The fifth child of Frank and Julie Ryan, she found the joy of acting in secondary school.

While in Australia, 19-year-old Lucy found out she was pregnant. In 1988, Lucy and Garth were married in Kalgoorlie, Australia. They returned to New Zealand and had a daughter, Daisy Lawless). They divorced in 1995. Lawless married Xena executive producer, Robert G. Tapert, on March 28, 1998. The couple has two sons: Julius Robert Bay Tapert and Judah Miro Tapert.

Lawless had a guest role in 1990 on New Zealand TV series Shark in the Park. Played by the 1.79 m Lawless, Xena's character became popular and got her own series, Xena: Warrior Princess which debuted on 4 September 1995. The show was a hit, lasting six seasons.

An example of the popularity of Xena: Warrior Princess is that Lawless is a universally recognized celebrity despite the fact that she has not had a major role outside of the television series. In 1997, Lawless was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World by People magazine. She has since appeared in the Vagina Monologues, The X-Files, and Tarzan. She has had brief appearances in the movies Eurotrip, Spider-Man, and the horror film Boogeyman.

Public Name: Lucy Lawless
Birth Name: Lucille Frances Ryan
Date of Birth: March 29, 1968
Place of Birth: Mount Albert, New Zealand

Filmography

• Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight (2007)
• "Battlestar Galactica" (12 episodes, 2005-2006)
• "Veronica Mars" (1 episode, 2006)
• The Darkroom (2006)
• Vampire Bats (2005)
• Xena: The 10th Anniversary Collection (2005)
• Locusts (2005)
• "Two and a Half Men" (1 episode, 2005)
• Boogeyman (2005)
• "Less Than Perfect" (1 episode, 2004)
• EuroTrip (2004)
• "Tarzan" (7 episodes, 2003)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• Xena: Warrior Princess - A Friend in Need (The Director's Cut) (2002)
• "The X Files" (2 episodes, 2001)
• "Xena: Warrior Princess" (133 episodes, 1995-2001)
• "Just Shoot Me!" (1 episode, 2001)
• Ginger Snaps (2000)
• "Saturday Night Live" (1 episode, 1998)
• "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" (8 episodes, 1995-1998)
• Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus (1998)
• "High Tide" (2 episodes, 1994-1995)
• Peach (1995)
• Hercules and the Amazon Women (1994)
• Typhon's People (1993)
• "The Ray Bradbury Theater" (1 episode, 1992)
• The Rainbow Warrior (1992)
• "The Black Stallion" (1 episode, 1992)
• The End of the Golden Weather (1991)
• "For the Love of Mike" (1 episode, 1991)
• Within the Law (1990)
• A Bitter Song (1990)
• "Shark in the Park" (1 episode, 1990)
• "Funny Business" (1987)
• "Lucie, postrach ulice" (1980)