Michael Hurst facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Hurst
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| Born |
Michael Eric Hurst
20 September 1957 Lancashire, England
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| Occupation | Actor, director, writer |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jennifer Ward-Lealand (1988–present) |
Michael Eric Hurst (born September 20, 1957) is a talented actor, director, and writer from New Zealand. He was born in England but moved to New Zealand when he was young. Many people around the world know him for playing Iolaus in the TV shows Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. He has also directed popular shows like Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Ash vs Evil Dead.
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About Michael Hurst
Michael Hurst was born in Lancashire, England. He is the oldest of three brothers. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. He went to Papanui High School and then studied at the University of Canterbury for a year.
Michael is married to a New Zealand actress named Jennifer Ward-Lealand. They have two sons together.
In 1984, Michael got a main role in a New Zealand movie called Death Warmed Up. He played a character who faced many challenges. The same year, he started playing a drummer named Dave Nelson in a TV series called Heroes. This show was about a band trying to become famous.
Michael also worked with his wife, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, in several films. Their first movie together was the crime thriller Dangerous Orphans in 1986. He later acted with her in The Footstep Man (1992), Desperate Remedies (1993), and I'll Make You Happy (1999).
In 1993, he starred in a TV thriller called Typhon's People. In this show, Michael played a mysterious European man who uncovered secrets about a company's genetic experiments. The story was written by the famous author Margaret Mahy.
A big part of Michael's career was co-starring in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. He played Hercules's loyal best friend, Iolaus, alongside Kevin Sorbo who played Hercules.
Michael also started directing movies. His first feature film as a director was Jubilee in 2000. It was based on a book by Nepi Solomon and starred Cliff Curtis. After Jubilee, Michael directed a TV satire called Love Mussel.
In 2003, Michael received an Arts Foundation of New Zealand Laureate Award. This award celebrates talented artists. In 2005, he was given the title of Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This was for his great work in film and theater.
In 2015, Michael directed a special show called The Generation of Z: Apocalypse. This show was performed in a unique venue in East London. Michael described it as "immersive theatre into overdrive" and like a "live video game." The audience could even make choices that changed how the scenes played out!
In 2018, he was honored by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand for his contributions to entertainment in New Zealand. He has also performed in solo stage shows, including No Holds Bard in 2018 and An Illiad in 2019.
Filmography
Starring Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Prisoners | Sciano | Film |
| 1982 | Casualties of Peace | Peter | TV movie |
| 1984 | Constance | Photographer (scenes deleted) | Film |
| Heroes | Dave Nelson | TV series | |
| Death Warmed Up | Michael Tucker | Film | |
| 1985 | Dangerous Orphans | Moir | |
| 1986 | Heroes II | Dave Nelson | TV series |
| 1989 | The Shadow Trader | Bob Hoyle | TV mini-series |
| 1992 | The Footstep Man | Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec | Film |
| 1993 | Typhon's People | Constantine | TV movie |
| Desperate Remedies | Willam Poyser | Film | |
| 1994 | Hercules and the Amazon Women | Iolaus | TV movie |
| Hercules in the Underworld | Aelus/Charon | ||
| Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur | Iolaus | ||
| 1995 | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | Iolaus/Charon/Orestes/Dahak/Widow Twankey | TV series (79 episodes) |
| 1997 | A Moment Passing | Joey | Short Film |
| The Bar | |||
| Highwater | Hugh Chance | TV movie | |
| 1998 | Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus | Iolaus | Voice |
| Young Hercules | The Jeweler | Video | |
| 1999 | I'll Make You Happy | Lou | Film |
| This Is It | Narrator, host, and various historical figures | TV special | |
| 2001 | The Man Who Has Everything | George Allwell | TV movie |
| 2002 | Honey | Nic | Short Film |
| Showstoppers | celebrity judge | TV series | |
| 2003 | Murder on the Blade? | Defence lawyer | TV movie |
| 2004 | Fracture | Athol Peet | Film |
| Hold the Anchovies | Manager & Old Iraqi | Video | |
| 2005 | The Magician | The Agent | Film |
| 2006 | Maddigan's Quest | Maska | TV series |
| Treasure Island Kids: The Monster of Treasure Island | ferry pilot | Film | |
| 2007 | Ask Your Uncles | Presenter | TV series |
| The Tattooist | Crash | Film | |
