Kevin Sorbo

Early life and education

Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958. He is of Norwegian descent. He was raised in a Lutheran family. Sorbo attended Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he double majored in marketing and advertising. To help pay for tuition, he began to work as a model for print and television advertising.

Career

Early work

In the mid-1980s, Sorbo travelled around Europe and Australia working in television commercials and also modelling for print advertisements. During this period, he made his acting debut in an episode of the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1986. His second television appearance was in an episode of the sitcom 1st & Ten in 1988. He continued working in advertising and by the early 1990s, he had appeared in over 150 commercials. One of the popular commercials he appeared in was for Jim Beam bourbon whiskey, known for Sorbo's repeated catchphrase, "This ain't Jim Beam".

His acting career continued in the early 1990s with guest appearances in Murder She Wrote and The Commish. In 1992, he played his first leading role in an unsuccessful television pilot for a medical drama series titled Condition: Critical, which was not picked up, but aired as a television film on ABC. In 1993, he was considered for and lost out to Dean Cain as Superman in the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and was one of the possible contenders for the role of Fox Mulder in The X-Files, which went to David Duchovny. In 1993, he made his film debut in Slaughter of the Innocents.

Professional breakthrough with ''Hercules'', ''Kull'', and other film offers

In 1993, Sorbo received his breakthrough leading role as the ancient greek demigod Hercules in a series of five television films that aired as part of Universal Television's Action Pack. The first film to premiere was Hercules and the Amazon Women, which aired in April 1994, the others following later in the year. The ratings success of the films paved the way for the commission of the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which started airing in syndication from January 1995 and ran for six seasons. The series made Sorbo an international star and was one of the highest rated syndicated television shows at the time. The show was filmed in New Zealand.

The success of the show spawned the popular spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess starring Lucy Lawless, who was introduced in a three-episode arc in the first season of Hercules. This allowed Sorbo as well as several other characters from both shows to make crossover appearances. In 1998, a spin-off direct-to-video, animated film titled Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus was released with both Sorbo and Lawless voicing the characters.

Hercules was canceled midway through the filming of Season Six, of which only eight episodes were produced. The final episode aired in November 1999. Although it was not revealed at the time, health issues reduced Sorbo's abilities to perform the physically demanding role during the later seasons. Sorbo made his final appearance as Hercules on Xena, in the Season Five episode "God Fearing Child", which aired in February 2000.

In between his years playing Hercules, Sorbo played his first leading film role in the 1997-released film Kull the Conqueror. The actor was selected for the role in December 1995, and the picture was shot in Slovakia and Croatia between August and October 1996. In a mostly negative review, The New York Times writes, "Mr. Sorbo provides the requisite oiled torso, a hint of humor and the professionalism and good grace to act as if Kull the Conqueror mattered."

In July 1997, it was announced that Sorbo would star in Black Dog for around $3 million, with Kevin Hooks slated to direct and produce and the intention to shoot in September during Sorbo's hiatus from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. During an interview, Sorbo described the film as "Die Hard meets Speed." In September 1997, Meat Loaf and Randy Travis were signed to star opposite Sorbo. However, by November of that year, it was reported that Patrick Swayze had replaced Sorbo in Black Dog.

Post-''Hercules'' work

After Hercules ended, Sorbo played the starring role of Captain Dylan Hunt in the science-fiction drama series Andromeda from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, he played a recurring role on the final season of The O.C.

In 2007, he starred in two direct-to-video sequels to Walking Tall, Walking Tall: The Payback and Walking Tall: Lone Justice. In the Hallmark Channel film Avenging Angel, he co-starred with his real wife, Sam Jenkins.

In 2008, he appeared in the spoof film titled* Meet the Spartans*, which was a box office success despite poor reviews.

In the first of what would be several voice acting jobs, Sorbo performed one of the main protagonists, Prometheus, in the video game The Conduit. He also reprised the role of Hercules in the video game God of War III and worked together with his wife on the game Cloudberry Kingdom.

