Rachel Ward Movies
Former model, and daughter of the Earl of Dudley, actress Rachel Ward has appeared in several mainstream films and on television primarily during the 1980s. She attended Byram Art School in London before leaving at 16 to become a top fashion model who made many television commercials. In 1983 Ward, with her thick dark hair, husky voice, and large eyes, was voted one of the ten most beautiful women in the U.S. Although she had appeared in two slasher movies, she made her official feature film debut in Sharky's Machine in 1981. More films followed, but she didn't become really well-known until she starred opposite Richard Chamberlain in the popular television mini-series "The Thorn Birds." Ward disappeared from pictures for three years as she played wife to husband Bryan Brown, whom she met on the "Thorn Birds" set, and studied acting. She then reappeared in 1987, playing opposite her husband in The Good Wife. Though she has continued to work sporadically in films, she has yet to achieve true stardom. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A resolute veterinarian and her plucky new assistant rally to save a small Australian farming community from a devastating sheep disease in this poignant, six-episode series starring Rachel Ward and Victoria Thaine. For the past ten years, Paringa has been locked in the throes of a drought that threatens the livelihood of everyone who resides in the remote farming community. Now the sheep of Paringa have fallen ill with a mysterious disease, and local veterinarian Kate McDonald (Ward) is determined to discover the cause and prevent the livestock from being completely decimated. But as Kate races to save the animals, her new assistant (Thaine) attempts to unlock the secrets of her mentor's mysterious past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Ward
In the three-hour period television miniseries Blackbeard, Angus MacFadyen (Braveheart, Jason and the Argonauts) assumes the title role of the dreaded marauder who spent 1716-1718 terrorizing the Caribbean Sea. Born Sir William Teach, the mariner rechristens himself Blackbeard, and subsequently builds a legend around himself as the most merciless and loathsome pirate in world history by plundering as many ships and murdering as many seafarers as he can lay his dirty mitts on. Directed by Kevin Connor (Motel Hell, The Land That Time Forgot), Blackbeard co-stars big screen vets Rachel Ward, Stacy Keach, and Richard Chamberlain. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angus MacFadyen
- 2003
Directed by Rachel Ward, this short feature centers around 15-year-old Martha (Matilda Brown), whose frustration with the trappings of small-town life reaches a breaking point after her would-be birthday excursion to the beach is canceled. Determined to distance herself from her mother's (Lisa Hensley) lackadaisical attitude and string of no-good boyfriends, Martha, along with her sister Elsie (Alycia Debnam-Carey) decide to go to the beach by themselves, and hope to find their long-absent father in the process. Screened at the 2003 Brisbane Film Festival, Martha's New Coat also features Daniel Wyllie and is based on a script from Elizabeth J. Mars. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matilda Brown, Alycia Debnam-Carey, (more)
The backdrop for this epic Western, which aired in August 2002 on the Hallmark Channel, will be familiar to fans of the genre and students of Western history. The Johnson County War took place in northern Wyoming in April 1892, growing out of the familiar story of big-money ranchers who suspected homesteader neighbors of rustling. Screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana adapted Frederick Manfred's 1957 novel, Riders of Judgment, which used some of the events and people but changed the names, including the county (which becomes Bighorn) and the main town (from Buffalo to Antelope). Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate (1981) also employed elements of the Johnson County War in its story. Manfred's book and this film center on Cain Hammett (Tom Berenger), a lonesome cowboy who hankers for Rory (Michelle Forbes); she has married his younger brother Dale (Adam Storke) in spite of the fact that she really loves Cain. A third Hammett brother, Harry (Luke Perry), unlike his honest, homesteading siblings, is a rustler who runs afoul of Marshal Hunt Lawton (Burt Reynolds), who is in the employ of wealthy Lord Peter (Christopher Cazenove), an Englishman in cahoots with the owners of big ranches to exterminate all of the homesteaders, guilty or innocent. Cain Hammett's real-life counterpart, Nate Champion, was a prime target of mercenaries hired by the big cattlemen, and the siege of Cain's cabin, which was the opening salvo in the war, provides the film with its climax. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Luke Perry, (more)
Based on a true crime story, the two-part TV movie And Never Let Her Go recounts the disappearance of Anne Marie Fahey in June of 1996, and the subsequent arrest and conviction of her accused murderer. Hired as a secretary by powerful Delaware attorney and gubernatorial aide, Thomas Capano (Mark Harmon), Anne Marie enters into a torrid and ofttimes abusive affair with her kinky boss. When Anne Marie's relatives report that she is missing, the governor of Delaware solicits the aid of the U.S. Department of Justice to solve the case. Although detective Frank Gugliatta (Paul Michael Glaser) and assistant U.S. attorney Colm Connolly (Steve Eckholdt) suspect that Capano has done away with Anne Marie, they are stymied by a lack of tangible proof...notably, the girl's body. It is not until Anne Marie's diary turns up in a most unexpected manner that Gugliatta and Connolly are able to fully act upon their suspicions -- and even then, the ultimate solution rests with the cooperation (or lack of same) of Capano's brother, Gerry (David Hewlett). Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis appears as Thomas Capano's formidable mother. Filmed in Toronto and told largely in flashback, And Never Let Her Go was originally telecast by CBS on April 1 and 4, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Rachel Ward, (more)
