It wasn’t guaranteed that Rachel Ward would land the role of a lifetime when she starred as Meggie Cleary in the classic miniseries The Thorn Birds.
The British actress and model has enjoyed a long and diverse career spanning decades. Today, she lives in Australia with her husband — the man she fell in love with while filming the iconic series.
So what really happened behind the scenes of The Thorn Birds? And why did the miniseries become such a massive success?
This is Rachel Ward today, at 68.
If you asked people to debate the greatest television series of all time, you’d probably hear a different answer from everyone. There are so many genres and styles of storytelling, and of course, everyone has their own favorites.
Usually, the most celebrated television shows are the ones that ran for years, featuring multiple seasons and unforgettable characters.
Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, Friends, The Sopranos, or Twin Peaks. The debate over which one is truly the best will probably never be settled — and honestly, that’s one of the best things about television.
The Thorn Birds
Still, there are always certain shows that stay closer to people’s hearts than others.
Even though many long-running series dominate television history, there are also miniseries that were never intended to last long but still reached cult status.
One of those was The Thorn Birds, starring Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, and Bryan Brown.
First broadcast in March 1983, the ten-hour miniseries — based on Colleen McCullough’s 1977 Australian novel The Thorn Birds — attracted more than 30 million viewers in the United States.
The series generated enormous interest and earned praise from both audiences and critics, winning multiple awards for its story and performances.
Spread across five nights, The Thorn Birds remains a television classic to this day.
Rachel Ward played Meggie Cleary in the miniseries, though her casting came as something of a surprise. Producers struggled to find the perfect actress for the role, but ultimately Ward proved to be exactly what they needed.
Not only did the role launch her into stardom, but she also met the love of her life during filming.
This is the story of Rachel Ward — and how she traveled the world to keep her passion for film and television alive.
Rachel Ward’s early life
Born on September 12, 1957, in Cornwell, Oxfordshire, England, Ward studied at Hatherop Castle School before later attending the Byam Shaw School of Art in London. However, at just 16 years old, she left school to pursue a career in fashion.
Ward became a successful fashion and photography model, appearing on the covers of Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s & Queen. She slowly transitioned into acting after appearing in several commercials.
Years later, in 1995, she earned a Graduate Diploma of Communications and a Graduate Certificate in Writing from the University of Technology Sydney in Australia.
In 1979, Rachel Ward appeared in her first television movie, Christmas Lilies of the Field. She continued taking smaller roles in the years that followed, but in 1983, she became widely recognized across America.
Casting The Thorn Birds
Stan Margulies, one of the producers of The Thorn Birds, explained in 1982 that casting the series wasn’t easy.
When producers finally saw Rachel Ward, however, they knew they had found the right actress for Meggie Cleary.
“She has to go from 18 to her early 50s. From a rather naïve, overly romantic young girl to a bitter woman in her 30s, to a woman who finally understands where she took the wrong turn when she reaches her 50s. There’s an enormous range of emotions and colors,” he said.
“They first started to age me, it was kind of scary,” Ward later recalled. “I had these endless double chins. I sort of had a body suit underneath the clothes. I remember liking it when I grew older — I liked the outfits. They were slightly more masculine than they were in the beginning.”
More than 200 women were considered for the role of Meggie Cleary, while 40 actresses auditioned.
Speaking with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Ward reflected on her audition.
“My audition was quite light and I had a sense of humor,” she said. “I remember I was taking it seriously but I wasn’t acting with a capital A. It is so subjective, performance pieces, and I was probably spot on the first time. I got like 10/10 for looks and 4/10 for acting.”
Golden Globe nominated
Producers later sent Ward to work with an acting coach, and the role turned out to be a perfect fit.
Starring opposite Richard Chamberlain as Father Ralph, Ward quickly became a fan favorite and earned praise from both viewers and critics.
In 1982, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Chamberlain won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television. The series itself won four Golden Globes, including Best Miniseries, as well as six Emmy Awards.
“It was the absolute peak of soap opera,” Chamberlain said. “I am often surprised when I think about how it remains so successful, because there was one tragedy after another. Nobody came out on top of that show. It was so sad but had such wonderful characters.”
