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60-836: Kevin David Sorbo (born September 24, 1958) is an American actor. 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). In between his years playing Hercules, 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

120-464: A deity concerned with children and childbirth , in part because of myths about his precocious infancy, and in part because he fathered countless children. Roman brides wore a special belt tied with the " knot of Hercules ", which was supposed to be hard to untie. The comic playwright Plautus presents the myth of Hercules' conception as a sex comedy in his play Amphitryon ; Seneca wrote the tragedy Hercules Furens about his bout with madness. During

180-537: A barbarian from Atlantis , he will never be allowed to join a legion of 'noble blood'. Taligaro then learns that the Valusian King Borna has gone mad and is slaughtering his heirs, riding to Valusia with Kull following. The confrontation that follows ends with Kull mortally wounding Borna, who with his last breath names Kull his successor, to the dismay of Taligaro and most of the assembled nobles. Soon after, Kull meets his harem and recognizes one of them, Zareta, as

240-552: A consumer of bodies. In medieval mythography, Hercules was one of the heroes seen as a strong role model who demonstrated both valor and wisdom, while the monsters he battles were regarded as moral obstacles. One glossator noted that when Hercules became a constellation , he showed that strength was necessary to gain entrance to Heaven. Medieval mythography was written almost entirely in Latin, and original Greek texts were little used as sources for Hercules' myths. The Renaissance and

300-599: A deathlike slumber, framing Zareta of "regicide" while taking Kull to her temple to keep as a plaything. Kull escapes with the help of the Valkan priest Ascalante, Zareta's brother. The pair free Zareta and the trio head north via the ship of Kull's untrusting associate Juba, in the hope of obtaining the Breath of Valka, the only weapon that can stop Akivasha from regaining her full power. Realizing what they are up to, Akivasha sends Taligaro after them; he catches them just as Zareta obtains

360-416: A fortuneteller he once encountered, who also foretold his kingship. Kull summons her to his chambers, where she reads the cards and tells him that the fate of his kingdom would depend on a kiss. Kull then attempts to sleep with Zareta, but he dismisses her when she reminds him that she is a slave and acts when commanded. The next day, Kull attempts to free his slaves, but finds that his rulings are hampered by

420-728: A genealogy that traced the origin of the House of Navarre to a nephew of Hercules' son Hispalus. The Road of Hercules is a route across Southern Gaul that is associated with the path Hercules took during his 10th labor of retrieving the Cattle of Geryon from the Red Isles. Hannibal took the same path on his march towards Italy and encouraged the belief that he was the second Hercules. Primary sources often make comparisons between Hercules and Hannibal. Hannibal further tried to invoke parallels between himself and Hercules by starting his march on Italy by visiting

480-542: A kingdom of honor rather than tradition. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds a rating of 25%, based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 4/10. Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle gave it 1 out of 5 and wrote that the "fight sequences are a boring blur, and the effects seem to have come straight out of the old Land of the Lost, sans dinosaurs. It's all pretty much of

540-555: A medical drama series titled Condition: Critical , which was not picked up, but aired as a television film on ABC . He was considered for and lost out to Dean Cain as Superman in 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

600-535: A muddle, and one that neither Sorbo's good looks nor Fierstein's wry wit can save." James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave it 1 out of 4. He says it is "a really bad movie" but says there is some "guilty pleasure to be had from watching something this inane". He credits director John Nicolella with making the best of bad material and concludes "It's been a while since I had this much fun at a one-star movie." The film debuted at No. 9 in its opening weekend, earning $ 3.5 million from 2,091 theaters. It grossed $ 6.1 million in

660-552: A three-episode arc in the first season of Hercules . This allowed several 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

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720-734: A woman replied to the thirsty hero that she could not give him water because it was the day of the Goddess Women and it was unlawful for a man to taste what had been prepared for her. Hercules, therefore, when he was about to offer a sacrifice forbid the presence of women and ordered Potitius and Pinarius who were in charge of his rites, not to allow any women from taking part". Macrobius states that women were restricted in their participation in Hercules cults, but to what extent remains ambiguous. He mentions that women were not allowed to participate in Sacrum which

780-612: Is another name of the same hero. Hercules' name was also used for five ships of the US Navy , four ships of the Spanish Navy , four of the Argentine Navy and two of the Swedish Navy , as well as for numerous civilian sailing and steam ships. In modern aviation a military transport aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin carries the title Lockheed C-130 Hercules . Operation Herkules