A lonely trophy wife turns to her adult stepson for companionship after being denied freedom and an opportunity for a career of her own by her wealthy yet distant husband. Continually made to stay at home while her husband Richard jets to exotic corners of the globe on business, Caitlin Cory does her best to deny her attraction to her virile stepson Eric. When Caitlin calls her husband in a hotel room across the country and hears another woman's voice in the background, however, she gives in to her erotic whims and seduces Eric at his secluded lakeside cabin. Later, when Richard discovers evidence of the sordid affair, he unleashes hell on his unfaithful wife before turning his wrath on his own son with unforeseen consequences. Rachel Ward, Terry O'Quinn, and Joshua Morrow star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Ward, Joshua Morrow, (more)
- 1994
The most notable thing about this Italian drama, set in British East Africa (Kenya) during WW II, is it's scenery. It follows the factual adventure of an Italian POW, Franco Distassi, interred in a British camp run by African subjects. The camp is close to Mount Kenya, one of the most challenging peaks for mountain-climbers. The chief officer, Major David Farrell, a recent widower and unambitious officer, wants to climb Mount Kenya. He is also interested in a lovely local widow. He has failed in his attempts for both the mountain and the woman. POWs Franco Distassi challenges Maj. Farrell to a climb. He and a partner, Enzo, create a plan, which may involve an escape, to place the Italian flag at the summit and then sneak back to camp. Franco dislikes the notion of planting the flag, but persists in the endeavor after Enzo must quit. He is pursued by the enraged and envious Major. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Spano, Ben Cross, (more)
- 1993
Olivia D'Abo's sister Maryam and Mariel Hemingway's sister Margaux star in Double Obsession. Heather Dwyer (Margaux) falls in love with her roommate Claire Durka (Maryam), but "happily ever after" is not in the cards. Claire, you see, loves someone else, and Heather, you see, can't live with that. The sadistic one-upsmanship and domination games played throughout the film make Single White Female look like The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. The suspense lies not in who will survive, but how long it will be before the neighbors complain. Frederic Forrest carries a what-am-I-doing-here? expression all during his brief scenes. As psycho-roommate films go, Double Obsession certainly delivers what its target audience craves. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In this satirical made-for-cable feature, a young man loses sleep when his dead cousin decides to haunt him. Unable to stand it any more, the fellow returns to his cousin's town and begins investigating his death. Along the way, he finds himself falling in love with his late relative's former girlfriend who may or may not be a witch. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In this made-for-cable TV movie, a man (Bruce Boxleitner) travels to visit his ex-girlfriend (Rachel Ward) and arrives just in time to witness her kill her vicious boyfriend. However, when his lawyer wife (Sela Ward) is assigned to his ex's case, the man finds himself in the problematic role of key witness. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Based on a true story, And the Sea Will Tell was originally telecast in two parts on February 24 and 26, 1991. The story takes place in 1974, when two couples sail separately to the South Pacific island of Palmyra. Wealthy marrieds Mac and Muff Grant (James Brolin and Diedre Hall) are looking for thrills. Former convict Buck Walker (Hart Bochner) and his hippie girl friend Jennifer Jenkins (Rachel Ward) are trying to start life over. Only one of the couples returns. Seven years later, the pitiful remains of the missing couple washes up on shore. Part One is the set-up; Part Two is devoted to the trial of accused-murderer Jenkins, and to the defense mounted by famed attorney Vincent Bugliosi (Richard Crenna). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Partially filmed in Hawaii and Tahiti, And the Sea Will Tell was a two-part TV movie based on a real murder case. A wealthy couple (James Brolin and Deidre Hall) are killed on their yacht off the coast of a secluded South American island called Palmyra. The suspects are a hippyish pair (Hart Bochner and Rachel Ward) whom the rich folks had befriended. It's fairly clear that the hippies were involved in the crime: The question is, did the man do it while the girl looked on helplessly, or was she a willing accomplice? Richard Crenna plays real-life defense attorney Vincent Bugliosi, upon whose book And the Sea Will Tell was based. The first part of this teledrama premiered on February 24, 1991; part two, in which the girl's testimony consumes most of the screen time, was shown on February 26. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from a novel by pulp writer Jim Thompson, After Dark, My Sweet evokes memories of the film noirs of yore. Jason Patric plays Collie, a short-fused ex-boxer who gets mixed up with alcoholic widow Fay (Rachel Ward) and burned-out former lawman Uncle Bud (Bruce Dern). These two lowlifes involve Collie in a kidnapping scheme. At first willing to go along with the plan, Collie tires of Fay's drunken mood swings and seeks out new companionship. Doctor George Dickinson proves all too eager to be friends with Collie -- more than friends, in fact. Driven back into Fay's arms, Collie agrees to aid in the kidnapping. But when the victim turns out to be diabetic, things go from bad to worse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Rachel Ward, (more)
In an Australian outback town so small that children of all ages share a single classroom, teacher Sally (Rachel Ward) suffers the typical frustrations of life in the provinces. She really finds something to fret about when a gang of gun-toting, mask-wearing criminals kidnaps her and the students and drives them to the remote wilderness. With the kids' safety, perhaps survival, in the balance, Sally must appease the lewdly suggestive bandits while scheming for a way to escape their clutches. After several abortive attempts result in multiple deaths, she and the oldest children manage to usher the young ones to at least provisional safety. Free but stranded in a mountain hideaway, the class must band together to survive and perhaps turn the tables on the men who continue to hunt them. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
