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Rachel Ward

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For the mathematician, see Rachel Ward (mathematician).

Rachel Ward
AM
Ward in 2012
Born
Rachel Claire Ward

(1957-09-12) 12 September 1957 (age 67)
Cornwell, Oxfordshire, England
NationalityEnglish[1]
Occupations
Years active1979–present
Spouse
​
(m. 1983)​
Children3, including Matilda Brown
RelativesTracy, Duchess of Beaufort (sister)
WebsiteRachel Ward – New Town Films

Rachel Claire Ward AM (born 12 September 1957) is an English [1] actress, film director, screenwriter and television director.

Early life

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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]

Career

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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 gruelling five-month shooting schedule, while undergoing a simultaneous and no less gruelling makeover programme 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
image icon 1970s photo of Ward with Peter Cook by Michael White, The Daily Telegraph
image icon 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.

Personal life

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Ward has been married to the Australian actor Bryan Brown since 1983. They have three children: Rosie, Matilda and Joe.[13][14]

Filmography

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Film

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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

Television

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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"

Appearances

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 with Adam Liaw 1 episode
2024 A Bite To Eat With Alice Herself, 1 episode

Presenter

Host

TV special

  • Down to Earth (1989)
  • World Vision: The Silent Tragedy (1991)
  • World Vision Appeal: Vision for a Better World (1994-1995)
  • The Australia Remembers Gala Tribute (1995)
  • World Vision Appeal: A Christmas Wish (1996)
  • Gary Sweet's World (1997)

Acting roles

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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

Theatre

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  • How to Get Ahead in Advertising (1989) (US)
  • Hopping to Byzantium (1990)
  • The Piccadilly Bushman (1998)

References

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  1. ^ a b "Rachel Ward asks 'Aren’t we good enough?'" by Raymond Gill, dailyreview.com.au, 8 December 2016
  2. ^ Scobie, Claire (10 July 2010). "Rachel Ward returns to Hollywood as a director". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  3. ^ Haller, Scott (28 March 1983). "The Torrid Trio of The Thorn Birds". People (cover story). Retrieved 15 February 2017. At 16, she left school to pursue a modeling career.
  4. ^ a b Wood, Stephanie (20 July 2009). "Double or nothing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  5. ^ Rothenberg, Fred (29 March 1983). "Thorn Birds Producers Gambled on Rachel Ward". The Hour. p. 12.
  6. ^ Thomas, Bob (18 June 1989). "Actress Rachel Ward Cooses a low-key lifestyle in Australia". Toledo Blade. p. 37.
  7. ^ "Casting Gamble in Thorn Birds". The Telegraph. Nashua. 29 March 1983. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  8. ^ Preston, Marilyn (29 March 1983). "Tempo: Thorn Birds gives Ward chance to win her wings". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 September 2012. (subscription required)
  9. ^ Australian Film Institute official site, retrieved 15 March 2008.
  10. ^ "Winner: Packing Room Prize 2003: Jan Williamson, Rachel Ward", Art Gallery of New South Wales
  11. ^ "It's an Honour website". Australian Government. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
  12. ^ Marill, Alvin H. (11 October 2010). Movies Made for Television: 2005–2009. Scarecrow Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-8108-7659-0.
  13. ^ They met while filming The Thorn BirdsLehmann, Megan (14 September 2013). "Rachel Ward is calling the shots". The Australian. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
  14. ^ "Kindred spirits: Rachel Ward & Bryan Brown". The Australian Women's Weekly. 22 July 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
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