New Zealand's richest and most famous actress, Lucy Lawless, is suing Universal City Studios - a move that could substantially boost her fortune.

Lawless, whose role as Xena in Xena: Warrior Princess made her a cult television icon, claims Universal cheated her out of her share of profits from the show, which ran for six series and was broadcast in more than 100 countries.

Despite finishing more than two years ago, the popularity of Xena lives on.

US actor Kevin Sorbo, the star of Hercules, has also filed a lawsuit against Universal.

In their suits, filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, the actors claim Universal altered accounts for both shows to make them appear unprofitable, allowing the studio to take a greater share for itself.

The pair seek a review of the accounts as well as unspecified damages.

Lawless, who is worth $15 million according to the National Business Review Rich List, claims she is entitled to 5 per cent of adjusted gross receipts from each episode of the show, and Sorbo is claiming 8 per cent.

Lawless, who is in Canada filming her new series, Tarzan, in which she is playing Tarzan's aunt, could not be reached for comment last night and her New Zealand agent would not comment.

Auckland entertainment lawyer Karen Soich said there were legal precedents behind Lawless' claim.

Ms Soich said the cost of taking litigation in the United States was "horrendously high".

Despite this, the case was worth pursuing, she said, as Xena had run for a long time and there was a lot of additional income to be earned from such things as the reruns of the show and DVDs.

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