Bryan Brown
Encyclopedia
Bryan Neathway Brown, AM
(born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor.
and began working at AMP
as an actuarial student. He started to act in amateur theatre performances, where he discovered a passion for acting.
. He returned to Australia and became a member of the Genesian Theatre
, Sydney. He appeared in Colleen Clifford's production of A Man for All Seasons
, before joining the Queensland Theatre Company. He made his cinema debut in 1977 with a small role in The Love Letters from Teralba Road
and appeared in several more Australian films over the next two years such as Stir
.
In 1980, Brown became known to international audiences for his performance in Breaker Morant
. While he continued appearing in Australian productions, he also appeared in American TV mini-series, winning popularity in the United States in A Town Like Alice
(1981).
He is best known to American television audiences for his Golden Globe and Emmy nominated role as Luke O'Neil in The Thorn Birds
(1983), starring Richard Chamberlain
and Rachel Ward
, whom he later married.
He starred in several international productions including Tai-Pan
with Joan Chen
, Gorillas in the Mist
with Sigourney Weaver
, and Cocktail with Tom Cruise
.
He is one of the few Australian actors who regularly plays Australians, thereby retaining his accent. Two exceptions are Tai-Pan and his role in the TV series Against the Wind
, which called for an Irish accent.
In the 1990s and more recently, Brown appeared in American and Australian TV productions and movies, such as Two Hands (1999), as well as in British TV commercials.
and Two Twisted
(similar to Alfred Hitchcock Presents
). The second series had an additional twist: both stories in each episode were connected in some way, and the audience was invited to try and spot the connection.
for Breaker Morant
(1980) and for Two Hands (1999).
In June 2005, Brown was made a Member of the Order of Australia
"for service to the community through a range of charitable organisations committed to providing assistance and support to families and young people and to the Australian film and television industry."
on the set of the TV miniseries The Thorn Birds
in 1983, he read her palm and predicted she would have three children. They married a few months after filming wrapped. They have three children—Rosie, Matilda and Joe. He is a strong supporter of Australian republicanism
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 23 June 1947) is an Australian actor.
Early life
Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John (Jack) Brown and Molly Brown, a house cleaner who worked as a pianist in the early days of the Langshaw School of Ballet. He grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of BankstownBankstown, New South Wales
Bankstown is a suburb of south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Bankstown is located 20 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the City of Bankstown.-History:Prior to European...
and began working at AMP
AMP Limited
AMP Limited is an Australian financial corporation. It operates primarily in Australia and New Zealand. AMP formed in 1849 as the Australian Mutual Provident Society, a non-profit life insurance company. In 1998 it was demutualised and listed on the Australian and New Zealand stock exchanges...
as an actuarial student. He started to act in amateur theatre performances, where he discovered a passion for acting.
Career
Brown went to England in 1964, eventually winning minor roles at the Old VicOld Vic
The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, it was taken over by Emma Cons in 1880 when it was known formally as the Royal Victoria Hall. In 1898, a niece of Cons, Lilian...
. He returned to Australia and became a member of the Genesian Theatre
Genesian Theatre
The Genesian Theatre is a Sydney based amateur theatre company named in honour of Saint Genesius. Formed in 1944 by members of the Sydney Catholic Youth Organisation, it has since evolved into a fully fledged community theatre in the heart of the Sydney CBD....
, Sydney. He appeared in Colleen Clifford's production of A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons
A Man for All Seasons is a play by Robert Bolt. An early form of the play had been written for BBC Radio in 1954, and a one-hour live television version starring Bernard Hepton was produced in 1957 by the BBC, but after Bolt's success with The Flowering Cherry, he reworked it for the stage.It was...
, before joining the Queensland Theatre Company. He made his cinema debut in 1977 with a small role in The Love Letters from Teralba Road
The Love Letters from Teralba Road
The Love Letters from Teralba Road is a 1977 Australian short film directed by Stephen Wallace. Len and his wife Barbara have separated after he beat her in a drunken rage. He tries to get her back with a series of letters....
and appeared in several more Australian films over the next two years such as Stir
Stir (film)
Stir is a 1984 Australian film directed by Stephen Wallace in his feature directorial debut. The prison film was written by Bob Jewson, based upon his own experience while incarcerated as the actual prison riot at Bathurst Correctional Complex in 1974 and its subsequent Royal Commission into New...
.
In 1980, Brown became known to international audiences for his performance in Breaker Morant
Breaker Morant (film)
Breaker Morant is a 1980 Australian film about the court martial of Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring British actor Edward Woodward as Harry "Breaker" Morant...
. While he continued appearing in Australian productions, he also appeared in American TV mini-series, winning popularity in the United States in A Town Like Alice
A Town Like Alice
A Town Like Alice is a novel by the British author Nevil Shute about a young Englishwoman in Malaya during World War II and in outback Australia post-war....
(1981).
He is best known to American television audiences for his Golden Globe and Emmy nominated role as Luke O'Neil in The Thorn Birds
The Thorn Birds (TV miniseries)
The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons...
(1983), starring Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
and Rachel Ward
Rachel Ward
Rachel Claire Ward, AM is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.-Early life:...
, whom he later married.
He starred in several international productions including Tai-Pan
Tai-Pan (film)
Tai-Pan is a 1986 film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on James Clavell's 1966 novel of the same name. While many of the same characters and plot twists are maintained, a few smaller occurrences are left out. Filmed under communist Chinese censorship, some portions of Clavell's story were...
with Joan Chen
Joan Chen
Joan Chong Chen is a Chinese American actress, film director, screenwriter and film producer. She became famous in China for her performance in the 1979 film Little Flower and came to international attention for her performance in the 1987 Academy Award-winning film The Last Emperor...