Rachel Ward: “Felt terribly”
Ward never trained as an actress through formal schooling. Instead, she learned as she went along.
As the show aired, she viewed herself as the weak link and struggled with insecurity after receiving some negative reviews. The New York Times even described her as “miscast.”
“I felt terribly like I’d disappointed,” she told Closer. “I felt that despite me it was a success.”
Years later, though, her grown daughter watched The Thorn Birds and reassured her.
“Mom, you were fabulous,” her daughter told her.
“That was, for me, the most important response that I could’ve ever had,” Ward recalled.
“It was soap opera. I think of it differently now,” she added. “Acting styles have changed and mine was always quite natural. I think they tried to make me something that I wasn’t naturally. So that’s the excuse I’ve made for myself.”
Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown
While The Thorn Birds became a career-defining project for Rachel Ward, it also changed her personal life forever.
During filming, Ward and Richard Chamberlain portrayed the passionate relationship between Meggie and Father Ralph — something that kept audiences captivated.
Chamberlain later admitted that filming some scenes wasn’t always easy.
“There’s a microphone hidden in the armpit… and you’re trying not to smear her lipstick,” he joked to Closer.
Although Ward and Chamberlain shared incredible chemistry onscreen, the real love story happened off camera.
Bryan Brown played Meggie’s husband, Luke O’Neill, and during filming, he and Ward fell in love.
“What happened on screen was happening off it — that’s why our love scenes were so believable,” Ward told the UK’s Daily Express.
Everyone on set noticed the connection between them.
“I’ve never seen two people more in love,” Chamberlain said, adding that Brown often helped calm Ward’s nerves before filming. “She seemed to get happier and happier and her work got better and better.”
Married just months later
Ward and Brown clearly shared undeniable chemistry.
When asked who made the first move, Ward jokingly teased her husband.
“He was as slow as a wet week. Really took forever. I think I probably did,” she said.
Brown insisted he was simply being a “cunning Aussie bloke” by not rushing things.
“And before they know it, they’re hooked!” he joked.
Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown married just months after filming on The Thorn Birds wrapped.
The couple later welcomed three children: Rose, Matilda, and Joseph.
Rachel Ward today
After The Thorn Birds, Ward and Brown moved to Australia, where she continued acting in films and television series.
In 2001, she earned another Golden Globe nomination for her performance in On the Beach.
Her other credits include The Big House, Martha’s New Coat, and television series such as Rake, Devil’s Playground, and The Straits.
Ward also expanded into producing and directing.
Beyond acting, she dedicated herself to social causes.
In 2005, she was awarded the A.M. (Member of the Order of Australia) for “raising awareness of social justice through lobbying, mentoring and advocacy for the rights of disadvantaged and at-risk young people.”
In May 2019, Ward and Brown became first-time grandparents when their daughter Matilda Brown welcomed her son, Zan.
Both Rachel and Bryan were present when Matilda gave birth.
“When I was pushing Zan out at the end, dad was stroking my head and mum was cheering me on, crying, saying, ‘Come on, Till! He’s so close,’” Matilda recalled. “It was pretty special that both my parents got to be with me through such a monumental time in my life.”
Just recently, Ward also got to meet her newborn granddaughter, sharing the happy moment on Instagram.
And one thing fans can’t help but notice — Matilda is truly the spitting image of her mother.
Working with daughter Matilda
Like her parents, Matilda also chose a career in acting.
However, when she first announced that she wanted to become an actress, Ward wasn’t exactly thrilled.
“Mum definitely said, ‘Don’t be an actress,’” Matilda recalled. “She encouraged me to go to film school and get behind the camera, which I did and I’m very glad I did.”
In 2016, mother and daughter worked together in The Death and Life of Otto Bloom, playing the same character at different stages of life.
“We look alike so obviously there’s a great bonus in that we share physical similarities and mannerisms,” Rachel Ward explained. “Plus, as we know, women over the age of 40 are basically invisible in the media and in film… It’s a treat when something comes along where it’s ok to be in your 50s.”
Rachel Ward was unforgettable as Meggie Cleary in The Thorn Birds, and it’s wonderful to see that she remains just as passionate today.
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