Renee O'Connor Net Worth

What is Renee O'Connor's net worth?

Renee O'Connor is an American actress who has a net worth of $3 million.

Renee O'Connor is best known for playing Gabrielle on the fantasy adventure series "Xena: Warrior Princess." Originally introduced as a young village storyteller who becomes the traveling companion of Lucy Lawless's Xena, Gabrielle evolved over six seasons from an idealistic farm girl into a capable warrior, moral center, and one of the most beloved characters in 1990s genre television. O'Connor's chemistry with Lawless helped turn "Xena: Warrior Princess" into a global cult phenomenon, and the intense bond between Xena and Gabrielle made the series especially meaningful to feminist and LGBTQ+ audiences. After "Xena," O'Connor chose a more independent path, focusing on smaller films, directing, producing, and live theater rather than chasing mainstream Hollywood celebrity. Through her production company, ROC Pictures, and later her stage work with House of Bards Theatre Company, she built a second career centered on creative control, collaboration, and performance craft.

Early Life

Evelyn Renee O'Connor was born on February 15, 1971, in Houston, Texas, and was raised in the Houston suburb of Katy. She developed an early interest in performing and began studying acting when she was around 12 years old at Houston's Alley Theatre, one of the country's major regional theaters.

O'Connor later attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. Before her television career began, she worked in local commercials for companies such as McDonald's and Exxon. She also had one of the more unusual early jobs in any actor's résumé: dancing as Porky Pig at the Six Flags AstroWorld theme park in Houston.

Early Acting Career

O'Connor's first major break came in 1989 when she appeared in the "Teen Angel" serial on "The Mickey Mouse Club." The opportunity helped push her toward a full-time acting career and prompted her to relocate to Los Angeles.

=In the early 1990s, O'Connor built her résumé with television movies, guest roles, and supporting film appearances. She appeared in projects such as "The Adventures of Huck Finn," "Follow the River," "NYPD Blue," "Darkman II: The Return of Durant," and "The Rockford Files: A Blessing in Disguise." Her work during this period showed her range across family entertainment, drama, action, and genre projects.

A key turning point came when she was cast as Deianeira in the 1994 television movie "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom," starring Kevin Sorbo. The film was part of the larger television universe developed by producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi. O'Connor made a strong enough impression that Tapert and Raimi later cast her in the spinoff that would define her career.

Xena: Warrior Princess

In 1995, O'Connor was cast as Gabrielle on "Xena: Warrior Princess." The series starred Lucy Lawless as Xena, a former warlord seeking redemption, with Gabrielle serving as her traveling companion, friend, conscience, and eventually fellow warrior.

The role could easily have been limited to sidekick status, but Gabrielle became one of the show's emotional anchors. At the start of the series, she was a talkative and optimistic young woman from the village of Potidaea who dreamed of a bigger life. Over six seasons, she learned to fight, suffered losses, questioned her ideals, and developed into a complex character in her own right.

"Xena: Warrior Princess" ran for 134 episodes from 1995 to 2001 and became a major syndicated hit around the world. O'Connor's performance was central to the show's appeal. Her scenes with Lawless gave the series warmth, humor, tension, and emotional depth. The relationship between Xena and Gabrielle was often written with deliberate ambiguity, and many viewers interpreted it as romantic. That connection helped make both characters icons within LGBTQ+ fandom, a legacy O'Connor has embraced through convention appearances, interviews, and continued support for the show's fan community.

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Post-Xena Career

After "Xena: Warrior Princess" ended, O'Connor moved into more independent work. In 2001, she founded her own production company, ROC Pictures. Through that company, she produced and developed film projects while also acting and directing.

One of her best-known independent projects was "Diamonds and Guns," a romantic comedy that reflected her willingness to work outside the traditional studio system. O'Connor helped finance the project in part by selling personal paintings and autographed photos on eBay, an unusually direct approach that showed both her resourcefulness and her close relationship with fans.

Her later screen work included projects such as "Boogeyman 2," "Beyond the Farthest Star," "A Question of Faith," and the family science-fiction film "Watch the Sky." She also continued making appearances connected to "Xena," including fan conventions and reunion events that kept the show's legacy alive long after its original run.

Theater Work

Theater became one of O'Connor's major creative passions after her years on television. She performed in stage productions including "Macbeth," "Romeo and Juliet," "Dinner with Friends," "On Clover Road," "Mary Poppins," "The Wizard of Oz," and "Uncle Vanya."

In 2019, O'Connor and her husband, actor and producer Jed Sura, founded House of Bards Theatre Company in San Pedro, California. The company's first production was "Macbeth," with O'Connor playing Lady Macbeth and Sura playing Macbeth. The role gave O'Connor a showcase far removed from the fantasy adventure world that made her famous and reinforced her long-standing interest in classical theater.

As artistic director and performer, O'Connor used House of Bards as a platform for ambitious stage work, community engagement, and actor-driven productions.

Personal Life

O'Connor married New Zealand native Steve Muir in 2000. Their son, Miles, was born in 2001. The couple later divorced. She subsequently married actor and producer Jed Sura, who has appeared in several of her independent film and theater projects. O'Connor and Sura have a daughter, Iris, who was born in 2006.

Outside of acting, O'Connor is a painter, a martial arts practitioner, and a philanthropist. She has supported causes including the Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation. Although she remains best known for "Xena: Warrior Princess," her career has extended well beyond Gabrielle, spanning independent film, directing, producing, painting, and live theater.

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