This mammoth TV miniseries, based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, proved to be a ratings bonanza; indeed, its viewership was surpassed only by the 1978 blockbuster Roots. Set in Australia, the story covers 42 years in the life of Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), a Roman Catholic priest engaged in a constant struggle between his calling and his carnal desires. The women in de Bricassart's life include Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward, in her first American TV role) and Meggie's iron-willed grandmother Mary Carson (Barbara Stanwyck). Also in the cast are Jean Simmons and Richard Kiley as the Clearys, Sydney Penny as the young Meggie, Bryan Brown as Luke O'Neill, Mare Winningham as Justine (Meggie's daughter) and Christopher Plummer as the Archbishop. This 4-part, 10-hour presentation earned an Emmy award for Barbara Stanwyck, and Golden Globes for Stanwyck and Richard Chamberlain. Originally telecast March 27 through March 30, 1983, The Thorn Birds was followed 13 years later by The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years, again starring Richard Chamberlain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1983
Based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds was set in Australia and covered the life of Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), a Roman Catholic priest engaged in a constant struggle between his calling and his carnal desires. The miniseries concluded with part four, first telecast in a three-hour slot on March 30, 1983. Covering a time span of nearly 30 years (1935-1962), this final chapter focuses on the lives of Meggie's (Rachel Ward) children -- flamboyant aspiring actress Justine (Mare Winningham) and would-be priest Dane (Philip Anglim) -- neither of which have any inkling (at least, not at first) of the past relationship between their mother and Cardinal de Bricassart, aka Father Ralph. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1983
Based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds was set in Australia and covered the life of Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), a Roman Catholic priest engaged in a constant struggle between his calling and his carnal desires. Part three, which aired March 29, 1983, finds a disillusioned Meggie (Rachel Ward) entering into an unhappy marriage and ending up a housemaid on a Queensland sugar-cane plantation. Her subsequent pregnancy is but one of the intriguing and surprising plot developments in this crucial episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1983
Based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds was set in Australia and covered the life of Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), a Roman Catholic priest engaged in a constant struggle between his calling and his carnal desires. In part two, which aired March 28, 1983 -- and which, like the subsequent third episode, runs two hours -- a cataclysmic brush fire destroys Mary Carson's (Barbara Stanwyck) ranch. Later, having already succumbed to their mutual passion, Father Ralph and Meggie (Rachel Ward)experience an uncomfortable reunion and later still the politically ambitious Ralph forms a strong and beneficial alliance with Archbishop Contini-Verchese (Christopher Plummer), one of Rome's most influential religious leaders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1983
Based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds was set in Australia and covered the life of Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain), a Roman Catholic priest engaged in a constant struggle between his calling and his carnal desires. In the three-hour opening episode, originally telecast by ABC on March 27, 1983, young Father Ralph becomes the object of desire for powerful sheep rancher Mary Carson (Barbara Stanwyck, who also won an Emmy), while the priest himself expresses concern -- and sometimes more than concern -- for the well being of Mary's niece, Meggie Cleary (played as a youngster by Sydney Penny and as an adult by Rachel Ward in her first American TV role). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, (more)
- 1979
Originally made for television as a sequel to the classic Lilies of the Field, this film concerns an ex-soldier turned handyman (Billy Dee Williams) who returns to the Arizona chapel he built earlier. Encouraged by five nuns, he builds both an orphanage and a small school. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Dee Williams, Maria Schell, (more)
- 1989
- R
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After years of capitalizing on the weaknesses of a gullible public, a London advertising executive finds that his worst qualities have literally taken on a life of their own in this scathing satire. Successful copywriter Dennis Bagley (Richard E. Grant) lives a posh life with his lovely wife, Julia (Rachel Ward), in the London suburbs. Pushed to distraction by a bothersome new pimple-ointment account, he flirts with renouncing his career and becoming socially aware. Immediately thereafter, Bagley discovers that he's developed a zit of his own -- a monstrous boil on his neck that begins whispering evil things in his ear. Convinced that he's being taken over by his dark half, Bagley soon finds his "good" self relegated to the boil while his malevolent alter ego returns to the world of advertising with a vengeance. At first, Julia is relieved that her husband seems to have bounced back from the abyss of mental illness, but soon she realizes that she prefers the gentle but crazy Dennis to the poisonous professional. Written and directed by Withnail & I's Bruce Robinson, How to Get Ahead in Advertising reunites the director with that film's leading man Richard E. Grant. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard E. Grant, Rachel Ward, (more)
