Kevin Sorbo's time in the spotlight has diminished since his Hercules days, but if you think
you've seen him around lately, you might just be right.
Keep watching to see what he's been up to!
In 2012, Sorbo published a book containing some shocking revelations.
In the later seasons of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, which aired from 1994 to 1999, viewers
started to notice a shift away from the title character and onto the shoulders of other
stars.
No one knew why there was a sudden flood of guest stars, and it wasn't until Sorbo published
his book that fans learned the truth: in 1997, he suffered three strokes as the result of
an aneurysm.
True Strength: My Journey from Hercules to Mere Mortal How Nearly Dying Saved My Life
is the story of just what happened to Sorbo.
He was in the middle of a promotional tour for Kull the Conqueror when he started to
feel some odd sensations in his left hand and arm, but doctors brushed it off.
The pain worsened during a workout, and he went to his chiropractor.
After driving home, he started suffering all the symptoms of a stroke.
It was then that doctors discovered and removed the aneurysm that was blocking blood flow
to his arm.
After returning to the Hercules set, Sorbo endured aftereffects like fatigue, depression,
and anxiety attacks.
He still suffers from nerve damage, residual pain, the occasional migraine, and a ten percent
loss of vision, and he says that the experience made him realize what was truly important
to him: his wife and his faith.
It also made him want to share his story in the hopes of helping others through similar
experiences.
"We are survivors and we should never, ever give up."
In 2014, fantasy fans got to see Sorbo don his medieval gear once again with the release
of Mythica: A Quest for Heroes, his second collaboration with the production company
Arrowstorm.
When he was approached to read the script, he was absolutely and unconditionally on board,
even though he was playing the wizard rather than the warrior this time around.
More Mythica movies followed, with The Darkspore and The Necromancer arriving in 2015, and
then The Iron Crown and The Godslayer in 2016.
When Sorbo spoke with Geek Dad in 2015, he acknowledged that while his role as the heroine's
mentor was limited in the initial film, he was going to play a bigger part as the story
went on.
When he was asked why fantasy had become his go-to genre, he admitted,
"Love that world.
No rules in the fantasy world.
Writers can do what they want and make it come to life.
Just fun to be a part of the fantasy."
Sorbo became famous for his portrayal of a legendary character, and in 2017 news broke
that he'd soon be associated with another famous franchise.
When it was first revealed that he would be playing a recurring character on The CW's
Supergirl, he was simply described as one of the show's many bad guys.
The mystery surrounding just who he was going to portray built for more than a month.
That's practically forever in internet time, but finally the studio eventually confirmed
that he'd be stepping into the boots of Mon-El's father, Lar Gand.
Sorbo ended up appearing in a three-episode arc, with former Lois Lane Teri Hatcher playing
his wife.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, he revealed that if things had gone a little
differently back in 1993, he would've ended up playing Superman opposite Hatcher in Lois
& Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
But, alas, that part ultimately went to Dean Cain instead.
Sorbo is a devout Christian, and recent years have seen him frequently turning his attention
to faith-based films.
In 2014's God's Not Dead, he stars as an atheist professor who challenges his students' views
on the existence of God.
"God.
Is.
Dead."
In 2014, he was also in Revelation Road: The Black Rider, a tale about what's left after
the Rapture, and Let the Lion Roar, in which he played Reformation leader John Calvin.
He even played Joseph in 2016's Joseph and Mary, a retelling of one of the Bible's most
well-known stories.
In a 2016 interview with Gospel Herald, he spoke about why he thought bringing faith-based
films to the big screen was important:
"I think that most people would agree that faith-based movies back in the '70s, '80s,
and even the '90s were very cheesy, poorly written, and poorly acted.
A lot of people were turned off by them, because they were also too preachy.
We live in a world where people don't want to be told what to believe in and what not
to believe in.
You have to walk a fine line to hold an audience."
Sorbo shows no sign of slowing down, even teaming up with Fox News' Sean Hannity for
Let There be Light, which is about an atheist who has a near-death experience.
Since 1997, Sorbo has been involved with almost every aspect of a charity called "A World
Fit For Kids!"
As a celebrity spokesperson, he's spoken out about things like the nationwide drop-out
rate for schools and childhood obesity, pushing to get A World Fit For Kids! to go outside
of California and into other parts of the country.
At its heart, the charity is an after-school program that touches on everything from physical
fitness, to training teens to become mentors for younger children, to preparing kids for
what they're going to be confronted with once they reach the working world.
"All kids deserve that kind of encouragement, but the reality is, most don't get it.
That's why I'm involved with A World Fit for Kids."
Sorbo has headed up fundraisers and participated in public service announcements about issues
like providing workplace mentors to students interested in pursuing their dreams.
In 2005, he took on another charity role as the spokesperson for the Afterschool Alliance,
an organization dedicated to providing safe and educational programs for students.
So even if you haven't seen much of Sorbo's recent film and TV appearances, he's still
been working steadily in whatever capacity he's passionate about.
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