Kevin Sorbo
 |
Kevin Sorbo | |
|---|---|
 Sorbo at GateCon in 2013 | |
| Born | Kevin David Sorbo September 24, 1958 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Spouse | Sam Jenkins (1998–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | www |
Kevin David Sorbo[1] (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor best known for the roles of Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda and Kull in Kull the Conqueror.
Early life
Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, where he attended Mound Westonka High School. He is the son of Ardis, a nurse, and Lynn Sorbo, a junior high school mathematics and biology teacher.[1] His father is of Norwegian descent, while his mother has English, German and Scottish ancestry.[2][3][4] He was raised in a Lutheran family. Sorbo attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he double majored in marketing and advertising. In order to make tuition, he began to work as a model for print and television advertising in the 1980s.
Career
Sorbo started his acting career in 1986 making guest appearances in several television series such as 1st & Ten, Murder She Wrote and The Commish.
In 1994, he shot to fame when he played the role of Hercules in the television film Hercules and the Amazon Women. This was the first in a series of television films that served as pilots for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which ran from 1995 to 1999. He also directed a few episodes of the series. At the same time, Sorbo also guest-starred as Hercules in episodes of the 1995–2001 spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess and provided the voice of Hercules in the 1998 direct-to-video animated film Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus.
Other voice-over work followed, with Sorbo providing the voices of Reiko and Quan Chi in the 1997 video game Mortal Kombat 4. In between the years playing Hercules, he played his first leading film role in Kull the Conqueror (1997).
After Hercules came to an end, Sorbo played the starring role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the science-fiction drama series Andromeda from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, he played a recurring role on the final season of The O.C. and guest-starred in the sitcom Two and a Half Men. In 2007, he starred in the direct-to-video film Walking Tall: The Payback, which was a sequel to the 2004 film Walking Tall. He reprised his role in the second sequel, Walking Tall: Lone Justice which released later that year. He also starred in the Lifetime Channel film Last Chance Café, the Hallmark Channel film Avenging Angel, co-starring his real life wife Sam Jenkins and guest starred as a bounty hunter in the season-two episode "Bounty Hunters!" of the series Psych. He appeared in the 2008 spoof film Meet the Spartans, which was a box office success[5] despite being universally negatively reviewed by critics.[6] He starred in the Albert Pyun directed SciFi Vampire flick Tales of the Ancient Empire.[7]
He served as Executive Producer and star of the movie Abel's Field in 2012.[8]
In 2012, Sorbo appeared in an episode of "Celebrity Ghost Stories" to recount an experience he had while in Minnesota shortly after he graduated from college. He and his girlfriend claimed to have seen the ghost of the "Bride of White Rock Lake" – a woman who supposedly died on her wedding day, murdered by a former lover.
Sorbo voiced one of the main protagonists, Prometheus, in the Wii video game The Conduit.
Sorbo returned to the role of Hercules in a more sinister portrayal, in the video game God of War III released for the PlayStation 3 in March 2010.
In July 2013, Sorbo, along with his wife, Sam, provided voice over for characters in the video game Cloudberry Kingdom'♙[9]
In an outtake clip from the Hercules TV series posted in 2010, Sorbo, portraying an evil Doppelgänger of his regular character, says "Wait a minute. This isn't my world. Disappointed!"[10] Due to the non-sequitur sound of the line, the scene was widely misinterpreted as Sorbo reading aloud the stage direction "disappointed". Sorbo explained in 2013 interview that "disappointed" did not appear in the script, but rather was him breaking character as an in-joke between him and the crew. He was referencing a scene from the film A Fish Called Wanda in which Otto (played by Kevin Kline) cracks a safe only to find it empty, and screams, "Disappointed!" at it in frustration.[11]
In the 2014 Christian drama film God's Not Dead, Sorbo starred as Professor Radisson, an atheist philosophy teacher who was a Christain before, but after his mother died lost interest in religion and became Atheist. He dies in the end after knowing Jesus as his Savior.
Personal life
On January 5, 1998, Sorbo married actress Sam Jenkins, whom he met the previous year when she had a guest role on Hercules. They have three children: Braedon Cooper (born 2001), Shane Haaken (born 2004), and Octavia Flynn (born 2005). Sorbo is the spokesman and chair of A World Fit for Kids! (AWFFK!), a non-profit organization that trains teenagers to become mentors to younger children.
