Rachel Ward | |
|---|---|
 Ward in 2012 | |
| Born | Rachel Claire Ward September 12, 1957 Cornwell, Oxfordshire, England |
| Nationality | Australian [1] |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, film director, screenwriter, television director |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3, including Matilda Brown |
| Relatives | Tracy, Duchess of Beaufort (sister) |
| Website | Rachel Ward – New Town Films |
Rachel Claire Ward AM (born 12 September 1957) is an English-Australian [1] actress, film director, screenwriter and television director.
Ward was born in Oxfordshire near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, the daughter of Claire Leonora (née Baring) and the Hon. Peter Alistair Ward. Her grandfathers were William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley and the cricketer Giles Baring.[ citation needed ] Ward is also the great-granddaughter of William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, Governor-General of Australia 1908–11, and sister of environmental campaigner and former actress Tracy Louise Ward, Duchess of Beaufort. She attended Hatherop Castle School, Hatherop, Gloucestershire, [2] then the Byam Shaw School of Art in Kensington, West London. She left school at age 16 to become a fashion and photography model. [3] She briefly dated David Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy. [4]
During her modelling career, she was featured on the covers of Vogue , Harper's & Queen , and Cosmopolitan magazines. After moving to the United States in 1977, she appeared in television advertisements such as the Lincoln Mercury "Cougar Girl" [5] and Revlon's "Scoundrel Girl". [6] In 1981, she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for "New Star of the Year" for her role in the film Sharky's Machine starring with Burt Reynolds. The following year, she starred in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid with Steve Martin. Her big break came in 1983, when she starred opposite Richard Chamberlain as the lead role portraying Meggie Cleary in the television miniseries The Thorn Birds , for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. Ward assigns much of the credit for this breakthrough performance to acting coach Sandra Seacat, first for simply helping her get the job (after her disastrous first reading) [7] and then for the quality of the finished performance, assembled over the course of a grueling five-month shooting schedule, while undergoing a simultaneous and no less grueling makeover program at the hands of Seacat. [8] Also in 1983, U.S. audiences voted Ward one of the world's 10 most beautiful women. [4] In 1984, she played Jess in the film noir remake Against All Odds , with Jeff Bridges. After filming Fortress in 1985, Ward then disappeared from film for a few years to study acting.
She reappeared in 1987 playing opposite her husband, Bryan Brown (whom she met on the set of The Thorn Birds), in The Umbrella Woman . In 2001, she was again nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for her role in On the Beach (2000). Also in 2001, Ward won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Short Fiction Film for The Big House , [9] and Best Australian Film at Flickerfest. The film also won the Film Critics Circle of Australia award, as did her 2003 film Martha's New Coat. That film also won the 2003 ATOM Award.
| External images | |
|---|---|
 1970s photo of Ward with Peter Cook by Michael White, The Daily Telegraph | |
| Portrait of Rachel Ward by Jan Williamson |
In 2003, a portrait of Ward by artist Jan Williamson won the Packing Room Prize at the Archibald Prize competition. [10] In 2005, Ward was made a Member of the Order 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". [11]
In 2006, Ward acted in Kevin Connor's mini-series Blackbeard , made for the Hallmark Channel. [12]
In 2007, Ward returned to television, headlining the new ABC drama Rain Shadow . She played a country veterinarian named Kate McDonald, a free spirit who confronts personal and professional obstacles in a rural, drought-affected town.
In 2009, she directed her first feature-length film titled Beautiful Kate , adapted by Ward from a 1982 Newton Thornburg novel, and premiered at the Sydney Film Festival.
Ward has been married to the Australian actor Bryan Brown since 1983. They have three children: Rosie, Matilda and Joe. [13] [14]
Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Blindman's Bluff | Yes | Yes |
| 2001 | The Big House | Yes | Yes |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Martha's New Coat | Yes | No |
| 2009 | Beautiful Kate | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | Palm Beach | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Night School (aka Terror 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 |
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" |
Appearences
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Fashion | 1 episode |
| 1982 | NBC Today Show | 1 episode |
| 1989 | The Arsenio Hall Show | 1 episode |
| 1992 | Getaway | 1 episode |
| 1992 | The Midday Show | 1 episode |
| 1993 | A Current Affair | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Mulray | 1 episode |
| 1995, 1998, 2003 | Ten Eyewitness News | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Eleven A.M. | 1 episode |
| 1998; 2003 | Seven Nightly News | 2 episodes |
| 1998; 2003 | National Nine News | 2 episodes |
| 1998; 2003 | ABC News | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | A Current Affair | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Laws | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Midday with Kerri-Anne | 1 episode |
| 1998; 2000 | Good Morning Australia | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | The Big Schmooze | 1 episode |
| 2003 | What's Going On? | |
| 2003 | Enough Rope with Andrew Denton | 1 episode |
| 2003 | Sky News | 1 episode |
| 2009 | Kerri-Anne | |
| 2009 | The Chaser's War On Everything | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Moving Pictures Live! | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Breakfast | 1 episode |
| 2012 | Adam Hills in Gordon St. Tonight | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Pioneers of Television | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Studio 10 | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Sunrise | 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Morning Show | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Today Extra | 1 episode |
| 2019 | News Breakfast | 1 episode |
| 2019 | Better Homes and Gardens | 1 episode |
| 2019 | The Living Room | 1 episode |
| 2024 | The Cook Up | 1 episode |
Presenter
Host
TV special
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Dynasty | Edna Macready | Episode "The Dinner Party" |
| 1988 | Mike Willesse's Australians | Vivian Bullwinkle | Episode "Vivian Bullwinkle" |
| 1994 | In the Name of Love | Hostess | |
| 1996 | Twisted Tales | Sara | Episode "Third Party" |
| 2006 | Monarch Cove | Adrianna Preston | 14 episodes |
| 2007 | Rain Shadow | Kate McDonald | 6 episodes |
| 2022 | Darby and Joan | English Sat Nav | 1 episode |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Christmas Lilies of the Field | Jenny |
| 1985 | Fortress | Sally Jones |
| 1991 | And the Sea Will Tell | Jennifer Jenkins |
| 1992 | Black Magic | Lillian Blatman |
| Double Jeopardy | Lisa Burns Donnelly | |
| 1994 | All You Need To Know | |
| 1997 | My Stepson, My Lover | Caitlin Cory / Wife |
| 2000 | On the Beach | Moira Davidson |
| 2001 | And Never Let Her Go | Christine Sheve |
| 2002 | Bobbie's Girl | Roberta Langham |
| 2002 | Johnson County War | Queenie |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Thorn Birds | Meggie Cleary |
| 1989 | Shadow of the Cobra | Chris Royston |
| 1999 | Seasons of Love | Kate Linthorne |
| 2006 | Blackbeard | Sally Dunbar |
Jane Seymour is a British actress. After making her screen debut as an uncredited extra in the 1969 musical comedy Oh! What a Lovely War, Seymour transitioned to leading roles in film and television, including a leading role in the television series The Onedin Line (1972–1973) and the role of psychic Bond girl Solitaire in the James Bond film Live and Let Die (1973).
