Bryan Brown | |
|---|---|
 Brown at the2009 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | (1947-06-23)23 June 1947 (age 77) Panania,New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingMatilda |
Bryan Neathway Brown[1]AM (born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films includeBreaker Morant (1980),Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984),F/X (1986),Tai-Pan (1986),Cocktail (1988),Gorillas in the Mist (1988),F/X2 (1991),Along Came Polly (2004),Australia (2008),Kill Me Three Times (2014) andGods of Egypt (2016). He was nominated for aGolden Globe Award and anEmmy Award for his performance in the televisionminiseriesThe Thorn Birds (1983).
Brown was born inPanania, a south-westernSydney suburb, the son of salesman John "Jack" Brown and Molly Brown, a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet and a drama student at the Edith Paull Drama School, who also worked as a house cleaner.[2] He grew up with his younger sister, Kristine, in Panania, and began working atAMP as anactuarial student. He started to act in amateur theatre performances,[3] where he discovered a passion for acting.
Brown went to Britain in 1972 and eventually won minor roles atthe Old Vic. He returned to Australia and became a member of theGenesian Theatre, Sydney. He appeared in Colleen Clifford's production ofA Man for All Seasons, before joining theQueensland Theatre Company in 1975 for a tour ofThe Rainmaker.[4]
He made his cinema debut inScobie Malone (1975) as a policeman. He delivered two lines and was listed last in the credits as "Brian Bronn".
In 1977, he had the lead in a short feature,The Love Letters from Teralba Road (1977), which was written and directed byStephen Wallace.[5]
Brown had small roles inThe Irishman (1978), which was directed byDonald Crombie,Weekend of Shadows (1978) fromTom Jeffrey, andThe Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978), which was directed byFred Schepisi.
He had a bigger part inNewsfront (1978), which was directed byPhil Noyce, the miniseriesAgainst the Wind (1978), which was directed bySimon Wincer, andMoney Movers (1978), which was directed byBruce Beresford.
Brown had the lead in the low budget filmThird Person Plural (1979) fromJames Ricketson and a key role in Jeffrey'sThe Odd Angry Shot (1979) and Crombie'sCathy's Child (1979).[6] He played the lead in a short for Wallace,Conman Harry and the Others (1979), and had a leading role inAlbie Thoms'Palm Beach (1980).[7][8]
In 1980, Brown became known to international audiences for his performance inBreaker Morant, directed by Beresford.[9][10]
Brown played the leading role in Wallace'sStir (1980). He had starring roles inBlood Money (1980), a thriller, andWinter of Our Dreams (1981), a relationship drama withJudy Davis written and directed byJohn Duigan.
Brown had a huge international success playing the lead role in the TV miniseries, "A Town Like Alice" (1981), which won popularity in the United States. This co-starredHelen Morse and the two of them were reteamed inFar East (1982), written and directed by Duigan.
Brown had another big success internationally with his role as Luke O'Neil inThe Thorn Birds (1983), starringRichard Chamberlain andRachel Ward (whom he later married).[11] Brown was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie for his work.
This led to a number of international offers for Brown. He had the lead in a British TV film,Kim (1984) (playing a British agent in Imperial India) and supportedPaul McCartney inGive My Regards to Broad Street (1984).
Brown returned to Australia for another miniseries from the makers ofAlice,Eureka Stockade (1984), but it was not as popular.[12]
In the UK, Brown played an Australian hitman inParker (1985) and he returned home to play Cliff Hardy inThe Empty Beach (1985). He supportedMatt Dillon andDebra Byrne inRebel (1985).
Brown was given the lead role in the US action filmF/X (1986), which was a hit. HoweverTai-Pan (1986), directed by Daryl Duke fromThe Thorn Birds, was a huge flop, despite being based on a best seller byJames Clavell.
Brown returned to Australia to makeThe Umbrella Woman (1987) with Ward and then a new version ofThe Shiralee (1987). He supportedTom Cruise inCocktail (1988) andSigourney Weaver inGorillas in the Mist (1989).
In Australia he played the lead in a World War Two drama,Blood Oath (1990), directed by Wallace[13] and did a romantic comedy based on a story by him andTony Morphett,Sweet Talker (1991), directed by Mike Jenkins.[14]
In the US he didF/X2 (1991), a sequel toF/X, where he was also executive producer, and the TV filmDead in the Water (1991).
He did a comedy withDudley Moore,Blame It on the Bellboy (1992), followed by some thrillers:Devlin (1992),The Last Hit (1993), andAge of Treason (1994); in the latter he was a detective in Ancient Rome.
Brown had the lead in a short lived British TV seriesThe Wanderer (1994) and starred in the popular cable filmFull Body Massage (1995).