840-409: Is evidence suggesting there were female worshippers of Apollo, Mars, Jupiter, and Hercules. Some scholars believe that women were completely prohibited from any of Hercules's cults. Others believe it was only the "Ara Maxima" at which they were not allowed to worship. Macrobius in his first book of Saturnalia paraphrases from Varro: "For when Hercules was bringing the cattle of Geryon through Italy,

900-547: Is evidence that he was also using Varro as a source. There is evidence of Hercules worship in myth in the Latin epic poem, the Aeneid . In the 8th book of the poem Aeneas finally reaches the future site of Rome, where he meets Evander and the Arcadians making sacrifices to Hercules on the banks of the Tiber river. They share a feast, and Evander tells the story of how Hercules defeated

960-599: Is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Greek hero's iconography and myths for their literature and art under the name Hercules . In later Western art and literature and in popular culture , Hercules is more commonly used than Heracles as the name of the hero. Hercules is a multifaceted figure with contradictory characteristics, which enabled later artists and writers to pick and choose how to represent him. This article provides an introduction to representations of Hercules in

1020-605: Is general term used to describe anything that was believed to have belonged to the gods. This could include anything from a precious item to a temple. Due to the general nature of a Sacrum, we can not judge the extent of the prohibition from Macrobius alone. There are also ancient writings on this topic from Aulus Gellius when speaking on how Romans swore oaths. He mentioned that Roman women do not swear on Hercules, nor do Roman men swear on Castor. He went on to say that women refrain from sacrificing to Hercules. Propertius in his poem 4.9 also mentions similar information as Macrobius. This

1080-409: Is the spokesman and chair of A World Fit for Kids! (AWFFK!), a non-profit organization that trains teenagers to become mentors to younger children. 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. In late 1997, while on a publicity tour for Kull the Conqueror and between

1140-524: 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

1200-533: The Invisible Disabilities Association . 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. Facebook removed him from

1260-571: The Roman Imperial era , Hercules was worshipped locally from Hispania through Gaul . Tacitus records a special affinity of the Germanic peoples for Hercules. In chapter 3 of his Germania , Tacitus states: ... they say that Hercules, too, once visited them; and when going into battle, they sang of him first of all heroes. They have also those songs of theirs, by the recital of this barditus as they call it, they rouse their courage, while from

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1320-479: The Ronald Reagan biopic opposite Dennis Quaid who plays the title role. Sorbo is a Christian. Although he grew up Lutheran , he attends a nondenominational church. On January 5, 1998, Sorbo married actress Sam Sorbo (née 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 . Sorbo

1380-432: The later tradition . In Roman mythology, although Hercules was seen as the champion of the weak and a great protector, his personal problems started at birth. Juno sent two witches to prevent the birth, but they were tricked by one of Alcmene 's servants and sent to another room. Juno then sent serpents to kill him in his cradle, but Hercules strangled them both. In one version of the myth, Alcmene abandoned her baby in

1440-520: 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

1500-471: The 2020 presidential election, Sorbo repeatedly made remarks defending Trump's claims of election fraud . Although he initially supported the protestors as loyal defenders of Trump and enjoined 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

1560-600: The Breath of Valka to him, who kisses the now-fully demonic Akivasha to transmit Valka's Breath and extinguish her flame forever. Kull proceeds to kill Taligaro when he attempts to take Zareta hostage, removing the last opposition to his rule. After being reinstated as king by the now more amenable nobles, Kull names Zareta his queen, then uses his axe to destroy the Tablets of the Law, abolishing slavery in Valusia and allowing it to be reborn as

1620-463: The Breath, mortally wounding Ascalante and leaving Kull to die. Taligaro reveals his intent to use Zareta to betray Akivasha and take the Topaz Throne. On the day of the solar eclipse , Kull returns to Valusia as Akivasha gradually begins assuming her true demonic form, easily thwarting Taligaro's attempt to kill her with Zareta. After Kull wounds Taligaro and kills Enaros, Zareta kisses Kull and passes

1680-445: The Conqueror but Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to reprise the role as Conan. Sorbo was reluctant to redo a character already played, so the character was changed to Kull. Screenwriter Charles Edward Pogue has stated that he was extremely displeased with this film, feeling that his script was ruined by studio interference. Kull battles for the right to join Valusia's elite Dragon Legion until being told by General Taligaro that as

1740-556: 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

1800-481: The ancients honored him with his own temples, altars, ceremonies, and priests. But it was his wisdom and great soul that earned those honors; noble blood, physical strength, and political power just aren't good enough. In 1600, the citizens of Avignon bestowed on Henry of Navarre (the future King Henry IV of France ) the title of the Hercule Gaulois ("Gallic Hercules"), justifying the extravagant flattery with

