Tall, good-looking Kevin Smith with his muscular body was a natural for the part of Ares, the God of War on Xena: Warrior Princess. Smith not only had the physicality to hold his own against Xena, but his quick wit and sly delivery made him a favorite of fans. He also appeared as Ares on Hercules.
After Xena and Hercules ended their respective runs, appeared as hard-boiled private eye John Lawless in a series of television movies. He also starred as Valdemar in a TV production of Riverworld. This immensely talented actor could well have become the next big import to break out of New Zealand had he not tragically been killed after falling from a great height on the set of movie he was filming in China. Smith died on February 16, 2002.