| We're Here To Help | Rodney Hide | ||
| The Last Magic Show | Trevor Norton | ||
| The Map Reader | Alison's father | ||
| 2009 | ... Slap | Gage | |
| 2012 | Inorganic | Brett | Short Film |
| 2014 | Death Walks into a Bar | God of War | |
| 2018 | Vermilion | Smoking Man | Film |
| Dead | Ross Marbeck | Film | |
| 2019 | Northspur | Green (lead) | Film |
Guest-Starring Roles
| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Thirty Minute Theatre | Jim | "Tinkling Brass" |
| 1983 | Both Sides of the Fence | Gary McNabb | 1.09 |
| Country GP | Mark Sloane | 1.32 | |
| 1985 | Hanlon | Elliott | 1.6 "In Defence of Shue Rock" |
| Defence Lawyer | 1.7 "In Defence" | ||
| 1989 | Shark in the Park | David Jennings | 2.8 "Acting Sergeant" |
| 1990 | The New Adventures of Black Beauty | Kurt | 1.08 "The Birdman" |
| The Ray Bradbury Theater | Roger Shumway | 4.08 "The Toynbee Convector" | |
| 1991 | For the Love of Mike | Laurie | 1.06 |
| 1992 | The Ray Bradbury Theater | Lt. Simmons | 6.06 "The Long Rain" |
| 1995, 1997 | Xena: Warrior Princess | Iolaus | 1.08 "Prometheus", 2.13 "The Quest" |
| 1996 | Charon | 1.16 "Mortal Beloved" | |
| 1997 | E! News Daily | Himself | |
| Entertainment Tonight | |||
| 1998 | Young Hercules | Charon | 1.20 "A Lady in Hades" |
| 1999 | Celebrity Profile | Himself | "Lucy Lawless" |
| Backch@t | 2.01 | ||
| Sunday News Give Us a Clue | |||
| Duggan | Michael Taylor | 1.3 "A Shadow of Doubt: Part 1" | |
| 1.4 "A Shadow of Doubt: Part 2" | |||
| 2000 | Topp Twins | celebrity golfer | 3.05 "Bowls and Golf" |
| Mai Time | Himself | ||
| Celebrity Profile | "Kevin Sorbo" | ||
| Jack of All Trades | Captain Nardo da Vinci | 2.2 "Shark Bait" | |
| 2001 | Love Mussel | Stephen Jessop | TV movie |
| Xena: Warrior Princess | Nigel | 6.13 "You Are There" | |
| 2002 | Andromeda | Ryan | 2.20 "The Knight, Death and the Devil" |
| Mataku | Dr. Forbes | 1.05 "The Final Plume" | |
| 2003 | Good Morning | Himself | |
| Shortland Street | Greg Vicelich | Recurring (10 episodes) | |
| Power Rangers: Ninja Storm | "D.J. Drummond" (voice) | 1.20 "Good Will Hunter" | |
| "Vexacus" (voice) | 1.27 "Shane's Karma: Part 2", 1.30 "The Wild Wipeout", 1.31 "Double-Edged Blake", 1.33 "General Deception, Part I", 1.34 "General Deception, Part II", 1.35 "A Gem of a Day", 1.36 "Down and Dirty", 1.37 "Storm Before the Calm, Part I", 1.38 "Storm Before the Calm, Part II" | ||
| 2005 | Power Rangers: S.P.D. | Silverhead (voice) | 1.28 "Robotpalooza" |
| Frontseat | Himself | 2.24 | |
| 2007 | Here to Stay | 1.03 "The English" | |
| 2009 | Legend of the Seeker | Amfortas | 1.13 "Revenant" |
| 2010 | The Jono Project | "Michael Hurst" | 1.12 "Sir Butch" |
| 2012 | Spartacus: Vengeance | Roman soldier – uncredited | 2.09 "Monsters" |
| The Almighty Johnsons | Kvasir | 2.01 "And She Will Come to You" | |
| 2.11 "The House of Jerome" | |||
| 2.12 "You Call This the Real World?" | |||
| 2.13 "Does this Look Like Asgard?" | |||
| Auckland Daze | Michael | 1.06 | |
| 2014 | 2.05 | ||
| 2.06 | |||
| 2016 | Terry Teo | Cornelius Jones | 1.04 "Head to Head" |
| Highroad | The Director | 3.04 "39 Lashes" | |
| 2020 | Dead | Ross Marbeck | |
| 2021 | My Life is Murder | Otto Klein | 2.10 "Pleasure & Pain" |
| Power Rangers: Dino Fury | Nibyro Guardian (voice) | 1.20 "Waking Nightmare" |
Director
Michael Hurst has directed many TV shows and films. The numbers in brackets show how many episodes he directed for each TV series.
| Title | Year | Credited as | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Director | |||
| I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry | 1994 | Yes | Short film, also writer |
| Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | 1996–99 | Yes (6) | Television series |
| A Silent Welcome | 1976 | Yes | Short film, also writer |
| Amazon High | 1997 | Yes | Unaired pilot |
| Xena: Warrior Princess | 1997–2001 | Yes (6) | Television series |
| Jack of All Trades | 2000 | Yes (2) | |
| Jubilee | Yes | ||
| Love Mussel | 2001 | Yes | Television film |
| Treasure Island Kids 2: The Monster of Treasure Island | 2006 | Yes | |
| Treasure Island Kids 3: The Mystery of Treasure Island | Yes | ||
| Legend of the Seeker | 2009–10 | Yes (7) | Television series |
| Spartacus | 2010–13 | Yes (8) | |
| The Almighty Johnsons | 2013 | Yes (2) | |
| The Brokenwood Mysteries | 2014 | Yes (1) | |
| Step Dave | 2014–15 | Yes (5) | |
| Tatau | 2015 | Yes (2) | |
| Ash vs Evil Dead | Yes (2) | ||
| Balloons | 2016 | Yes | Short film, also writer |
| Westside | 2016–present | Yes (15) | Television series |
| 800 Words | 2016–17 | Yes (10) | |
| The Dead Lands | 2020 | Yes (4) | |
| Between Two Worlds | Yes (2) | ||
| My Life is Murder | 2021 | Yes (2) | |
| Power Rangers Dino Fury | Yes (6) | ||
| Power Rangers Cosmic Fury | 2023 | Yes (6) |
Producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Spartacus: War of the Damned | TV series |
Writer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry | Screenplay |
| 1996 | Clown Story | Story |
