Renee O’Connor was born on February 15, 1971 in Katy, Texas.
She is the second child of Walter and Sandra O’Connor. She has an older brother named Chris.
Renee’s first acting experience came when she was eight years old with a traveling acting troupe called “Theatre on Wheels”. She auditioned for, and got, the part of a caterpillar.
At the age of 12, she enrolled at the Houston Alley Theater of Acting, determined to make acting her career. From there she entered Taylor High School but at the age of 16 she transferred to Houston’s High School for Performing and Visual Arts.
In 1988 she began getting paying acting jobs. She appeared in commercials for McDonalds and Exxon. She began filming an episode titled “Teen Angel” for the Mickey Mouse Club Series on Disney at the age of 17.
In late 1989 she left Texas to move to Los Angeles, California and gained her first real big break – an episode (“The Switch”) of Tales From The Crypt directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Renee’s stepdad owns Threadgill’s Restaurant in Austin, Texas.
In 1994 Renee’s acting career would change forever. She was discovered by Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert and cast in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom in the role of Deianeira.
She was called her back yet again to audition for the role of a side-kick by the name of Gabrielle for the new television show they were about to launch.
On September 4, 1995 Sins of the Past aired and Xena: Warrior Princess the television show was born and become a cult hit.
On September 27, 1997 season three of Xena: Warrior Princess premiered with The Furies. On October 5, 1997 Renee appeared at her first convention in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
In the Fall of 2000 Renee married long-time boyfriend, Steve Muir in Austin, TX. The wedding was kept under wraps, and no media was present. Though she didn’t adopt his last name as her screen name, It’s uncertain if she changed it legally.
In March 2001 Renee announced she was pregnant.
On September 22, 2001 Reneé and then-husband Steve Muir welcomed their first child, a son, Miles William Muir into their family. He weighed in at 8lbs, 8oz.
During the summer of 2002 Renee moved from her home in Auckland, NZ to Northern California to take part in Shakespeare By the Sea’s production of Macbeth, playing Lady Macbeth.
Read Whoosh’s 7/06/02 interview with Renee about her Lady Macbeth role.
In March of 2006, Renee and her partner Jed Sura welcomed a daughter, Iris Sura O’Connor.
When Xena ended, Renee founded ROC Productions.
Name: Evelyn Renee O’Connor
DOB: February 15th, 1971
Birth Place: Houston, TX
Raised: Katy, TX
Gender: F
Height: 5’4?
Eyes: Green
Hair Color: Blond
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