Lived In: New Zealand (Kevin passed away Feb. 16, 2002 in Beijing, China)
Career: Desperate Remedies
Television:
Xena: Warrior Princess ~ Ares, The god of war
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys ~ Ares, the god of war
He was born in Auckland, New Zealand and spent his early childhood there. His family moved to the small rural town of Timaru on 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 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. He has played in a number of alternative rock bands in New Zealand and he was 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. Kevin and his wife Sue currently made their home in Auckland and are the proud parents of three boys Oscar, Tyrone and Willard.
Kevin died in Beijing, China after suffering a severe head injury in a fall. He had just finished work on "Warriors of Virtue II" (2002) (V) at Beijing Film Studio. Kevin was eager to work on the film because of the opportunity to work with a stuntman from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000). Kevin was injured on February 6, 2002, the day after he had finished work on the film. Some sources have said that he fell from a height possibly as great as six stories. His injuries were critical and he was put on life support. He passed away 10 days later in his sleep. His wife Suzanne and parents, Geoff and Yvonne were with him. At the time of his death, he left 3 young sons: Oscar, 11, Tyrone, 9, and Willard, 3. In March 2002 he was due to begin filming in Hawaii for the action film "Man of War" starring Bruce Willis. This would have been his first role in a major blockbuster and could have finally put him on the US movie map. Kevin was an extremely popular attraction at numerous Xena/Hercules conventions in the US. He was extremely talented and an accomplished singer and musician, but even bigger than his talent was his heart.
Ares
The myth - Ares, son of Zeus, king of the gods, and his wife, Hera, queen of the gods, was the Olympian god of war. The Romans identified Ares with Mars, also a god of war. Aggressive and blood thirsty, Ares personified the brutal nature of war. He was unpopular with both gods and humans. Among the deities associated with Ares were his consort, Aphrodite, goddess of love and sex, and such minor deities as Deimos (Fear) and Phobos (Rout), who accompanied him in battle. Although fierce and warlike, Ares was not invincible, even against mortals.
The worship of Ares, believed to have originated in Thrace, was not extensive in ancient Greece, and where it existed, it lacked social or moral significance. Ares was an ancestral deity of Thebes and had a temple in Athens, at the foot of the Areopagus, or "Hill of Ares."
The character - Ares has been instrumental in the course of Xena's destiny since her exile from her hometown of Amphipolis. It was with Ares' help that Xena became the lethal force that she was when she was first introduced to us as the Warrior Princess.
As selfish and self-centered as Ares is, and always has been, Xena remains his one true weakness. Since Xena's emancipation from him, he has never let her out of his sight. It has always been Ares' hope that Xena would rejoin him to become the Warrior Queen he so wants her to be. Even in her quest for redemption, Ares is still fascinated and captivated by the Warrior Princess and will take any opportunity to be with her, even if it means siding with her against the Olympians (happens in season 5).