1860-549: The baby herself. In feeding the child from her own breast, the goddess inadvertently imbued him with further strength and power. The Latin name Hercules was borrowed through Etruscan , where it is represented variously as Heracle , Hercle, and other forms. Hercules was a favorite subject for Etruscan art , and appears often on bronze mirrors . The Etruscan form Herceler derives from the Greek Heracles via syncope . A mild oath invoking Hercules ( Hercule! or Mehercle! )

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1920-512: The birth, adventures, and death of the hero under his Roman name Hercules. Conti begins his lengthy chapter on Hercules with an overview description that continues the moralizing impulse of the Middle Ages: Hercules, who subdued and destroyed monsters, bandits, and criminals, was justly famous and renowned for his great courage. His great and glorious reputation was worldwide, and so firmly entrenched that he'll always be remembered. In fact

1980-480: The classical world is viewed. Mapplethorpe's work with black model Derrick Cross can be seen as a reaction to Neo-classical colourism, resisting the portrayal of Hercules as white. Hercules was among the earliest figures on ancient Roman coinage, and has been the main motif of many collector coins and medals since. One example is the Austrian 20 euro Baroque Silver coin issued on September 11, 2002. The obverse side of

2040-747: The coin shows the Grand Staircase in the town palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy in Vienna , currently the Austrian Ministry of Finance. Gods and demi-gods hold its flights, while Hercules stands at the turn of the stairs. Six successive ships of the British Royal Navy , from the 18th to the 20th century, bore the name HMS Hercules . In the French Navy , there were no less than nineteen ships called Hercule , plus three more named Alcide which

2100-414: 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 success of the show spawned the popular spin-off series Xena: Warrior Princess starring Lucy Lawless , who was introduced in

2160-527: The course of the Christianization of Scandinavia from the 8th to 9th century. After the Roman Empire became Christianized , mythological narratives were often reinterpreted as allegory , influenced by the philosophy of late antiquity . In the 4th century, Servius had described Hercules' return from the underworld as representing his ability to overcome earthly desires and vices, or the earth itself as

2220-456: The fourth and fifth seasons of Hercules , the newly engaged 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

2280-602: The inscription "DEO HER [culi]", confirming the association with Hercules. In the 5th to 7th centuries, during the Migration Period , the amulet is theorized to have rapidly spread from the Elbe Germanic area across Europe. These Germanic " Donar's Clubs " were made from deer antler, bone or wood, more rarely also from bronze or precious metals. The amulet type is replaced by the Viking Age Thor's hammer pendants in

2340-471: The invention of the printing press brought a renewed interest in and publication of Greek literature. Renaissance mythography drew more extensively on the Greek tradition of Heracles, typically under the Romanized name Hercules, or the alternate name Alcides . In a chapter of his book Mythologiae (1567), the influential mythographer Natale Conti collected and summarized an extensive range of myths concerning

2400-406: The monster Cascus, and describes him as a triumphant hero. Translated from the Latin text of Vergil, Evander stated: "Time brought to us in our time of need the aid and arrival of a god. For there came that mightiest avenger, the victor Hercules, proud with the slaughter and the spoils of threefold Geryon, and he drove the mighty bulls here, and the cattle filled both valley and riverside. Hercules

2460-464: The name of Hercules in their title were not intended to be movies about Hercules. Kull the Conqueror The plot sees the barbarian Kull who is made king after killing the previous one in self defense. His kingdom is threatened by the evil witch Akivasha , who seeks to bring forth the armies of hell to restore her dark empire. The film was originally intended to be the third Conan film, Conan

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2520-620: The note they augur the result of the approaching conflict. For, as their line shouts, they inspire or feel alarm. Some have taken this as Tacitus equating the Germanic Þunraz with Hercules by way of interpretatio romana . In the Roman era Hercules' Club amulets appear from the 2nd to 3rd century, distributed over the empire (including Roman Britain , cf. Cool 1986), mostly made of gold, shaped like wooden clubs. A specimen found in Köln-Nippes bears

2580-794: The other being the Temple of Hercules Custos, likely renovated by Sulla in the 80s BCE. In Roman works of art and in Renaissance and post-Renaissance art, Hercules can be identified by his attributes, the lion skin and the gnarled club (his favorite weapon); in mosaic he is shown tanned bronze, a virile aspect. In the twentieth century, the Farnese Hercules has inspired artists such as Jeff Koons , Matthew Darbyshire and Robert Mapplethorpe to reinterpret Hercules for new audiences. The choice of deliberately white materials by Koons and Darbyshire has been interpreted as perpetuation of colourism in how

