Rachel Claire WardAM (born 1957 or 1958) is a British and Australian actress. She became known for her performance in the television miniseries The Thorn Birds, where she met her husband, Australian actor and director Bryan Brown. Among others, she directed the feature films Beautiful Kate (2009) and Palm 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 the William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley. Her younger sister is environmental campaigner and former actress Tracy Louise Ward, Duchess of Beaufort. She grew up in Cornwell Manor, in Cornwell, 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 of Lord Lambton, a Conservative Party MP whose career ended when he was embroiled in a scandal with prostitutes.[1]
After moving to the United States in 1977, she appeared in television advertisements such as the Lincoln Mercury "Cougar Girl"[4] and Revlon's "Scoundrel Girl".[5]
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.[citation needed]
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".[12]
Personal life
As a young woman, Ward briefly dated David Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy.[8]
Ward married Australian actor Bryan Brown in 1983. They have three children: Rosie, Matilda and Joe.[13][14]
12345Ward, Rachel (10 July 2010). "Rachel Ward returns to Hollywood as a director". The Daily Telegraph (Interview). Interviewed by Scobie, Claire. London. 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,...
12"History". Cornwell Manor. 8 October 2025. Archived from the original on 30 January 2026. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
↑Gill, Raymond (8 December 2016). "Rachel Ward asks 'Aren't we good enough?". Daily Review. Archived from the original on 4 December 2017. The British-born film director and actor who has been an Australian citizen for 30 years
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