---
name: "Michael Hurst"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/michael-hurst"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "20 September 1957"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 64
updated: "2026-09-16T23:22:00.895104+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Michael Hurst

Director. Born 20 September 1957 in Lancashire, England, UK.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 20 September 1957, Lancashire, England, UK
- **Active:** 1995–present
- **Also known as:** Michael Hurst (I), Michael Eric Hurst, Billy Wagstaff, Edith Sidebottom

## Biography

Michael Hurst is a British-born New Zealand actor, director and writer. Born on 20 September 1957 in Lancashire, England, he moved with his family to Christchurch, New Zealand, at the age of seven. He trained at the University of Canterbury and began his career in theatre, becoming known particularly for Shakespearean roles.

Hurst is best known internationally for playing Iolaus in the television series *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* (1995–1999) and for guest appearances as Iolaus and Charon in the companion series *Xena: Warrior Princess* (1995–2001). He has also appeared in films including *Bitch Slap* (2009) and series such as *Spartacus* (2010) and *Sweet Tooth* (2021).

As a director, Hurst has worked on multiple episodes of *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* and *Xena: Warrior Princess*, as well as later series including *Legend of the Seeker* (2008), *Spartacus* (2010) and *Ash vs Evil Dead* (2015). He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2005 for services to film and theatre.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Evil Dead Burn* (2026), Fi1m 55, as Benjamin Price (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/evil-dead-burn.md)
- *Xena: Warrior Princess* (1995), Fi1m 74, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/xena-warrior-princess.md)

## Also known for

- *Spartacus* (2010), Director
- *Ash vs Evil Dead* (2015), Director
- *Sweet Tooth* (2021), Walt
- *Power Rangers* (1993), Vexacus (voice), Nibyro Guardian (voice), Director
- *Hercules: The Legendary Journeys* (1995), Iolaus, Charon, Iolaus / Charon, Iolaus / Orestes, Director
- *Legend of the Seeker* (2008), Amfortas, Director
- *Bitch Slap* (2009), Gage
- *Andromeda* (2000), Ryan

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/michael-hurst