In 2014, Sorbo co-starred in God's Not Dead, a Christian film in which he portrayed an atheist college professor who requires his students to disown their religions on the first day of his class. Although heavily panned by critics, it was a commercial success and the first of a sequence of Christian films that Sorbo would produce or perform.

Sorbo appeared in the 2015 romantic comedy Single in South Beach, starring Haley Webb. On Twitter, in 2019, she accused Sorbo of sexual advances and of sexually harassing her on the set. However, Webb did not elaborate on any of her accusations, and he did not respond to her tweet.

In 2017, Sorbo directed and starred in the Christian drama film Let There Be Light, which featured conservative pundit Sean Hannity, who was also an executive producer. It was described by the New Yorker as "a cynical, xenophobic morality tale, as bitter as it is saccharine" that closes with "a dénouement of bald Islamophobia". The Los Angeles Times, although critical, says that it provides "an involving bonanza" for its intended Christian audience. Sorbo is described as bringing "puckish charm and credible warmth to his role".

In 2024, he appeared in the Ronald Reagan biopic opposite Dennis Quaid, who plays the title role.

Personal life

Sorbo is a Christian. Although he grew up Lutheran, he attends a nondenominational church. On January 5, 1998, Sorbo married actress Sam Jenkins, whom he met the previous year when she had a small recurring role on Hercules (Season 3, Episode 8 "Prince Hercules"). They have three children, including Braeden Sorbo.

In 2001, Sorbo was featured on a celebrity edition of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, winning $32,000. The money was donated to his charity, A World Fit For Kids.

Health

In late 1997, while on a publicity tour for Kull the Conqueror and between the fourth and fifth seasons of Hercules, Sorbo experienced an aneurysm in his shoulder which caused three strokes. As a result, he was weakened for the next several years, a condition kept secret from the public while he recovered. During the last two seasons of Hercules (the fifth and sixth, which aired in 1998 and 1999), Sorbo had a reduced filming schedule to accommodate his condition, and more guest stars were featured in the show in order to reduce Sorbo's duties. In his 2011 autobiography True Strength, Sorbo revealed the details of his injury and how his wife Sam helped him recover.

In 2013, Sorbo received the Public Leadership in Neurology Award from the American Academy of Neurology and the American Brain Foundation for his efforts raising awareness about stroke. He also received the 2013 Inspiration Honors Award from the Invisible Disabilities Association.

Politics

In 2014, during an interview with Jerry Newcombe on the radio show Vocal Point, Sorbo defended Mel Gibson against allegations that his 2004 film The Passion of the Christ was anti-Semitic with the words: "News bulletin: you did kill Jesus!" Sorbo later stated he could have rephrased his statements, but defended his stance.

In February 2021, Sorbo's Facebook page was removed due to "repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines". In June 2023, Sorbo shared an article repeating the unsubstantiated claim that actor Jamie Foxx had been injured by a COVID-19 vaccine.

After Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Sorbo repeatedly made remarks defending Trump's false claims of election fraud.{{cite magazine|last=Desta|first=Yohana|date=January 8, 2021|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/01/lucy-lawless-kevin-sorbo-trump|title= Lucy Lawless Drags Conspiracy-Peddling, Trump-Supporting Kevin Sorbo|magazine=Vanity Fair|access-date=November 3, 2025}} Although he initially supported the January 6 United States Capitol attack participants and encouraged them to respect the police, Sorbo subsequently backtracked and blamed the violence on antifa. This led to a widely reported Twitter exchange between him and his former co-star Lucy Lawless, who have exchanged conflicting views on personal and political matters throughout the past 20 years.

In 2022, Sorbo was a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference. He wore a suit lined with his own tweets. In 2023, Sorbo published a children's book entitled The Test of Lionhood, which explores the theme of masculinity from a Christian perspective for young boys, as part of a larger fight in defense of the virtues of masculinity, which he says are being eroded in Hollywood and in society at large.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

References

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