Brown returned to Australia to star inDead Heart (1996), which he also produced.[15] He produced and starred inTwisted Tales (1996) which led to an anthology TV series. He playedNed Land in the 1997 miniseries20,000 Leagues Under the Sea withMichael Caine, then did a TV film forKen Russell,Dogboys (1998) and a thrillerOn the Border (1998). In 1999 Brown starred in the romantic comedyDear Claudia and had a support role inTwo Hands (1999) withHeath Ledger andRose Byrne.
Brown starred inGrizzly Falls (1999), andJourney to the Center of the Earth (1999). In Australia he had a support role inRisk (2000) and the lead inOn the Beach (2000) andDirty Deeds (2002) which he also produced. He produced a short film by his wife,The Big House (2001). Brown had support roles inFootsteps (2003),Along Came Polly (2004),Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman (2005),Spring Break Shark Attack (2005), andThe Poseidon Adventure (2005). He produced a short feature directed by his wife,Martha's New Coat (2005) and madeTwo Twisted (2005). Back in Australia Brown was inJoanne Lees: Murder in the Outback (2007), andCactus (2008), which he also co produced. He was inDean Spanley (2008), and had a small role inAustralia (2008).
Brown produced and had a small role inBeautiful Kate (2009), directed by his wife. He was inLimbo (2010) andLove Birds (2011) and guest starred onThe Good Wife. He had the lead inBetter Man (2013) and appeared inAn Accidental Soldier (2013) also directed by his wife. He and his daughter did a series of shorts,Lessons from the Grave (2013). He starred in the ghost filmThe Darkside (2013) and had the lead in a TV seriesOld School (2013). In 2014 he appeared on stage for theSydney Theatre Company at theWharf Theatre withAlison Whyte inDavid Williamson's playTravelling North.[16]
He was inKill Me Three Times (2013),Cocktails & Dreams (2015),Deadline Gallipoli (2015),Gods of Egypt (2015),The Light Between Oceans (2016), andRed Dog: True Blue (2016). He had roles inAustralia Day (2017), andSweet Country (2017) and is inPalm Beach directed by his wife, and the 2019 TV seriesBloom.
Brown appeared in the opening ceremony of the2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
In June 2024, Brown would return toDarby and Joan (TV series) after the show was renewed for a second series.[17][18]
His 2021 crime novel,Sweet Jimmy, was published byAllen & Unwin in print[19] and as audio book, narrated by Brown.[20]Sweet Jimmy was highly praised by film historian and authorBrian McFarlane, who called it "an extraordinary piece of work".[19]
His second book,The Drowning, was published in 2023 in print[21] and as audio book, narrated by Brown.[22]
Brown's production company made the seriesTwisted Tales andTwo Twisted (similar toAlfred Hitchcock Presents). The second series had an additional twist: both stories in each episode were connected in some way, and the audience was invited to try to spot the connection.
Brown was inducted into theLogie Hall of Fame in 1989. He received theAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role forBreaker Morant (1980) and forTwo Hands (1999). In 2024 Brown was nominated and won a Logie for Best Supporting Actor for his work inBoy Swallows Universe..[23]
In June 2005, Brown was made a Member of theOrder of Australia "for service to the community through a range of charitable organisations committed to providing assistance and support to families and young people and to the Australian film and television industry."[24]
The Bryan Brown Theatre & Function Centre inBankstown, Sydney, was named after him in 2013.[25] He won Longford Lyell Award at theAACTA Awards in 2018.[26]
When Bryan Brown was first introduced toRachel Ward on the set of the TV miniseriesThe Thorn Birds in 1983, he read her palm and predicted she would have three children. They married a few months after filming wrapped.[27] They have three children, Rosie,Matilda and Joe.[27]
He is a strong supporter ofAustralian republicanism.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | The Love Letters from Teralba Road | Len | Short film |
| 1978 | Third Person Plural | Mark | Feature film |
| 1978 | The Irishman | Eric Haywood | Feature film |
| 1978 | Weekend of Shadows | Bennett | Feature film |
| 1978 | The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith | Shearer | Feature film |
| 1978 | Newsfront | Geoff | Feature film |
| 1978 | Money Movers | Brian Jackson | Feature film |
| 1979 | Cathy's Child | Paul Nicholson | Feature film |
| 1979 | The Odd Angry Shot | Rogers | Feature film |
| 1980 | Palm Beach | Paul Kite | Feature film |
| 1980 | Breaker Morant | Lt.Peter Handcock | Feature film AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1980 | Stir | China Jackson | Feature film Nominated forAACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| 1980 | Blood Money | Brian Shields | Feature film |
