five children, he grew up in a very athletic family and excelled in a variety
of sports,including basketball, baseball, football and golf. From an early age,
he had a secret dream to become an actor, but it wasn't until years later that
he decided to pursue this dream.
Kevin studid marketing and advertising at Moorhead State College and the
University of Minnesota, but spent much of his time hanging out in the theater
department, observing the work of the drama students. After college, he moved
to Dallas where he studied acting and launched a career in modeling and commercials. Two years later, he took off for Europe and spent the next three
years traveling and working primarily in Milan, Paris and Munich.
Kevin moved to Los Angeles in 1986, but quickly landed a commercial job
that took him to Sydney,Australia. He fell in love with the city and stayed for six months, during which time he studied acting and filmed several more commercials. In late 1986, he returned to L.A. where he continued to take acting classes, supporting himself through an enormously successful career in
commercials that made him a recognized face around the world.
Over the next several years,Kevin studied with such highly respected teachers as Janet Alhanti, Roy London, Bill Trayler and Richard Brander. He began making headway as an actor with starring roles in the pilots Critical Condition
for NBC and Aspen for Fox, and guest roles on such shows as Murder, She Wrote and The Commish. In the spring of 1996, he flexed his comedic muscle
in an episode of Cybill, co-starring opposite Cybill Shepherd as an actor who
falls for his leading ladies. In the fall of 1997, he starred as the title character
in Universal Pictures' Kull the Conquerer, a prequel to Conan the Barbarian.
Kevin was cast as Hercules in late 1993 when executive producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi decided he was exactly the type they envisioned for the
role. A strapping Minnesotan with the physique of a decathlete and easygoing charm, he starred in the five highly successful Hercules television movies--
part of the Universal Action Pack--before moving on to the weekly series,
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. With his winning portrayal of the mythic adventurer, the innovative action hour became a hit in national syndication and has prompted a host of imitators and two spin-offs since its January 1995 premiere.
As the mighty Demigod Hercules, Kevin Sorbo is the superhero of the 90's--
a warrior who embodies both courage and compassion. With muscle, wit and
sly winking humor, he has breathed new life into the mythical character and made him a pop culture hero. In the process, Kevin has become an international
star.
To prepare for the role of Hercules, Kevin worked with three different trainers,
including martial arts master Douglas Wong(Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story), who took him through an accelerated course of his white lotus system, teaching him to roll, fall and fight with swords and staffs. He also continued to train with weights and learned horseback riding. Despite the heavy demands of his production schedule, he works out daily, combining a variety of activities, including weight lifting, jogging, swimming and basketball. As a result, Kevin,
who is 6'3" and weighs 215 pounds, is able to perform his own fights and many of his own stunts.
Hercules has given Kevin opportunities to develop his talents behind the camera as well. He has directed two episodes ~The Apple and War Bride~ and
co-wrote the episode Two Men and a Baby. Through the show, he also met his wife, actress Sam Jenkins(Chicago Hope),when she was cast as a princess in
a 1996 episode. Sam subsequently guest starred in several additional episodes
as Hercules' beloved but doomed wife Serena. The couple married in Los Angeles in January 1998.
In his limited free time, Kevin is spearheading the non profit Los Angeles-based program, A World Fit for Kids!, that trains teens to become mentors to the younger kids in their own neighborhoods. With the help of adult coordinators,
these mentor coaches run a program that engages elementary through high school students in fitness and sports activities that build self-esteem, teach conflict resolution and foster leadership skills.
Fitness has always played an important role in Kevin's own life and he
continues to enjoy a variety of sports especially golf.
