Rachel Ward

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Rachel Ward

Ward at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
Born Rachel Claire Ward
12 September 1957 (1957-09-12) (age 54)
Cornwell, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England
Occupation actress, film director, screenwriter
Years active 1979–present
Spouse Bryan Brown (1983–present)
Website
Rachel Ward – New Town Films

Rachel Claire Ward, AM (born 12 September 1957) is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Rachel Ward was born in Cornwell near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, England, the daughter of Claire Leonora (née Baring) and the Hon. Peter Alistair Ward.[1] Her grandfathers were William Ward, 3rd Earl of Dudley and the cricketer Giles Baring;[1] 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, Marchioness of Worcester. She attended the Byam Shaw School of Art in London before leaving at 16 to become a top fashion model. She briefly dated David Kennedy, son of Robert F. Kennedy.[2]

[edit] Career

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 mini-series 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 her one of the 10 most beautiful women.[2] She played Jess in the film-noir remake Against All Odds in 1984 with Jeff Bridges.

Ward then disappeared from film for three 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.,[3] 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
1970s photo of Ward with Peter Cook by Michael White
External images
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. 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."[4]

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.

[edit] Personal life

Ward has been married to Bryan Brown since 1983 and they have three children: Rose (Rosie), born 1983, Matilda (who has followed her parents into the acting profession), born 1985, and Joseph (Joe).

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Actress

[edit] Director

[edit] Screenwriter

  • The Big House (2000)
  • Blindman's Bluff (2000)
  • Beautiful Kate (2009)

[edit] Self

  • 54th Academy Awards (1982) TV
  • 62nd Academy Awards (1990) TV
  • In the Name of Love (1994) TV Series
  • The Big Schmooze, in episode "Episode #1.4" (2000)
  • What's Going On?, in episode "Indigenous Children in Australia" (2003)
  • Enough Rope with Andrew Denton, in episode "Episode #1.26" (2003)
  • Uccelli di rovo: vecchi amici, nuove storie (The Thorn Birds: Old Friends New Stories) (2003) VHS
  • Retrosexual: The '80s (2004) TV miniseries (Archive Footage)
  • La tele de tu vida, in episode "Episode #1.6" (2007) (Archive Footage)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b thePeerage.com
  2. ^ a b "Double or nothing". Sydney Morning Herald. July 20, 2009. http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/culture/double-or-nothing-20090720-dq4h.html. Retrieved 2012-02-26. 
  3. ^ Australian Film Institute official site, retrieved 15 March 2008.
  4. ^ "It's an Honour website". Australian Government. http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1136046&showInd=true. Retrieved 4 November 2007. 

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rachel_Ward&oldid=478946496"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages