Lucy Lawless

 Lawless was most well-known for her character Xena the courageous warrior woman. The role was aired in the very first season. In the month of March, 1995, she made her debut in "The Warrior Princess" which was broadcast on ABC. R. J. Stewart was one of Pacific Renaissance Pictures' in-house writers. He was the one to adapt a story Robert G. Tapert had requested John Schulian to create the script for the teleplay. The character was a favorite among fans. Vanessa Angel was initially cast as the character. But, she fell sick and was unable to go to New Zealand to film. Lawless was able to dye her hair black to distinguish between her character as well as Lysia. The hair she wore was originally ash blonde. A darker outfit was also worn by Lawless. Lawless returned in the role of Xena for two episodes from the second season of Hercules. The episode showcased the transformation of her from villain into an imposing, heroic character. The character became so well-known that a spinoff show was developed. Xena: Warrior Princess was released on September 4th in 1995. Xena: Warrior Princess was an instant hit and ran for six seasons. It received high ratings and a high cultural significance. Lawless was a major star and the show garnered her lots of media attention. In the month of October, 1996, Lawless was appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. While filming, Lawless broke her pelvis when her horse in the parking lot of the studio fell off its feet. Lawless recovered fully. However there were several episodes in the second season were changed to focus on the background characters to reduce the amount of time Lawless was on set.