Rachel Ward is a UK born Australian actress, screenwriter and film and television director. She left school to pursue modelling and appeared on covers of ‘Vogue’, ‘Cosmopolitan’ and ‘Harper's & Queen’. She also featured in television commercials like Revlon's ‘Scoundrel Girl’ and Lincoln Mercury ‘Cougar Girl’. She garnered nomination for ‘New Star of the Year’ award at the Golden Globe for playing Dominoe in the film ‘Sharky's Machine’. Her real breakthrough came when she portrayed Meggie Cleary in the television miniseries ‘The Thorn Birds’; it fetched her, her second Golden Globe nomination. Moving on, Rachel Ward featured in several big and small screen productions including in feature films like ‘The Umbrella Woman’ and ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’; and television films like ‘On the Beach’. The latter earned her yet another Golden Globe nomination. She directed and wrote the short films ‘Blindman's Bluff’ and ‘The Big House’ and bagged several awards for the latter. Her directorial works include the film ‘Martha's New Coat’ and ‘Beautiful Kate’.