2640-502: The past 20 years. According to The Mary Sue , apart from audiences of his Christian films, Sorbo's relevance today is otherwise limited to those who follow his political commentary on Twitter. 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

2700-600: The platform during the COVID-19 pandemic claiming "We removed Kevin Sorbo's page for repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines." Sorbo responded that he posts things that doctors say and that Facebook had been shadow banning him for a year prior. He stated: "I [would have been] more than happy to take them [down], whatever offensive posts that Facebook deemed that I should not be posting, So, I question their statements… that they gave me." After Donald Trump lost

2760-493: The requisite oiled torso, a hint of humor and the professionalism and good grace to act as if Kull the Conqueror mattered." 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

2820-658: 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

2880-401: The shrine of Hercules at Gades. While crossing the alps, he performed labors in a heroic manner. A famous example was noted by Livy, when Hannibal fractured the side of a cliff that was blocking his march. In ancient Roman society women were usually limited to two types of cults: those that addressed feminine matters such as childbirth, and cults that required virginal chastity. However, there

2940-624: 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 with guest appearances in Murder She Wrote and The Commish . In 1992, he played his first leading role in an unsuccessful television pilot for

3000-634: The stone tablets detailing the laws of Valusia. Taligaro and his cousin secretly attempt to assassinate Kull during his coronation, but fail. Taligaro and his conspirators are summoned the following night by the necromancer Enaros, who offers to aid them by resurrecting Akivasha , the Sorceress Queen of the ancient Acheron Empire, which the god Valka destroyed ages before Valusia was built on its remains. Using Taligaro's group to suit her ends to gain power and restore Acheron, Akivasha uses her magic to enchant Kull and become his queen. Akivasha then places Kull in

3060-507: 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. Hercules Hercules ( / ˈ h ɜːr k j ʊ ˌ l iː z / , US : /- k j ə -/ ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles , son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena . In classical mythology , Hercules

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3120-607: The time of Evander, by accrediting him with erecting a statue in the Forum Boarium of Hercules. Scholars agree that there would have been 5–7 temples in Augustan Rome. There are believed to be related Republican triumphatores , however, not necessarily triumphal dedications. There are two temples located in the Campus Martius. One, being the Temple of Hercules Musarum, dedicated between 187 and 179 BCE by M. Fulvius Nobilior. And

3180-519: 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

3240-494: The woods in order to protect him from Juno's wrath, but he was found by the goddess Minerva who brought him to Juno, claiming he was an orphan child left in the woods who needed nourishment. Juno suckled Hercules at her own breast until the infant bit her nipple, at which point she pushed him away, spilling her milk across the night sky and so forming the Milky Way . She then gave the infant back to Minerva and told her to take care of

3300-548: Was a common interjection in Classical Latin . Hercules had a number of myths that were distinctly Roman. One of these is Hercules' defeat of Cacus , who was terrorizing the countryside of Rome. The hero was associated with the Aventine Hill through his son Aventinus . Mark Antony considered him a personal patron god, as did the emperor Commodus . Hercules received various forms of religious veneration , including as

3360-482: 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

3420-527: Was also mentioned in the Fables of Gaius Julius Hyginus . For example, in his fable about Philoctetes he tells the story of how Philoctetes built a funeral pyre for Hercules so his body could be consumed and raised to immortality. According to Livy (9.44.16) Romans were commemorating military victories by building statues to Hercules as early as 305 BCE. Also, philosopher Pliny the Elder dates Hercules worship back to

3480-573: 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. In the mid-1980s, Sorbo traveled around Europe and Australia working in television commercials and also modeling for print advertisements. During this period, he made his acting debut in an episode of

3540-577: 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 film Kull the Conqueror . In a mostly negative review, The New York Times writes, "Mr. Sorbo provides

3600-602: Was the German code-name given to an abortive plan for the invasion of Malta during the Second World War . A series of nineteen Italian Hercules movies were made in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The actors who played Hercules in these films were Steve Reeves , Gordon Scott , Kirk Morris, Mickey Hargitay , Mark Forest, Alan Steel, Dan Vadis , Brad Harris , Reg Park , Peter Lupus (billed as Rock Stevens ) and Michael Lane. A number of English-dubbed Italian films that featured

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