Michael Hurst

From Legendary Journeys

Michael Eric Hurst (born September 20, 1957) is the actor and director most famously known for portraying Iolaus on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. A near-native New Zealand performer, Hurst is married to actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand and has two children.

Hurst also played a host of other characters across the Ren Pics series. In addition to several Hercules, Xena: Warrior Princess, and Young Hercules characters, he appeared as Captain Nardo da Vinci in Jack of All Trades and Amfortas in Legend of the Seeker. He also appeared alongside Kevin Sorbo in an episode of Andromeda and in the film Bitch Slap.

In addition to acting, Hurst has twenty-four directing credits, mostly in television, but also the features Treasure Island Kids 2, Love Mussel, Jubilee, and I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry, which he also wrote. With Ren Pics, he directed two episodes of Jack of All Trades, several episodes of Legend of the Seeker, and an episode of the upcoming Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

His Xenaverse directorial work is as follows:

• HTLJ: "Mercenary"
• XWP: "A Day in the Life"
• Amazon High
• HTLJ:
  • "...And Fancy Free"
  • "One Fowl Day"
  • "Faith"
• XWP: "A Tale of Two Muses"
• HTLJ:
  • "Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge"
  • "Greece is Burning"
• XWP:
  • "Lifeblood"
  • "Antony and Cleopatra"
  • "Who's Gurkhan?"
  • "To Helicon and Back"

[edit] Appearances

Hurst has portrayed 13 different characters in 86 episodes on all three series. When he portrayed The Widow Twanky, Hurst was credited as Edith Sidebottom. Interestingly, he was uncredited for his appearance as Iolaus in "Be Deviled."

...as Iolaus Hercules and the Amazon Women Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur 65 HTLJ appearances XWP: "Prometheus" XWP: "The Quest"	...as Aelus Hercules in the Underworld	...as Charon Hercules in the Underworld HTLJ: "The Other Side" HTLJ: "Highway to Hades" XWP: "Mortal Beloved" YH: "A Lady in Hades"	...as Orestes HTLJ: "King for a Day" HTLJ: "Long Live the King"
...as Sordis (voice) HTLJ: "Mercenary"	...as Jean-Pierre HTLJ: "Les Contemptibles"	...as Iolaus 2 7 HTLJ appearances	...as The Widow Twanky HTLJ: "...And Fancy Free" HTLJ: "Men in Pink" HTLJ: "Greece is Burning"
...as Iolaus (voice) Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus	..as the Jeweler Young Hercules	...as Paul Robert Coyle HTLJ: "Yes, Virginia, There is a Hercules"	...as Dahak HTLJ: "Darkness Rising" HTLJ: "Let There Be Light" HTLJ: "Redemption"
...as a beggar HTLJ: "Greece is Burning"	...as Nigel XWP: "You Are There"

[edit] See also

• Daniel James, who portrayed a young Iolaus
• Dean O'Gorman, who also portrayed a young Iolaus
• Peter Rowley, who portrayed Charon in scenes opposite Hurst's Nigel
• Neill Duncan, who played Sordis while Hurst provided the vocals
• Paul Robert Coyle, the writer who Hurst's Coyle was loosely based on
• Mark Newnham, the creature effects actor who portrayed Dahak's final true form

[edit] Links

• Michael Hurst's official site
• Michael Hurst at Wikipedia