Rachel Ward | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ward in 2012 | |
| Born | Rachel Claire Ward 1957 or 1958 (age 67–68) England, U.K. |
| Citizenship |
|
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, includingMatilda Brown |
| Relatives | Tracy, Duchess of Beaufort (sister) |
Rachel Claire WardAM (born 1957 or 1958) is a British and Australian actress. She became known for her performance in the television miniseriesThe Thorn Birds, where she met her husband, Australian actor and directorBryan Brown. Among others, she directed the feature filmsBeautiful Kate (2009) andPalm Beach (2019).
Rachel Claire Ward[citation needed] was born in 1957 or 1958 in England, the eldest daughter of Claire and Peter Alistair Ward, who was the son of theWilliam Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley. Her younger sister is environmental campaigner and former actressTracy Louise Ward, Duchess of Beaufort. She grew up in Cornwell Manor, inCornwell,Oxfordshire,[1] which her parents bought in 1959, and remains in the hands of the Ward family as of January 2026[update].[2] Her parents divorced when she was twelve, and both remarried. Her father had two[1] or three more sons, one of whom inherited the manor;[2] the girls were not mentioned in the will, after their father died in 2009.[1] Her mother became the long-term partner ofLord Lambton, aConservative Party MP whose career ended when he was embroiled in a scandal with prostitutes.[1]
Ward attendedHatherop Castle School,Hatherop,Gloucestershire.[1] then theByam Shaw School of Art inKensington, West London. She left school at age 16 to become a fashion and photography model.[3]
During her modelling career, Ward was featured on the covers ofVogue,Harper's & Queen, andCosmopolitan magazines.[citation needed]
After moving to the United States in 1977, she appeared in television advertisements such as theLincoln Mercury "Cougar Girl"[4] andRevlon's "Scoundrel Girl".[5]
In 1981, she received aGolden Globe Award nomination for "New Star of the Year" for her role in the crime drama filmSharky's Machine starring withBurt Reynolds.[citation needed] The following year, she starred in the comedyDead Men Don't Wear Plaid withSteve Martin.[citation needed] Her big break came in 1983, when she starred oppositeRichard Chamberlain as the lead role portraying Meggie Cleary in the television miniseriesThe Thorn Birds, for which she wasnominated for aGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. Ward assigns much of the credit for this breakthrough performance to acting coachSandra Seacat, first for simply helping her get the job (after her disastrous first reading)[6] and then for the quality of the finished performance, assembled over the course of a gruelling five-month shooting schedule, while undergoing a simultaneous and no less gruelling makeover programme at the hands of Seacat.[7] Also in 1983, U.S. audiences voted Ward one of the world's 10 most beautiful women.[8] In 1984, she played Jess in thefilm noir remakeAgainst All Odds, withJeff Bridges andJames Woods.[citation needed] After filmingFortress in 1985, Ward then disappeared from film for a few years to study acting.[citation needed]
She reappeared in 1987 playing opposite her husband,Bryan Brown (whom she met on the set ofThe Thorn Birds), inThe Umbrella Woman.[citation needed] In 2001, she was againnominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for her role inOn the Beach (2000).[citation needed] Also in 2001, Ward won theAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Short Fiction Film forThe Big House,[9] and Best Australian Film atFlickerfest. The film also won theFilm Critics Circle of Australia award, as did her 2003 filmMartha's New Coat. That film also won the 2003ATOM Award.