| 1981 | Winter of Our Dreams | Rob | Feature film |
| 1982 | Far East | Morgan Keefe | Feature film |
| 1984 | Give My Regards to Broad Street | Steve | Feature film |
| 1984 | Kim | Mahbub Ali | TV film |
| 1985 | Parker | David Parker | Feature film |
| 1985 | The Empty Beach | Cliff Hardy | Feature film |
| 1985 | Rebel | Tiger | Feature film Nominated forAACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1986 | F/X | Roland 'Rollie' Tyler | Feature film |
| 1986 | Tai-Pan | Dirk Struan | Feature film |
| 1987 | The Good Wife (akaThe Umbrella Woman) | Sonny Hills | Feature film |
| 1987 | The Shiralee | Macauley | TV film |
| 1988 | Cocktail | Doug Coughlin | Feature film |
| 1988 | Gorillas in the Mist | Bob Campbell | Feature film |
| 1990 | Blood Oath (akaPrisoners of the Sun) | Captain Cooper | Feature film |
| 1991 | Sweet Talker | Harry Reynolds | Feature film |
| 1991 | Dead in the Water | Charlie Deegan | TV film |
| 1991 | F/X2 | Rollie Tyler | Feature film |
| 1992 | Blame It on the Bellboy | Mike Lawton / Charlton Black | |
| 1992 | Devlin | Frank Devlin | TV film |
| 1993 | Age of Treason | Marcus Didius Falco | TV film |
| 1993 | The Last Hit | Michael Grant | TV film |
| 1995 | Full Body Massage | Fitch | TV film |
| 1996 | Dead Heart | Ray Lorkin | Feature film |
| 1997 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Ned Land | TV film |
| 1998 | Dogboys | Captain Robert Brown | TV film |
| 1998 | On the Border | Barry Montana | TV film |
| 1999 | Dear Claudia | Walter Burton | Feature film |
| 1999 | Two Hands | Pando | Feature film AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 1999 | Grizzly Falls | Tyrone Bankston | Feature film |
| 2000 | On the Beach | Dr. Julian Osborne | TV film |
| 2001 | Risk | John Kriesky | Feature film |
| 2001 | Mullet | Publican(voice) | Feature film |
| 2001 | Styx | Art | |
| 2002 | Dirty Deeds | Barry Ryan | Feature film |
| 2003 | Footsteps | Eddie Bruno | TV film |
| 2004 | Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman | Hal Thorne | TV film |
| 2004 | Along Came Polly | Leland Van Lew | Feature film |
| 2005 | Spring Break Shark Attack | Joel Gately | TV film |
| 2005 | The Poseidon Adventure | Jeffrey Eric Anderson | TV film |
| 2006 | Two Twisted | Detective Vincent Westler | TV film |
| 2007 | Joanne Lees: Murder in the Outback | Rex Wild QC | TV film |
| 2008 | Dean Spanley | Wrather | Feature film |
| 2008 | Cactus | Rosco | Feature film |
| 2008 | Australia | King Carney | Feature film |
| 2009 | Beautiful Kate | Bruce Kendall | Feature film Nominated forAACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role |
| 2010 | Limbo | Daniel | Feature film |
| 2011 | Love Birds | Dr. Buster | Feature film |
| 2013 | An Accidental Soldier | Captain Foster | TV film |
| 2014 | Kill Me Three Times | Bruce Jones | Feature film |
| 2016 | The Light Between Oceans | Septimus Potts | Feature film |
| 2016 | Gods of Egypt | Osiris | Feature film |
| 2016 | Red Dog: True Blue | Grandpa | Feature film |
| 2017 | Sweet Country | Sergeant Fletcher | Feature film |
| 2017 | Australia Day | Terry Friedman | Feature film |
| 2018 | Peter Rabbit | Mr. Rabbit (voice) | Feature film |
| 2019 | Palm Beach | Frank | Feature film (also producer) |
| 2023 | Anyone but You | Roger | Feature film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Against the Wind | Michael Connor | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 1981 | A Town Like Alice | Joe Harmon | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1983 | The Thorn Birds | Luke O'Neill | TV miniseries, 3 episodes Nominated –Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated –Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie |
| 1984 | Eureka Stockade | Peter Lalor | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1994 | The Wanderer | Adam | TV series, 13 episodes |
| 1996 | Twisted Tales | Jack Johnson | TV series, episode: "The Confident Man" |
| 1999 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | Casper Hastings | TV miniseries, 2 episodes |
| 2012 | The Good Wife | Jack Copeland | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Better Man | Lex Lasry | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Old School | Lennie Cahill | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 2015 | Let's Talk About | TV series | |
| 2019 | Halal Gurls | Gordon | ABC iView |
| 2019–20 | Bloom | Ray Reed | TV series, 12 episodes |
| 2020 | Hungry Ghosts | Neil Stockton | TV series |
| 2021 | The Moth Effect | Ted | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 2022–present | Darby and Joan | Jack Darby | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 2023 | Caught | Prime Minister Warren Whistle | TV series, 8 episodes |
| 2024 | Boy Swallows Universe | Slim Halliday | TV miniseries, 7 episodes |
