Rachel Ward

Rachel Claire Ward (born 12 September 1957) is a British and Australian actress and filmmaker. She gained recognition as an actress for her performance in the American television miniseries The Thorn Birds, which earned her one of three Golden Globe Award nominations.

Her other notable films include Sharky's Machine (1981), Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982), and Against All Odds (1984). Her 2009 film Beautiful Kate earned her AACTA Award nominations for Best Direction and Best Screenplay. Ward is married to actor Bryan Brown and the mother of actress Matilda Brown.

Early life and education

Rachel Claire Ward was born in England on 12 September 1957. She is the eldest daughter of Claire and Peter Alistair Ward, who was the third son of William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley. Her great-grandfather, William Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley, was Governor-General of Australia 1908-11. Ward's younger sister, Tracy Louise Ward, former Duchess of Beaufort, is a former actress and an environmental campaigner.

Ward grew up in Cornwell Manor, in Cornwell, Oxfordshire,

Ward's parents divorced when she was twelve, and both remarried. Her father had two then the Byam Shaw School of Art in Kensington, West London. She left school at age 16 to become a fashion and photography model.

Career During her modelling career, Ward 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" and Revlon's "Scoundrel Girl". Time referred to her as "the face of the 80s". .

In 1981, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as "New Star of the Year" for her role in the crime drama film Sharky's Machine starring with Burt Reynolds. The following year, she starred in the comedy Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid with Steve Martin. Her big break came in 1983, when she starred opposite Richard Chamberlain in 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) 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. Also in 1983, U.S. audiences voted Ward one of the world's 10 most beautiful women. 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.

In 2006, Ward acted in Kevin Connor's mini-series Blackbeard, made for the Hallmark Channel.

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, which she adapted from a 1982 Newton Thornburg novel. It premiered at the Sydney Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Film. It subsequently earned Ward AACTA Award nominations for Best Direction and Best Screenplay.

Ward runs a farm with her family in rural New South Wales. The farm was the subject of a 2023 documentary, Rachel's Farm, which Ward co-directed.

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".

Personal life As a young woman, Ward briefly dated David Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy. Ward married Australian actor Bryan Brown in 1983. They have three children, including Matilda.

She became an Australian citizen around 1986.

Filmography Actress

Film

Television

Filmmaker

Film Year Title Director Writer Notes 2000 Blindman's Bluff Short film 2001 2003 Martha's New Coat 2009 Beautiful Kate 2019 Palm Beach 2023Rachel’s FarmDocumentary

Television

Theatre credits Ward's stage performances include: Year Title Type VenueNotes 1989 A Doll’s House Ensemble Theatre, Sydney 1990 Hopping to Byzantium Jessica Fox 1997 Keyboard Skills 1998 The Piccadilly Bushman Meg Ritchie Malthouse Theatre, Melbournewith Playbox Theatre Company

Awards and nominations