Alexandra Huntingdon Tydings is an American actress, director, writer, producer, and activist, best known for her role as Greek Goddess Aphrodite on the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin-off, Xena: Warrior Princess.
Personal life Alexandra Tydings was born in Washington, D.C. She has four half-sisters and one half-brother, and is the daughter of former Maryland U.S. Senator Joseph Tydings and his second wife, Terry Lynn Huntingdon Tydings; she is the granddaughter of former Maryland U.S. Senator Millard Tydings. She is a graduate of Sidwell Friends School and Brown University, with a degree in film and critical theory. She speaks English, French and Spanish.
Tydings counts Katharine Hepburn and Kevin Spacey among her favorite actors. She told Whoosh, a Xena fansite, that she most enjoys the research and collaborating process of acting and that auditioning is her least favorite part of theater arts. She competed in Irish dancing as a child, and performed with The Royal Ballet of London at the Kennedy Center. Dance led to performance of all kinds; in addition to acting, she was the singer and bassist of bands Annabelle Kickbox and She's Seen You Naked.
Whoosh points out that Tydings maintained a vegetarian diet for 14 years, and that she enjoys gardening.
Career After graduating from Brown University, Tydings moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. In her first major feature film, she played opposite Woody Harrelson in Oscar winner Michael Cimino's The Sunchaser (1996), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. She has since performed in dozens of roles in film, television and theater, including six years as a series regular on Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys where she played Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love.
In 2015, Tydings wrote and directed The Trial of Hanna Porn, a multi-media piece on abortion, which won the Best of Fringe award at the Charm City Fringe Festival. She then went on to write, direct and produce Rainbow Bridge, an independent film about two women advocating for abortion in the United States.
Filmography
+Film and television Year Title Role Notes1993AliceAlice1993AngstRebel Girl1993QueerbaitArial1993Walking on SunshineTV pilot1993Red Shoe DiariesCeceliaLynnEpisode: "Love at First Sight"Episode: "Burning Up"1995Vanishing SonTinaEpisode: "Win, Place or Dead"1996The SunchaserVictoria Reynolds1996-1999Hercules: The Legendary JourneysAphrodite9 episodes1997Party of FiveKerryEpisode: "Handicaps"1997-2001Xena: Warrior PrincessAphrodite11 episodes1998Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount OlympusAphrodite (voice)Video1998Hercules: The Legendary JourneysKatherine (voice)Episode: "Porkules"1998Hercules: The Legendary JourneysKatherineEpisode: "One Fowl Day"1998Hotel del SolNinaTV pilot1999Dodge's CityCricketTV pilot2001SheenaElenaEpisode: "The Treasure of Sienna Mende"2002Another Pretty FaceJill TrentTV movie2008Arts EditorEpisode: "React Quotes"
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