Celebrity Birthday: Lucy Lawless - 55

 

Actress Lucy Lawless celebrates her birthday today, turning 55 years old. Although she has been acting since 1987 and has a long list of credits to her name, she’s more widely known for her roles in the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres. As we celebrate Lucy’s birthday, a look at some of her most memorable roles reveals why she has become such an iconic figure and an idol to horror, sci-fi, and fantasy fans throughout the world.

Greek Mythology Opens Up a Savage New World to Lucy Lawless

Starting with a guest spot on Funny Business in 1989, Ms. Lawless started her acting career with several bit parts and smaller roles. Mostly, these roles consisted of family dramas and children’s TV shows, such as The New Adventures of the Black Stallion (1993). She also appeared in her first horror-related role, acting in an episode of The Ray Bradbury Theater in 1992.

Lucy had her big break when creator Sam Raimi discovered her and cast her in a recurring role in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995-1998). The first episode to feature Lawless as Xena aired on February 20, 1995. By September of that same year, Raimi was impressed enough with Lucy’s passion and talent that he created a spinoff series for her. Xena: Warrior Princess launched on September 4, 1995 and lasted for six seasons, matching the entire run of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Additionally, Lucy Lawless reprised her Xena role in the following limited TV events:

Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994)

Hercules & Xena: Wizards of the Screen (1997)

Hercules & Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998)

Xena: Warrior Princess - A Friend in Need (2002)

Lucy Lawless Pops Up in Unexpected Places

Fans of Lucy Lawless have probably seen more of her than they realize through the years following the Xena: Warrior Princess series finale. For example, listen for her voice on the high school PA system in Ginger Snaps (2000). She also played Shannon McMahon in the 2-part season 9 opener for The X-Files entitled Nothing Important Happened Today Parts 1 and 2. You can also see Lawless playing a punk rock girl in Spider-Man (2002).

Other roles for Lucy in the early 2000s include playing Madame Vandersexxx in 2004’s EuroTrip, Tim’s mother in Boogeyman (2005), and Agent Morris in Veronica Mars (2006).

Lucy Takes on Sci-Fi in Battlestar Galactica

Ms. Lawless earned another recurring role in 2005, playing D’Anna Biers (aka Number 3) in the rebooted series, Battlestar Galactica. D’Anna Biers  was a cylon with a strong curiosity about religion and human spirituality. Most of her actions were motivated by that curiosity. While most of Lawless’ appearances are found in season 3, she guest starred in two episodes of BSG season 2 and three episodes in season 3.

Lucy returned to her roots in the fantasy genre when she played Lucretia in the TV series Spartacus (2010-2012). She would reprise that role for a miniseries in 2011, entitled Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.

Lucy Lawless Takes on the Witch Trials

Another event that stands out for many of Lucy’s horror fans is her recurring role in Salem, which gave a grim and macabre account of the Salem Witch Trials. Although the series launched in 2014, Lucy didn’t join the show until its second season in 2015. Her 15 episode character arc would get spread out across several seasons, keeping her involved in the series until its final season.

Lawless played Countess Marburg, an aristocrat and a primordial witch who rose up through the ranks to become a respected and feared matriarch. She became a foe to the show’s main character Mary Sibley, played by Janet Montgomery.

One interaction between the two adversaries portrays the contempt they had for one another:

Countess Marburg: Men long for the freedom of their chains. To them, slavery is freedom!

Mary Sibley: You are no better than the ones I sought to destroy.

Sam Raimi Reunites Lucy Lawless and Bruce Campbell

Long-time fans of Lucy Lawless will remember that Bruce Campbell appeared on Xena: Warrior Princess in several episodes. Since creator Sam Raimi was also behind the Showtime series, Ash vs Evil Dead, it’s not surprising he would cast the two actors together again. That opportunity came when Raimi started casting for Ash vs Evil Dead for the 2015 premiere of the series.

This time, Lawless and Campbell portrayed opposing forces in the fight between good and evil. While Campbell reprised his role as Ash Williams from the Evil Dead trilogy, an entirely new character was created for Lawless. She played Ruby Knowby, the mother of the damned and author of the Necronomicon. Eventually, she would switch sides and help Ash in his crusade.

What’s Next for Lucy Lawless?

Since Ash vs Evil Dead ended in 2018, Lucy has kept busy with a number of projects. She lent her voice to the animated features Mosley (2019), Star Wars Resistance (2020), and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022).

While Lucy hasn’t shared any verifiable future projects with her fans, she has been enjoying her time playing the part of a private detective. In My Life is Murder, Lucy plays Alexa Crowe, a private investigator who tries to balance work and family with comedic results. The series finished up its third season in October 2022. Fans of the series are still waiting to find out if the show will get a fourth season.