Kevin Smith (New Zealand actor)
Kevin Smith | |
---|---|
Born | Kevin Tod Smith 16 March 1963 Auckland, New Zealand |
Died | 15 February 2002 Beijing, China | (aged 38)
Occupation(s) | Actor, musician |
Years active | 1983–2002 |
Spouse |
Suzanne
(m. 1986) |
Children | 3 |
Kevin Tod Smith (16 March 1963 – 15 February 2002) was a
Early life
Kevin Smith was born in Auckland in 1963.[1] His mother was of Tongan and German ancestry and his father (of English descent) hailed from New Zealand.[2] Smith's family moved to the South Island town of Timaru when he was eleven. He attended Timaru Boys' High School from 1976 to 1979. He was involved in the drama club at his high school.
Smith played in rock and roll bands during high school, working out each morning at the gym and watching television in the afternoon.
At the age of 17, Smith moved to
Career
Smith played in several
After suffering a
In 1989, Smith co-founded a Christchurch
In 1993, Smith played Lawrence Hayes in Desperate Remedies. He then appeared as Paul Cosic in the last two seasons of the primetime drama Marlin Bay. For this role, he won the 1995 New Zealand Film and Television Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He screen-tested for the lead role in Paramount's big budget action-film The Phantom, but the role ultimately went to Billy Zane instead. His fellow Hercules: The Legendary Journeys cast member, low-budget-movie actor and Pacific Renaissance Pictures partner Bruce Campbell, was also one of the contenders for the role of the legendary superhero.
Also in 1995, Smith appeared on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as Hercules' half-brother, Iphicles. Later he joined the cast of Xena: Warrior Princess, as Ares, a role he would later play on Hercules and Young Hercules as well. As the dark and dangerously seductive Greek god of war, Smith gained legions of fans. During this time Kevin performed as Ares on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules simultaneously.
While starring on Xena, Hercules and Young Hercules, Smith also appeared in other TV shows and films, notably as a
Smith also continued to act in the theatre. During his career, he also appeared on several cassettes of alternative music, alongside other musicians, under the band names "The Picnic Boys" and "Say Yes to Apes" which was later renamed "Hyphen-Smythe". He was one of the lead singers of the celebrity band "The Wide Lapels", a band famous for its campy performances of the worst songs of the 1970s.
Death
Early in 2002, Smith (who was preparing for his first Hollywood role in the Bruce Willis action film Tears of the Sun) went to China to shoot the US-Chinese martial arts film Warriors of Virtue 2.[6]
On 6 February 2002, Smith completed his work on the set in Shijiazhuang, 270 km southwest of Beijing. After celebrating with staff from Beijing Film Studio, and while waiting for a ride back to the hotel, he decided to walk around the China Central Television film studio grounds, and climbed a prop tower on the set of another film.[7] He lost his footing and fell three stories, suffering severe head injuries. Smith was rushed by staff to a local hospital, then transferred to Beijing. He lapsed into a coma and was kept on life support for ten days until life support was discontinued. He died on 15 February without regaining consciousness.[8]
Smith was buried after a private funeral on 28 February 2002. The launch of the Kevin Smith Trust for Smith's children was announced later that day at a memorial service attended by old friends, New Zealand's acting community, and over a thousand mourners at the Aotea Centre, Auckland.[9][10]
A television documentary celebrating Smith's life and career, Remembering Kev: A Tribute to Kevin Smith, aired on
Works
Discography
Albums with Say Yes to Apes
- 1983 Who's That
- 1983 "Knife" (single)
- 1984 So Who Owns Death TV?
Albums with Hyphen-Ears
- 1984 What Are Stars? The Stars Are What Separates Us from the Animals You Sonovabitch!
Filmography
Selected filmography
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Gloss | TV series | |
1991 | Mon Désir | ||
Away Laughing | Various Characters | TV series | |
1992 | Shortland Street | Jed | TV series |
1993 | Desperate Remedies | Lawrence Hayes | |
1994 | Kevin Rampenbacker and the Electric Kettle | ||
Marlin Bay | Paul Cosic | TV series | |
1995-1999 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Ares/Iphicles | TV series recurring role; 23 episodes |
1995-2001 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Ares | TV series recurring role; 30 episodes |
1996 | McLeod's Daughters |
Rod | TV movie |
1998 | Flatmates | Scott | TV series |
Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus |
Ares (voice) | direct-to-video | |
Young Hercules | Pelias/Ares | TV movie | |
1998-1999 | Young Hercules | Ares | TV series recurring role; 16 episodes |
1999 | Channelling Baby | Geoff | |
Lawless | John Lawless | TV movie | |
2000 | Lawless: Dead Evidence | John Lawless | TV movie |
Jubilee | Max Seddon | ||
2001 | The Meeting | Wallace Greenway | |
Lawless: Beyond Justice | John Lawless | TV movie | |
Love Mussel | himself | TV movie | |
2002 | Warriors of Virtue: The Return to Tao | Dogon | |
2003 | Riverworld | Valdemar | TV movie (voice; final role) |
Guest appearances
Year | Title | Role | Episode |
---|---|---|---|
1996 | City Life | Damon South | 1.1 |
City Life | Damon South | 1.2 | |
1998 | F/X: The Series | Ricky Delacruz | 2.13 "Vigilantes" |
2000 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? | Himself | 3.4 |
References
- ^ The Independent (London, 20 February 2002).
- ^ "Kevin Smith – Biography". NZ On Screen. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ^ a b c New Zealand Herald (17 February 2003).
- ^ Christchurch Press (25 March 2002).
- ^ "Love Mussel". IMDb. 2001.
- ^ "Kevin Smith, 38, Actor in 'Xena' TV Series". The New York Times. 22 February 2002. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
- ^ New Zealand Herald (19 February 2002)
- ^ Evening Post (Wellington, 21 February 2002)
- ^ Christchurch Press (1 March 2002).
- ^ Waikato Times (1 March 2002)
External links
- A Tribute to Kevin Smith on NZ On Screen featuring excerpts from many of his on screen appearances and tributes from his friends
- Kevin Smith at IMDb
- See Ares/Kevin Smith's props and costumes at The Xena Museum