Biography

Meighan Desmond

Height: 5' 4"
Date of Birth: October 7, 1977
Hometown: Kaitaia, New Zealand

Meighan Desmond is a talented Kiwi actress best known to American audiences as Discord, the villainous (but often hilarious) goddess from Hercules and Xena.

Meighan left her hometown of Kaitaia at age 16, moving to Auckland to become an actress. She studied at the South Seas Film and Television School, where her tutor was David Coddington. Her first major role came on the popular New Zealand series, Shortland Street. In a recurring role from 1994 to 1996, Meighan played Lulu Chatfield, a troubled teenager.

A woman of many talents, Meighan is skilled with accents, can speak Japanese, and is adept at many sports including horseback riding and rollerblading. She also loves to travel. By her 19th birthday she had already made several trips to Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Mexico. After her last appearance on Shortland Street, she spent some time living in Los Angeles as well.

Meighan was first seen as Discord in the 1997 Xena episode, "The Deliverer," but she actually originated the role in the original Young Hercules pilot film, which was produced first and then later released on video and DVD. She went on to play the goddess in many episodes of Hercules, Xena, and in the subsequent Young Hercules series. In 2000, Discord made her seemingly final appearance, complete with spectacular death scene, in the Xena episode, "Motherhood." Meighan enjoyed her character's finale, saying "It was great fun to film. It's not every day you get to have your head cut off by Xena!"

Meighan's work in the entertainment industry is not limited to acting. She worked as an assistant to Ted Raimi on Xena, has worked in the talent representation field and is currently amassing an impressive set of behind the scenes credits - including work for the special effects department on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe and the art department for the New Zealand series Outrageous Fortune. Acting remains her first passion though, and hopefully she will continue to have success in her career both on and off camera.