Xena is a fictional character from the Xena: Warrior Princess franchise, portrayed by New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless and co-created by Robert Tapert and John Schulian. She first appeared as a villain in the 1995–1999 television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys before joining forces with Hercules. Xena was popular with fans, so the producers decided to create a spin-off with the character in the starring role. She later appeared in the subsequent comic book of the same name, as well as the spin-off animated film The Battle for Mount Olympus, and non-canon expanded universe material, such as books and video games.
Xena: Warrior Princess is an American fantasy television series filmed in New Zealand, which aired in first-run syndication from September 4, 1995, to June 23, 2001.
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is an American fantasy television series filmed in New Zealand, based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles. Starring Kevin Sorbo as Hercules and Michael Hurst as Iolaus, it was produced from January 16, 1995, to November 22, 1999. It ran for six seasons, producing action figures and other memorabilia as it became one of the highest-rated syndicated television shows in the world at that time. It has aired on Once Channel, Sky1, five/5, Heroes & Icons, and Horror.
Kevin David Sorbo is an American actor. He has had starring roles in two television series: as Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–1999) and as Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda (2000–2005). In between his years playing Hercules, Sorbo played his first leading film role in the 1997 fantasy film Kull the Conqueror.
Lucille Frances Lawless is a New Zealand actress. She is best known for her roles as Xena in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, as D'Anna Biers on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica series, and Lucretia in the television series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and associated series. Since 2019, she has starred as Alexa in the television series My Life Is Murder.
Sister shows, also known as companion series, are two or more television series which exist in the same fictional universe and which may have crossovers. They differ to a degree from spin-offs, in that they are established independently from one another. The popularity of most series is limited to a few seasons, and sister shows allow expanding the immediate audience and ratings share. This is accomplished by using mostly different actors and production facilities. Sister shows often shift styles or target audience slightly, for a larger overall market. Thus The Beverly Hillbillies emphasizes slapstick, while Green Acres emphasizes surreal humor.
Heidi Hudson Leick is an American former actress, known for her role as villainess Callisto in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004, and ended on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons. The series was created and largely written by Doug Ellin and chronicles the acting career of Vincent Chase, a young A-list movie star, and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City, as they attempt to further their nascent careers in Los Angeles.
Stephen Lovatt is a New Zealand actor, best known internationally for his portrayal of character Max Hoyland on the Australian soap Neighbours.
Emmanuelle Sophie Anne Chriqui is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Sloan McQuewick on HBO's Entourage (2004–2011), Claire Bonner in Snow Day (2000), Dalia in You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008), Lorelei Martins on CBS's The Mentalist (2008–2015), and Lana Lang on The CW's Superman & Lois (2021–present).
Kevin Brady Dillon is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Johnny "Drama" Chase on the HBO comedy series Entourage, Bunny in the war film Platoon, and John Densmore in the musical biopic The Doors. He was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for his performance on Entourage.
Vanessa Madeline Angel is an English actress and former model. She played the role of Holly Hotloins on the television series Weird Science. She is also known for her role as Claudia in the film Kingpin.
Julian Farino is an English film and television producer and director. He is most well-known for directing much of the first three seasons of the HBO series Entourage.
Constance Zimmer is an American actress. She rose to prominence playing Dana Gordon on the HBO series Entourage (2005–11) and Claire Simms on the ABC series Boston Legal (2006–07). She went on to appear on the Netflix series House of Cards (2013–18) and voiced Strongarm on Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2014–17). She gained wider recognition for her role as Quinn King on Unreal (2015–18), for which she received a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination both in 2016.
David Ackroyd is an American actor, who first came to prominence in soap operas such as The Secret Storm and Another World.
Jonathan "Drama" Chase is a fictional character in the comedy-drama television series Entourage and its film sequel. Kevin Dillon portrays his character. He is often addressed by other characters as Johnny Drama or Drama, but is credited in his movies and TV shows as "Johnny Chase".
Thorfinn, also called Thorfinn Karlsefni (ソルフィン・カルルセヴニ) and Thorfinn Thordarson (ソルフィン・ソルザルソン), is a fictional character and the protagonist of the manga Vinland Saga by Makoto Yukimura. Thorfinn is introduced as a teenage warrior of Askeladd's Viking company. He hates his commander for slaying his father Thors and has sworn to kill Askeladd in a duel. To earn the right to fight such a duel, Thorfinn must complete difficult tasks for Askeladd, such as sabotage or the killing of enemy generals. After over a decade of being a Viking, the adult Thorfinn starts questioning his actions and reflects on his earlier dream of a land without violence.
