# Kevin Smith (New Zealand actor)
**Kevin Tod Smith** (16 March 1963 – February 2002) was a New Zealand actor and rock musician best known for playing Ares, the Greek god of war, in the television series *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys*, *Xena: Warrior Princess*, and *Young Hercules*[1](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22475348). He died in February 2002, aged 38, from injuries sustained in a fall on a film set in Beijing[1](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22475348).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Tod Smith; born 1963 in Auckland, New Zealand[2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith) |
| Signature role | Ares, the Greek God of War, in *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys*, *Xena: Warrior Princess*, and *Young Hercules*[1](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22475348) |
| Triple role | From 1998 to 1999 he played Ares on all three series simultaneously[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/) |
| Award | New Zealand Film and Television Best Supporting Actor award, 1995, for *Marlin Bay*[4](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/) |
| Music | Recorded several albums in the 1980s with his band Say Yes to Apes; lead singer of the covers band The Wide Lapels[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith) |
| Death | Injured in a fall from a tower during filming in Beijing on 6 February 2002; died in a Beijing hospital of the resulting brain injuries[6](https://whoosh.org/issue74/mueller1.html) • [2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith) |
## Early life
Smith was born in Auckland and spent his early childhood there; his family moved to the rural [South Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-island) town of Timaru when he was 11[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/). He was educated at Timaru Boys' High School from 1976 to 1979 and began acting in the school's drama club[2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith) • [4](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/). Rugby came first: his ambition was to play for the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/). At 17 he moved to [Christchurch](https://www.edgepedia.org/christchurch), worked at a variety of jobs, and enrolled at Canterbury University at 20[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/).
## Entry into acting
Acting began literally by accident. While playing university rugby in 1987 he suffered a concussion, and his wife Suzanne signed him up to audition for the touring [Elvis Presley](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-presley) show *Are You Lonesome Tonight?*; he won the role of Elvis and was, in his own account, bitten by the acting bug[4](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/) • [7](https://www.xenaville.com/cast/kevin). His career began at The Court Theatre in Christchurch in 1987, where artistic director Elric Hooper was impressed by his versatility, and he co-founded the [Theatresports](https://www.edgepedia.org/theatresports) improvisation group Scared Scriptless in that city[2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith) • [4](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/).
He moved to Auckland to advance his career, taking television roles in *McPhail and Gadsby*, *Shortland Street*, *Gloss*, *City Life*, *Lawless*, and *Xena: Warrior Princess* and *Hercules*, alongside the New Zealand films *Desperate Remedies* (1993) and *Channelling Baby* (1999)[2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith) • [1](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22475348). On *Gloss* he played the rogue Damian Vermeer, a recurring character on New Zealand's primetime soap opera[4](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/). In 1996, cast as a sexually ambiguous landlord in the serial *City Life*, he took part in the first male-to-male kiss on New Zealand television[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/kevin-smith/umc.cpc.4snl4jqtqm1yj8ci8ppe3wkrt). He won the New Zealand Film and Television Best Supporting Actor award in 1995 for *Marlin Bay*[4](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/).
## Ares and the Hercules and Xena series
Smith's first appearance in the *Hercules* universe was as Iphicles, Hercules's brother, and he was soon cast as Ares, who is also Hercules's brother in the series[7](https://www.xenaville.com/cast/kevin). The role of Ares debuted on *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* played by a different actor before Smith took it over, a detail fan scholarship has often noted[9](https://whoosh.org/issue67/rudnick67.html). From 1998 to 1999 he played the same character on three different series at once: *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys*, *Xena: Warrior Princess*, and *Young Hercules*[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/). On *Xena*, Ares was one of the show's top recurring characters, repeatedly tempting Xena back toward her old ways, and Smith made his final appearance in the episode *Soul Possession*[7](https://www.xenaville.com/cast/kevin). He also voiced Ares in the 1998 animated movie *Hercules & Xena -- The Battle for Mount Olympus*[7](https://www.xenaville.com/cast/kevin).
In the *Xena* episode *The Bitter Suite* he revealed a rich singing voice that, in one fan account, stole the episode[7](https://www.xenaville.com/cast/kevin). Government tributes after his death emphasized that worldwide audiences would remember him as Ares, while [New Zealanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-zealanders) knew him across film, television, theater, music, and stand-up comedy[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith).
## Music, stage, and comedy
Music ran through Smith's career from the beginning. He played in rock-and-roll bands from high school onward, never having aspired to be an actor, and recorded several albums in the 1980s with his band Say Yes to Apes[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/). He was a lead singer in The Wide Lapels, a New Zealand covers band of fellow actors known for camp renditions of 1970s songs with persistently bad lyrics[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/). On stage he showed range well beyond villains: he performed in *Othello* in 1995[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/kevin-smith/umc.cpc.4snl4jqtqm1yj8ci8ppe3wkrt), and in 2001 he starred in the [Auckland Theatre Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/auckland-theatre-company)'s production of *The Blue Room*, which ran an extended, sold-out season[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith). He was also an improvisational comic with Theatresports and a stand-up performer[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith).
## Death
Early in 2002 Smith was filming *Warriors of Virtue 2*, a joint US-China martial-arts production, in Beijing; on 6 February 2002 he fell from a tower on the set and suffered severe head injuries[6](https://whoosh.org/issue74/mueller1.html). He died in a Beijing hospital on 15 or 16 February 2002, aged 38; sources record the date of death as 15 February[10](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/kevin-tod-smith.html) • [11](https://www.lucylawless.net/2013/02/remembering-kevin-smith-11-years-on.html) or 16 February[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith) • [2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith). The New Zealand government announced his death on 16 February, and the New Zealand film and television community mourned him publicly[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith). At the time of his death he was due to travel to the United States to film his first Hollywood movie with [Bruce Willis](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-willis)[2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith). He was survived by his wife, Suzanne, and their three sons, Oscar, Tyrone, and Willard[5](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith) • [2](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith).
## References
1. [Smith, Kevin Tod, 1963-2002, National Library of New Zealand](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22475348)
2. [Kevin Tod Smith, Timaru District Council Hall of Fame](https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/our-district/hall-of-fame/category-three/kevin-smith)
3. [Kevin Smith (1963-2002), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0808963/)
4. [Kevin Tod Smith, Purewa Cemetery notable graves](https://purewa.co.nz/notable-grave/kevin-tod-smith/)
5. [Kevin Smith, Beehive.govt.nz (New Zealand Government release, 16 February 2002)](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/kevin-smith)
6. [Farewell to Kevin Smith, Whoosh!, issue 74 (December 2002)](https://whoosh.org/issue74/mueller1.html)
7. [Kevin Smith, Xenaville cast page](https://www.xenaville.com/cast/kevin)
8. [Kevin Smith, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/kevin-smith/umc.cpc.4snl4jqtqm1yj8ci8ppe3wkrt)
9. [Kevin Smith: the Actor We Knew, the Man We Loved, Whoosh!, issue 67 (April 2002)](https://whoosh.org/issue67/rudnick67.html)
10. [Kevin Smith (TV Actor), Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/kevin-tod-smith.html)
11. [Remembering Kevin Smith 11 Years On, AUSXIP Lucy Lawless](https://www.lucylawless.net/2013/02/remembering-kevin-smith-11-years-on.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › New Zealand actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license