Renée O'Connor was born in Houston, Texas, to Walter and Sandra O'Connor (now Wilson), and raised in Katy, a Houston suburb. She attended Taylor High School and the Houston High School of Visual and Performing Arts. Renée has one older brother, Chris.

Renée appeared in commercials, including one for McDonalds, a feature film called Night Game, and some work for the Mickey Mouse Club in 1989. She also made guest appearances on TV shows such as NYPD Blue, before starring as Deineira in the Hercules TV movie "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom". She caught the eyes of executive producers Sam Raimi and Robert G. Tapert, who cast Renée in the 1994 film Darkman II: The Return of Durant. Soon after, Hercules' sister show, Xena: Warrior Princess was launched, and Renée was cast as Gabrielle, Xena's trusty sidekick.

Until 2001, Renée resided in Auckland, New Zealand, where Xena was filmed. She was married to restaurant owner Steve Muir (a kiwi, or New Zealander) in October 2000, in Austin, Texas, and they had a son. However, after the series ended, Renée returned to Texas and was divorced from Steve. In 2005, she had a baby girl with her new boyfriend, actor Jed Sura.
Attended High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Houston, Texas, 1989. Went to Houston High School of Visual and Performing Arts but transferred back to Taylor High School (Her first H.S.) in order to graduate with her friends. Engaged to long term boyfriend New Zealander Steve Muir. [February 2000] Mother - Sandra Wilson; Father - Walter O'Connor; Stepfather - Eddie Wilson; Brother - Chris O'Connor. Son, Miles William Muir born weighing 8 pounds 8 ounces. [22 September 2001] Played Lady Macbeth in the Shakespeare by the Sea's production of Macbeth. (Seven locations in the Los Angeles area, June 20 - August 17, 2002) When the producers of Xena: Warrior Princess became aware of how athletic her body was, it prompted the new costume for season 2. It became a running joke on the show that the costume continued to shrink as the seasons passed. Had a role in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-directed episode of Tales from the Crypt entitled "The Switch." Her role ended up on the cutting room floor. She and the other star in Xena: Warrior Princess, Lucy Lawless, are good friends. Favorite movie is The Piano. Has a cat named Kia Ora, which is Maori for "hello". Has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Her hobbies are rock climbing, kickboxing, horseback riding, and painting. Daughter, Iris Sura O'Connor, was born on March 19, 2006. Iris is Renée's second child. One teacher at Taylor HS (Katy, Texas) realized her potential for acting and got an autograph before Renée graduated, knowing that she'd become a star soon after. Renée's step-father Eddie Wilson is the former owner of The Armadillo World Headquarters which was located in Austin, Texas. He is currently owner of the original Threadgill's located in north Austin, Texas and its newer second location located in south Austin, Texas. All locations have been venues which many famous musicians have played. One of the first places Janis Joplin started singing was at Threadgill's while attending the University of Texas. She also paints. Her paintings have been exhibited in a show. She usually auctions her paintings via eBay in order to finance her independent projects and raise money for charity. While Lucy only had the one trademark armour that she wore for every episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, Renée had a total of seven main costumes -- two of them being used for the first season with a new one introduced for every season after that. As each season went by, each outfit continued to get smaller and more revealing. Was voted # 3 of the most intriguing people in 1996, # 2 in 1997, and one of the most beautiful people of 1997, by People Online. She made the cover of TV Guide on the July 29, 2000 to August 4, 2000, issue. It was one of eight collector's covers. Is proficient in several forms of martial arts and the use of martial arts weapons to including the Nunchaku, Bo-Staff and the Sai. Owns her own film production companies, ROC Pictures and ROC Productions. At the end of 2006 Reneé was chosen by LesbiaNATION.com as their most loved woman of 2006, a poll that she dominated all year. Her co-star from the Xena: Warrior Princess series, Lucy Lawless, ended up second in the poll.