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 (1983), 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, which her parents bought in 1959, and remains in the hands of the Ward family .
Ward's parents divorced when she was twelve, and both remarried. Her father had two sons; Alexander inherited the manor after his death in 2009. Ward's 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.
Ward attended Hatherop Castle School, Hatherop, Gloucestershire. 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".Reynolds to play tough cop Daly, Maggie. Chicago Tribune 26 Feb 1981: b18..
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. In 1984, she played Jess in the film noir remake Against All Odds, with Jeff Bridges and James Woods. 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,Australian Film Institute official site, retrieved 15 March 2008. 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.
Recognition and honours
In 2003, a portrait of Ward by artist Jan Williamson won the Packing Room Prize at the Archibald Prize competition."Winner: Packing Room Prize 2003: Jan Williamson, Rachel Ward", Art Gallery of New South Wales
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.They met while filming The Thorn Birds
She became an Australian citizen around 1986.
Filmography Actress
Film Year Title Role Type1981Night SchoolEleanor AdjaiSharky's MachineDominoe1982Dead Men Don't Wear PlaidJuliet Forrest1983MargaretFilmed in 19811984Against All OddsJessie Wyler1987Hotel ColonialIrene CostaMarge Hills1989How to Get Ahead in AdvertisingJulia Bagley1990After Dark, My SweetFay Anderson1992Christopher Columbus: The DiscoveryIsabella I of CastileDouble ObsessionGrandmother1993Wide Sargasso SeaAnnette Cosway1994Patricia2007Shotgun! [An Opening Sequence]AdriannaShort film2011Free RainHerselfDocumentary2013The Last Impresario Interviewee2016Ada Fitzgerald2018Peter RabbitJosephine Rabbit (voice)2020I Am Burt ReynoldsHerselfDocumentary2023Rachel’s FarmDocumentary; also director2026Whale Shark JackAunty Dot
Television Year Title Role Notes1979Christmas Lilies of the FieldJenny TV movie1981DynastyEdna MacreadyEpisode "The Dinner Party" 1983 Meghan 'Meggie' Cleary Miniseries1985FortressSally Jones TV movie1988Mike Willessee's AustraliansVivian Bullwinkel Episode "Vivian Bullwinkel" 1989Shadow of the Cobra Chris Royston Miniseries1991And the Sea Will Tell Jennifer Jenkins TV movie 1992Black Magic Lillian BlatmanDouble Jeopardy Lisa Burns Donnelly1996Twisted TalesSaraEpisode "Third Party"1997My Stepson, My LoverCaitlin Cory / Wife TV movie 1999Seasons of Love Kate Linthorne Miniseries2000On the BeachMoira Davidson TV movie 2001And Never Let Her GoChristine Sheve2002Bobbie's GirlRoberta LanghamJohnson County WarQueenie2006Blackbeard Sally Dunbar MiniseriesMonarch Cove Arianna Preston 14 episodes2007Rain ShadowKate McDonald6 episodes2022Darby and Joan English Sat Nav1 episode
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 Year Title Notes2006 Two Twisted Episode: "Heart Attack"2006Knot at Home ProjectDocumentary series 2010 Rake Episodes: "R vs Dana", "R vs Lorton" 2011 My Place 3 episodes 2012 3 episodes 2013 TV movie 2014 Devil's Playground 3 episodes
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 Institution Year Category WorkResultAACTA Awards2001Best Short Fiction FilmThe Big HouseBest Screenplay in a Short Film2009Best DirectionBeautiful KateBest Screenplay, Adapted2014Best Direction in TelevisionAn Accidental SoldierAntipodean Film Festival2010Best Feature FilmBeautiful KateAustralian Directors' Guild2009Best Direction in a Feature FilmBeautiful Kate2012Best Direction in a Children's TV ProgramMy Place2014Best Direction in a TelemovieAn Accidental SoldierFilm Critics Circle of Australia Awards 2010 Best DirectorBeautiful Kate 2024 Best Documentary FeatureRachel's FarmGolden Globe Awards 1982 New Star of the Year – ActressSharky's Machine1984Best Actress – Miniseries or Television FilmThe Thorn Birds2001On the BeachPalm Springs International Film Festival 2010 New Voices Grand Jury PrizeBeautiful KateSanta Barbara International Film Festival2023Best Documentary FilmRachel's FarmSydney Film Festival2009Best FilmBeautiful Kate2023Best Documentary FilmRachel's FarmSustainable Future AwardTokyo International Film Festival1987Best ActressThe Umbrella Woman
References
External links