In 2006, Ward acted inKevin Connor's mini-seriesBlackbeard, made for theHallmark Channel.[10]
In 2007, Ward returned to television, headlining the newABC dramaRain Shadow. She played a country veterinarian named Kate McDonald, a free spirit who confronts personal and professional obstacles in a rural,drought-affected town.[citation needed]
In 2009, she directed her first feature-length film titledBeautiful Kate, which she adapted from a 1982Newton Thornburg novel. It premiered at theSydney Film Festival.[citation needed]
| External images | |
|---|---|
 1970s photo of Ward withPeter Cook by Michael White,The Daily Telegraph | |
| Portrait of Rachel Ward by Jan Williamson |
In 2003, a portrait of Ward by artistJan Williamson won thePacking Room Prize at theArchibald Prize competition.[11]
In 2005, Ward was made a Member of theOrder of Australia "for service to raising awareness of social justice through lobbying, mentoring and advocacy for the rights of disadvantaged and at-risk young people, and support for the Australian film and television industry".[12]
As a young woman, Ward briefly dated David Kennedy, son ofRobert F. Kennedy.[8]
Ward married Australian actorBryan Brown in 1983. They have three children: Rosie,Matilda and Joe.[13][14]
She became an Australian citizen around 1986.[15]
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Night School (akaTerror Eyes) | Eleanor Adjai | |
| 1981 | Sharky's Machine | Dominoe Brittain | Nominated –Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress |
| 1982 | Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid | Juliet Forrest | |
| 1983 | The Final Terror | Margaret | |
| 1984 | Against All Odds | Jessie Wyler | |
| 1987 | Hotel Colonial | Irene Costa | |
| 1987 | The Umbrella Woman | Marge Hills | |
| 1989 | How to Get Ahead in Advertising | Julia Bagley | |
| 1990 | After Dark, My Sweet | Fay Anderson | |
| 1992 | Christopher Columbus: The Discovery | Isabella I of Castile | |
| 1992 | Double Obsession | Grandmother | |
| 1993 | Wide Sargasso Sea | Annette Cosway | |
| 1994 | The Ascent | Patricia | |
| 2007 | Shotgun! [An Opening Sequence] | Adrianna | Short film |
| 2011 | Free Rain | Herself | Documentary film |
| 2013 | The Last Impresario | Interviewee | |
| 2016 | The Death and Life of Otto Bloom | Dr. Ada Fitzgerald | |
| 2018 | Peter Rabbit | Josephine Rabbit | Voice role |
| 2020 | I Am Burt Reynolds | Herself | Documentary film |
| Year | Title | Type | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Blindman's Bluff | Short film | Yes | Yes |
| 2001 | The Big House | Short film | Yes | Yes |
| 2003 | Martha's New Coat | Feature film | Yes | No |
| 2009 | Beautiful Kate | Feature film | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | Palm Beach | Feature film | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Christmas Lilies of the Field | Jenny | TV movie |
| 1981 | Dynasty | Edna Macready | Episode "The Dinner Party" |
| 1983 | The Thorn Birds | Meghan 'Meggie' Cleary | Miniseries |
| 1985 | Fortress | Sally Jones | TV movie |
| 1988 | Mike Willessee's Australians | Vivian Bullwinkle | Episode "Vivian Bullwinkle" |
| 1989 | Shadow of the Cobra | Chris Royston | Miniseries |
| 1991 | And the Sea Will Tell | Jennifer Jenkins | TV movie |
| 1992 | Black Magic | Lillian Blatman | TV movie |
| Double Jeopardy | Lisa Burns Donnelly | TV movie | |
| 1994 | In the Name of Love | Hostess | |
| All You Need to Know | TV movie | ||
| 1996 | Twisted Tales | Sara | Episode "Third Party" |
| 1997 | My Stepson, My Lover | Caitlin Cory / Wife | TV movie |
| 1999 | Seasons of Love | Kate Linthorne | Miniseries |
| 2000 | On the Beach | Moira Davidson | TV movie |
| 2001 | And Never Let Her Go | Christine Sheve | TV movie |
| 2002 | Bobbie's Girl | Roberta Langham | TV movie |
| Johnson County War | Queenie | TV movie | |
| 2006 | Blackbeard | Sally Dunbar | Miniseries |
| Monarch Cove | Arianna Preston | 14 episodes | |
| 2007 | Rain Shadow | Kate McDonald | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Darby and Joan | English Sat Nav | 1 episode |
Director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Knot at Home Project | Documentary series |
| Two Twisted | Episode "Heart Attack" | |
| 2010 | Rake | Episodes "R vs Dana" and "R vs Lorton" |
| 2011 | My Place | Episodes "1848 Johanna", "1838 Davey" and "1828 Alice" |
| 2012 | The Straits | Episodes "The Hunt for Vlad", "Epiphanies" and "The Price" |
| 2013 | An Accidental Soldier | TV movie |
| 2014 | Devil's Playground | Episodes "The Tail of the Serpent", "I Will Bring Fire Onto This Earth" and "He Maketh My Way Perfect" |
| 2023 | Rachel’s Farm | Documentary film about Ward's efforts to regenerate her Australian farm. |
Ward's stage performances include:[16]
| Year | Title | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Doll’s House | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney | |
| 1990 | Hopping to Byzantium | Jessica Fox | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney |
| 1997 | Keyboard Skills | Ensemble Theatre, Sydney | |
| 1998 | The Piccadilly Bushman | Meg Ritchie | Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne withPlaybox Theatre Company |
Ward, now 52, to feel at ease with herself. As the Earl of Dudley's niece, Ward was brought up in Cornwell Manor in the Cotswolds,...
At 16, she left school to pursue a modeling career.
The British-born film director and actor who has been an Australian citizen for 30 years
Media related toRachel Ward at Wikimedia Commons