In late 1997 while on a publicity tour for Kull the Conqueror and between the fourth and fifth seasons of Hercules, the newly engaged Sorbo experienced an aneurysm in his shoulder which caused three strokes.[12][13] As a result, he was weakened for the next several years, a condition kept secret from the public while he recovered. During the last two seasons of Hercules (the fifth and sixth, which aired in 1998 and 1999), Sorbo had a reduced filming schedule to accommodate his condition, and more guest stars were brought in to lighten the load.[14] The strokes, thought to be triggered when chiropractic manipulation of his shoulder released multiple blood clots from the aneurysm, left Sorbo with a permanent 10 percent vision loss, weakness, impaired balance, and migraines.[15] In his 2011 autobiography True Strength, Sorbo revealed the details of his injury and how his new wife Sam helped him recover.[16]
Sorbo is a Christian and considers himself politically independent.[17] He has expressed interest in the libertarian philosophy of agorism.[18]
Sorbo believes Hollywood has limited his career because of his conservative political and Christian views.[19]
Filmography
Actor
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Condition: Critical | Dr. Thaddeus Kocinski | |
| 1994 | Slaughter of the Innocents | John Willison | |
| Hercules and the Amazon Women | Hercules | ||
| Hercules and the Lost Kingdom | |||
| Hercules and the Circle of Fire | |||
| Hercules in the Underworld | |||
| Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur | |||
| 1995–1999 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | 111 episodes | |
| 1997 | Kull the Conqueror | Kull | |
| 1998 | Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus | Hercules | Voice only |
| 2000–2005 | Andromeda | Captain Dylan Hunt | 110 episodes |
| 2004 | Clipping Adam | Father Dan | |
| 2007 | Walking Tall: The Payback | Nick Prescott | |
| Walking Tall: Lone Justice | |||
| Something Beneath | Father Douglas Middleton | ||
| Avenging Angel | Preacher | ||
| Last Chance Café | Chance Coulter | ||
| 2008 | Meet the Spartans | Captain | |
| Prairie Fever | Preston Biggs | ||
| An American Carol | George Mulrooney | ||
| Never Cry Werewolf | Redd Tucker | ||
| 2009 | Tales of an Ancient Empire | Aedan | |
| What If... | Ben Walker | ||
| Fire From Below | Jake Denning | ||
| Bitch Slap | Mr. Phoenix | ||
| Paradox | Sean Nault | ||
| Lightning Strikes | Ted Bradly | ||
| Wolf Canyon | Rick / Sheriff Wolf | ||
| 2010 | Tales of an Ancient Empire | Aedan | |
| The Santa Suit | Drake Hunter / Santa Claus | ||
| Pool Boy: Drowning Out the Fury | Sal Bando | ||
| 2011 | Wog Boy 2: Kings of Mykonos | Pierluigi | |
| Soul Surfer | Holt Blanchard | ||
| 2012 | Christmas Angel | Dr. Nathan Davis | FDR: American Badass |
| Abel's Field | Abel, also Executive Producer | ||
| 2013 | Paranormal Movie | Security Guy | |
| Shadow on the Mesa | Ray Eastman | ||
| 2014 | Alongside Night | Dr. Martin Vreeland | |
| God's Not Dead | Professor Radison | ||
| The Extendables[20] |
Guest star
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 1st & Ten | Barry | "...The Clock Runs Out" |
| 1991 | Santa Barbara | Delivery man | |
| 1992 | Cheers | Uncredited | "License to Hill" |
| 1993 | Murder, She Wrote | Michael Burke | "A Virtual Murder" |
| The Commish | Mark | "Dying Affection" | |
| 1995 | Cybill | Rick | "The Last Temptation of Cybill" |
| Xena: Warrior Princess | Hercules | "Prometheus" | |
| 1996 | The Rosie O'Donnell Show | Himself | |
| 1998 | Sin City Spectacular | ||
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | |||
| Mad TV | |||
| 1999 | Just Shoot Me! | Scott | "An Axe to Grind" |
| 2000 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Hercules | "God Fearing Child" |
| Celebrity Profile | Himself | "Kevin Sorbo" | |
| The Howard Stern Radio Show | |||
| 2001 | Dharma & Greg | Charlie | "Educating Dharma: Part 1 & 2" |
| The Howard Stern Radio Show | Himself | ||
| Dharma & Greg | Charlie | "The End of the Innocence: Parts 1 & 2" | |
| The Big Breakfast | Himself | ||
| 2003 | According to Jim | Darryl Buckner | "The Pass" |
| 2004 | Hope & Faith | Kenny | "Mismatch" |
| Live with Regis and Kelly | Himself | ||
| 2005 | Love, Inc. | Father John | "Amen" |