Claire Catherine Danes is an American actress. Prolific in film and television since her teens, she is the recipient of three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2012, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Judith Davis is an Australian actress. In a career spanning over four decades of both screen and stage, she has been commended for her versatility and regarded as one of the finest actresses of her generation. Frequent collaborator Woody Allen described her as "one of the most exciting actresses in the world". Davis has received numerous accolades, including nine AACTA Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards.
Rachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian actress. Raised primarily in Melbourne, she began her acting career appearing on the Australian series Secrets before being cast in a supporting role in the comedy Muriel's Wedding (1994), which earned her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. In 1997, she was the lead in Nadia Tass's drama Amy. She had a role opposite Julia Roberts in the American romantic comedy My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), followed by her portrayal of Hilary du Pré in Hilary and Jackie (1998), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Juliet Maryon Mills is a British-American actress.
Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey, is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including westerns and comedies. She began acting at age 17 in 1965 but did not achieve widespread critical acclaim until the 1980s. By that time, the Chicago Tribune referred to her as "one of America's finest actresses".
Sydney Margaret Penny is an American actress. She began her career as a child performer appearing in made-for-television movies. She made her big screen debut in the Western film Pale Rider directed by Clint Eastwood. She received total six Young Artist Awards nominations, winning two for playing Young Meggie Cleary in the miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983), and for Pale Rider. Penny also starred in the sitcom The New Gidget (1986–1988), and played Bernadette Soubirous in the French drama film Bernadette (1988) and its sequel The Passion of Bernadette (1990) both directed by Jean Delannoy.
Lesley Ann Warren is an American actress, singer and dancer.
Bryan Neathway Brown AM is an Australian actor and author. He has performed in over eighty film and television projects since the late 1970s, both in his native Australia and abroad. Notable films include Breaker 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) and Gods of Egypt (2016). He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award for his performance in the television miniseries The Thorn Birds (1983).
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film or Best Actress – Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television is a Golden Globe Award presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role on a miniseries or motion picture made for television for the calendar year. The award was first presented at the 39th Golden Globe Awards on January 30, 1982, to Jane Seymour, for her performance in East of Eden (1981). Performances by actresses in a miniseries or television film were originally awarded in the Best Actress – Television Series Drama category, before the creation of this category.
Mary Megan Winningham, known professionally as Mare Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards.
The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years is a 1996 CBS miniseries directed by Kevin James Dobson. Adapted from the 1977 novel The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, it tells the story of the nineteen years between Dane's birth and Ralph's return to Australia. These years are unaccounted for in both the original 1983 ABC miniseries and the novel.
Deborah Iona Raffin was an American actress, model and audiobook publisher.
On the Beach is a 2000 apocalyptic drama television film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Armand Assante, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Ward. It aired on Showtime on 28 May 2000.
The Thorn Birds is an American television miniseries broadcast on ABC from March 27 to 30, 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Piper Laurie, Jean Simmons, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham and Philip Anglim. It was directed by Daryl Duke and based on the 1977 novel of the same name by Colleen McCullough. The series was enormously successful.
Claire Elizabeth Foy is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama series The Crown (2016–2023), for which she received various accolades such as a Golden Globe and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Sandra Diane Seacat was an American actress, director and acting coach best known for her innovations in acting pedagogy—blending elements of Strasberg, and Jungian dream analysis—and for a handful of coaching success stories.
Matilda Brown is an Australian actress, writer and director.
The 72nd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2014, was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 11, 2015, by NBC. The ceremony was produced by Dick Clark Productions in association with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. George Clooney was announced as the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award honoree on September 14, 2014. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were the co-hosts for the third consecutive time. The nominations were announced on December 11, 2014 by Kate Beckinsale, Peter Krause, Paula Patton and Jeremy Piven. The Affair, Birdman, Boyhood, Fargo, The Theory of Everything, and Transparent were among the films and television shows that received multiple awards.
The Baby Dance is a 1998 drama film produced by Showtime about adoption. It was written and directed by Jane Anderson, based on her play of the same name, with Stockard Channing and Laura Dern starring in the lead roles.
At 16, she left school to pursue a modeling career.
Media related to Rachel Ward at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
