Shoes

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Gender

Female

Birthday

1957-09-12

Place of Birth

Cornwell Manor, Cornwell, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Rachel Ward

Biography

Rachel Claire Ward (born September 12, 1957) is an English-Australian actress, film and television director, screenwriter, and former model who has primarily pursued her career in Australia. 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" and Revlon's "Scoundrel Girl". 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. 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. After filming Fortress in 1985, she then disappeared from film for a few years to study acting. 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, she won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Short Fiction Film for The Big House, 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 — which also won the 2003 ATOM Award. In 2005, she 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". 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. She has been married to the Australian actor Bryan Brown since 1983. They have three children: Rosie, Matilda, and Joe. Matilda Brown is an actress, writer and director.

Known for

Dynasty

Dynasty

The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

The Thorn Birds

The Thorn Birds

Follows the Cleary family over several decades, focusing on the central, tragic romance between Meggie and Father Ralph, who is torn between his vows and his love for her.

A Bite to Eat with Alice

A Bite to Eat with Alice

A Bite to Eat with Alice is a cooking show dedicated to creating delicious food. No matter your skill level, host Alice and her guest - who may not be able to cook toast - will inspire you to experiment in the kitchen.

Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit's feud with Mr. McGregor escalates to greater heights than ever before as they rival for the affections of the warm-hearted animal lover who lives next door.

Darby and Joan

Darby and Joan

An English widow on a reluctant quest. An Australian detective escaping his past. When lives collide, two strangers embark on an epic outback odyssey together.

Blackbeard

Blackbeard

Bristol, England, 1717. Lieutenant Robert Maynard of the Royal Navy scouts the seas in order to restore safe passage to the sea lanes. He meets his match when he's taken by a fearsome hulk of a menace in the West Indies—a pirate sailing off the Island of St. Vincent. Edward Teach has no plans for retirement. In fact, his goal-to find and lay claim to the fabled treasures of Captain Kidd.

Monarch Cove

Monarch Cove

Monarch Cove is a prime time telenovela that premiered on Lifetime Television on November 4, 2006. It ran for 14 episodes, ending on December 16, 2006.

Twisted Tales

Twisted Tales

Stories of the bizarre and the supernatural, as introduced by Bryan Brown. Sometimes serious, often comical, but always with a twist at the end of the story.

And Never Let Her Go

And Never Let Her Go

The true story of a woman's suspicious disappearance after ending an affair with a powerful, married attorney.

Sharky's Machine

Sharky's Machine

Police officer Tom Sharky gets busted back to working vice, where he happens upon a scandalous conspiracy involving a local politician. Sharky's new 'machine' gathers evidence while Sharky falls in love with a woman he has never met.

Against All Odds

Against All Odds

Terry Brogan, a cynical former football star, is hired to find Jessie Wyler, the runaway mistress of ruthless LA nightclub owner Jake Wise. But trouble brews when he tracks down and falls in love with the beautiful Jessie on a Mexican island—and Jake dispatches his henchman to bring the lovers back.

On the Beach

On the Beach

The world has finally managed to blow itself up and only Australia has been spared from nuclear destruction and a gigantic wave of radiation is floating in on the breezes. One American sub located in the Pacific has survived and is met with disdain by the Australians. The calculations of Australia's most renowned scientist says the country is doomed. However, one of his rivals says that he is wrong. He believes that 1000 people can be relocated to the northern hemisphere, where his assumptions indicate the radiation levels may be lower. The American Captain is asked to take a mission to the north to determine which scientist is right.

On the Beach

On the Beach

The world has finally managed to blow itself up and only Australia has been spared from nuclear destruction and a gigantic wave of radiation is floating in on the breezes. One American sub located in the Pacific has survived and is met with disdain by the Australians. The calculations of Australia's most renowned scientist says the country is doomed. However, one of his rivals says that he is wrong. He believes that a 1000 people can be relocated to the northern hemisphere, where his assumptions indicate the radiation levels may be lower. The American Captain is asked to take a mission to the north to determine which scientist is right.

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

Juliet Forrest is convinced that the reported death of her father in a mountain car crash was no accident. Her father was a prominent cheese scientist working on a secret recipe. To prove it was murder, she enlists the services of private eye Rigby Reardon. He finds a slip of paper containing a list of people who are 'The Friends and Enemies of Carlotta'.

Whale Shark Jack

Whale Shark Jack

Sarah, 12, lives on a boat with her parents, who research whale sharks. Her only friend is a whale shark named Jack, who Sarah rescued when he was a pup. But following a tragic accident, mum and Sarah move to the coastal town of Exmouth. Desperate to return to her old life, Sarah pegs all her hopes on Jack, certain that when his migration brings him back to Exmouth, mum will take her out on the boat again. But Jack fails to return, so Sarah embarks on a risky mission to find him.