| 2006 | Two and a Half Men | Andy | "Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Burro" |
| 2007 | The O.C. | Frank Atwood | "The Earth Girls Are Easy", "The My Two Dads", "The Groundhog Day", "The Case Of The Franks", "The Shake-Up", "The Night Moves", "The End's Not Near, It's Here" |
| Psych | Byrd Tatums | "Bounty Hunters!" | |
| 2008 | The Middleman | 1969 middleman / Guy Goddard | "The Obsolescent Cryogenic Meltdown" |
| 2009 | Gary Unmarried | Larry | "Seven" |
| 2010 | Super Hero Squad Show | Ka-Zar | Voice only |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Carlton Bass | "Ko'olauloa" | |
| 2011 | The Guild | Himself | "Social Traumas" |
| 2012 | Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | "The Wedding" |
Producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–2005 | Andromeda | Executive producer |
| 2009 | Wolf Canyon |
Director
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Conduit | Prometheus | Voice only |
| 2010 | God of War III | Hercules | Voice only |
| 2012 | Skylanders: Giants | Crusher | Voice only |
| 2013 | Cloudberry Kingdom | Bob | Voice Only |
References
- ^ a b "Kevin Sorbo Biography (1958–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ KSJAA
- ^ "Genealogies of Sorbo's maternal great-grandfather". Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ^ "Genealogies of Sorbo's maternal great-grandmother". Retrieved March 22, 2014.
- ^ "Weekend Box Office Chart for January 25th, 2008". The Numbers. January 25, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ "Meet the Spartans". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ Woman, The (March 26, 2010). "Pre-Order Tales of an Ancient Empire; Work-in-Progress Screengrab & Behind-the-Scenes Clip | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central". Dreadcentral.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ "Abel's Field with Kevin Sorbo and Samuel Davis an Inspiring Movie – Christian Activities". christianactivities.com. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
- ^ Conditt, Jessica (October 3, 2012). "Kevin Sorbo, Sam Sorbo, Martin Olson star in Cloudberry Kingdom". Joystiq. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
- ^ "Hercules – 'Disappointed'". YouTube. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Kevin Sorbo explains "disappointed" Meaning – YouTube". Retrieved 26 July 2013.
- ^ "Hercules Actor Kevin Sorbo's Miracle Healing – CBN TV – Video". Cbn.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ Gostin, Nicki (October 19, 2011). "Kevin Sorbo's 'True Strength': 'Hercules' Star Says Strokes Were Blessings In Disguise". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ Hammel, Sara. "Hercules Star Kevin Sorbo Reveals He's Had Several Strokes". People.com. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ^ Symons, Jane (February 28, 2012). "Kevin Sorbo: Three strokes left me fighting for my life". Daily Express. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
- ^ "True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal--and How Nearly Dying Saved My Life". Da Capo Press. October 11, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
- ^ Hallowell, Billy (February 6, 2013). "Hercules' Actor Kevin Sorbo Bashes Hollywood's Liberal Hypocrisy and Rips Obama: 'One of the Worst Records' in American History". TheBlaze.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- ^ Circle, Silver (December 10, 2012). "Kevin Sorbo talks about ending the printing press and Learning about Agorism". silverunderground.com. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Kevin Sorbo: Why is Hollywood so afraid of God?". Fox News. 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2014-06-02.
- ^ THE EXTENDABLES Trailer
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1958 births
- Living people
- American Christians
- American Lutherans
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American memoirists
- American people of English descent
- American people of German descent
- American people of Norwegian descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American television directors
- Male actors from Minnesota
- Male Western (genre) film actors
- Minnesota State University Moorhead alumni
- People from Hennepin County, Minnesota
- 21st-century American male actors
- 20th-century American male actors