Robert Trebor, Hercules and Xena Actor, Dead at 71

Robert Trebor, star of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its sister series, Xena: Warrior Princess, has died at the age of 71. Trebor’s wife, Deirdre Hennings, told The Hollywood Reporter that the actor died on March 11th at Los Angeles Medical Center of sepsis after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2012. Hennings stated that Trebor had a stem-cell transplant the following year in 2013. His role as the scheming merchant Salmoneus spanned both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, and Trebor also played the Son of Sam serial killer in the CBS made-for-TV movie Out of the Darkness.

David Berkowitz, aka the Son of Sam, was a serial killer back in the 1970s New York. Martin Sheen played detective Ed Zigo, who helped to capture Berkowitz. Trebor called playing Son of Sam “emotionally and physically draining,” in a 2003 interview. He played the Son of Sam during the day, while at night Trebor was performing in a Broadway comedy called The Crate Those. These turned into 18-hour workdays.

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Trebor’s resume also includes 1986’s 52 Pickup by John Frankenheimer, 1987’s Making Mr. Right Susan Seidelman, 1988’s Talk Radio by Oliver Stone, and 2016’s Hail, Caesar (2016) from the Coen brothers. Hail, Caesar was Trebor’s final onscreen role, where he played a movie producer.

Pop culture fans will remember Robert Trebor for the role of Salmoneus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. He first took up the role in 1994’s Hercules and the Lost Kingdom TV movie before appearing in 20 episodes of the Kevin Sorbo-starring series, spanning its first five seasons from 1995 through 1999. Trebor then appeared as Salmoneus in four episodes of Lucy Lawless’ Xena from 1996 through 1999.

“The arc for Salmoneus is to try to be a good person, but his essential mercantile instincts kept interfering with that,” Trebor told The Voyageur fansite in 2001. “I never saw him as a thief. Autolycus [played by Bruce Campbell] was the thief. I never saw him as a con man either, although I could understand why other people could. He was just a very enthusiastic guy who didn’t read the fine print and needed to make a living when he wasn’t a farmer or fighter. He lived by his glib tongue.”

He was born Robert Alan Schenkman in Philadelphia on June 7, 1953. His wife said his stage name is a palindrome, so he wouldn’t be confused with his classmate and Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Schenkkan, who wrote the play The Kentucky Cycle.

The Braid is taking donations in Robert Trebor’s memory, along with the Leukemia Research Foundation. A scholarship fund is being established in his name.

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