Background and career
Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor, director and producer. 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). Sorbo played his first leading film role in the 1997 fantasy film Kull the Conqueror. Sorbo is also known for acting in Christian films, such as God's Not Dead (2014) and Let There Be Light (2017).
Sorbo was born in Mound, Minnesota, on September 24, 1958. He is of Italian and 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.
In the early 1980s, Sorbo travelled around Europe and Australia working in television commercials and 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.
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 its sixth season, 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. He 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.
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 wife, Sam Jenkins. In 2008, he appeared in the spoof film titled Meet the Spartans.
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 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 series 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". That same year, Sorbo guest-starred in three episodes of the superhero television series Supergirl. Sorbo portrayed Lar Gand with Teri Hatcher as his wife Rhea. Coincidentally, Sorbo was almost cast as Superman opposite Hatcher's Lois Lane 24 years earlier in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. In 2024, he appeared in the Ronald Reagan biopic Reagan opposite Dennis Quaid, who plays the title role.
