned a living working as a laborer, courier, promoter. Interestingly, an acting career in those years was not his goal, despite his passion for theater.
The actor was 23 years old when he decided to marry (in 1986). His chosen one was the girl Sue, with whom the guy had been familiar since childhood. The marriage turned out to be happy for Kevin, judging by how much time he devoted to his family. Subsequently, the couple had three children, all turned out to be boys.
Fatal injury
Kevin Smith is an actor who fell into the world of cinema by accident. Leaving the sport with which he planned to connect his life, the young man was forced by a serious head injury. The accident occurred in 1987, during one of the university matches, when the future “god Ares” played rugby. The injury not only forced the young man to stop seeing himself as an athlete, he also had to observe bed rest for some time.
Spouse Sue was convinced that acting talent would help her husband make a name for himself in the theater world. It was thanks to her intervention that Kevin Smith, whose filmography includes about 30 paintings, was on the first samples in his life. Actors were required for a new musical dedicated to the life path of the great Elvis Presley. His wife recorded Kevin for an audition because he liked to perform his songs. Remembering the past hobby for the scene, the young man agreed.
First successes
Kevin Smith is an actor who did not have to make every effort to search for roles. The passage of the first samples in 1987 turned out for him to receive the role of a bodyguard. Unfortunately, the musical did not win popularity among the audience, the troupe even had to stop the tour prematurely. However, the decision to become actor Smith had already been made by then.
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The next three years, Kevin played in a local theater, until he starred in 1990 in the New Zealand telenovela "Shine", which had a good rating. His role was hardly remembered by the public, but after her proposals for filming a movie and TV shows began to pour in on the aspiring actor one after another. At first, his characters were mostly passing heroes, for example, in the TV series “Gloss”. This was followed by a fairly prominent role in the dramatic television project “Marlene Bay,” in which he played for two seasons. Fans can also watch with the participation of the star the picture "Desperate Measures", taken in 1993.
The brightest roles
Kevin Smith, films with whose participation began to be very popular after his filming in Xena, almost rejected his chance. Initially, the actor received an offer to play Heracles in the telenovela, dedicated to this mythical character. The New Zealander refused the role, considering it too frivolous for himself. Nevertheless, he did not object to the role of the brother of the immortal hero named Iphicl.
“Xena is the Queen of Warriors” is a series in which Smith nevertheless began acting in 1995, agreeing to embody the image of the god Ares. He played the same character in "The Amazing Wanderings of Hercules." Since then, the rising star began to be recognized on the streets, crowds of fans appeared at Kevin. Filmed with his participation and such telenovelas as "Youth of Hercules", "Youth of Hercules" and other paintings related to the history of the ancient Greek gods.
Premature death
Among the actors who did not have time to fully use their creativity, of course, belongs to Kevin Smith. Films, which could be the main achievement of his filmography, may not have taken place. The accident, which cost the New Zealander life, occurred when he starred in the film "Valiant Warriors 2: Return to Tao." After an accidental fall from a great height, the actor spent several days in a coma, then died without ever leaving it.