, Gorillas in the Mist
Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey
Gorillas in the Mist is a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the true-life story of her work in Rwanda with Mountain Gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Awards....
with Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
, and Cocktail with Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
.
He is one of the few Australian actors who regularly plays Australians, thereby retaining his accent. Two exceptions are Tai-Pan and his role in the TV series Against the Wind
Against the Wind (TV series)
Against the Wind was a 1978 Australian television mini-series.It is a historical drama portraying both the British rule of Ireland, and the development of New South Wales and Australia...
, which called for an Irish accent.
In the 1990s and more recently, Brown appeared in American and Australian TV productions and movies, such as Two Hands (1999), as well as in British TV commercials.
Production work
Brown's production company made the series Twisted TalesTwisted Tales (TV series)
Twisted Tales is an Australian television Anthology and Mystery drama which screened on the Nine Network in 1996. Each episode was narrated by Bryan Brown, who also produced the follow-up series, Two Twisted, in 2006. Each episode of the series contains a twist ending.-External links:*...
and Two Twisted
Two Twisted
Two Twisted is an Australian TV mystery anthology drama which premiered on the Nine Network on 14 August 2006. Narrated by Bryan Brown, who also produced the series' predecessor, Twisted Tales, each episode of the series contains two short half-hour stories, that have a twist ending...
(similar to Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
). The second series had an additional twist: both stories in each episode were connected in some way, and the audience was invited to try and spot the connection.
Honours and awards
Brown was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame in 1989. He received the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting RoleAustralian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role is an award in the annual Australian Film Institute Awards. It has been awarded annually since 1974.-Previous winners:*1974: Barry Humphries – The Great McCarthy...
for Breaker Morant
Breaker Morant (film)
Breaker Morant is a 1980 Australian film about the court martial of Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring British actor Edward Woodward as Harry "Breaker" Morant...
(1980) and for Two Hands (1999).
In June 2005, Brown was made a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
"for service to the community through a range of charitable organisations committed to providing assistance and support to families and young people and to the Australian film and television industry."
Personal life
When Bryan Brown was first introduced to Rachel WardRachel Ward
Rachel Claire Ward, AM is a British actress, columnist, film director, and screenwriter who has primarily pursued her career in Australia.-Early life:...
on the set of the TV miniseries The Thorn Birds
The Thorn Birds (TV miniseries)
The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons...
in 1983, he read her palm and predicted she would have three children. They married a few months after filming wrapped. They have three children—Rosie, Matilda and Joe. He is a strong supporter of Australian republicanism
Republicanism in Australia
Republicanism in Australia is a movement to change Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy to a republican form of government. Such sentiments have been expressed in Australia from before federation onward to the present...
.
Filmography
- The Love Letters from Teralba RoadThe Love Letters from Teralba RoadThe Love Letters from Teralba Road is a 1977 Australian short film directed by Stephen Wallace. Len and his wife Barbara have separated after he beat her in a drunken rage. He tries to get her back with a series of letters....
(1977) - Third Person Plural (1978)
- The Irishman (1978)
- Weekend of Shadows (1978)
- The Chant of Jimmie BlacksmithThe Chant of Jimmie BlacksmithThe Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith is a 1972 Booker Prize-nominated novel by Thomas Keneally, and a 1978 Australian film of the same name directed by Fred Schepisi. The novel is based on the life of bushranger Jimmy Governor....
(1978) - NewsfrontNewsfrontNewsfront is a 1978 Australian drama film starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, and Bryan Brown, directed by Phillip Noyce. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Phillip Noyce. The original music score is composed by William Motzing...
(1978) - Money MoversMoney MoversMoney Movers is a 1978 crime action drama film directed by Bruce Beresford. The film was based on the book Money Movers by Devon Minchin, founder of Metropolitan Security Services...
(1978) - Cathy's ChildCathy's ChildCathy's Child is a 1979 Australian film, directed by Donald Crombie and starring Michele Fawdon, Alan Cassell and Bryan Brown.-Plot:Cathy Baikas is a woman of Greek heritage who lives in Sydney, Australia with her three-year-old daughter. When her daughter's father kidnaps the child and takes her...
(1979) - The Odd Angry ShotThe Odd Angry ShotBased on the novel of the same name by William L. Nagle, The Odd Angry Shot is a film following the experience of Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War...
(1979) - Palm BeachPalm Beach (film)Palm Beach is a 1980 Australian drama film directed by Albie Thoms. The stories involving surfing and drugs are followed in Sydney during 2 days...
(1980) - Breaker MorantBreaker Morant (film)Breaker Morant is a 1980 Australian film about the court martial of Breaker Morant, directed by Bruce Beresford and starring British actor Edward Woodward as Harry "Breaker" Morant...
(1980) - StirStir (film)Stir is a 1984 Australian film directed by Stephen Wallace in his feature directorial debut. The prison film was written by Bob Jewson, based upon his own experience while incarcerated as the actual prison riot at Bathurst Correctional Complex in 1974 and its subsequent Royal Commission into New...
(1980) - Blood Money (1980)
- Winter of Our DreamsWinter of Our DreamsWinter of Our Dreams is a 1981 Australian film directed by John Duigan. Judy Davis won the Best Actress in a Lead Role in the AFI Awards for her performance in the film. The film was nominated in 6 other categories also....
(1981) - Far East (1982)
- Parker (1984)
- Give My Regards to Broad StreetGive My Regards to Broad StreetGive My Regards to Broad Street is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Unlike the film, the album was successful, achieving #1 in the UK chart and its lead single "No More Lonely Nights" was BAFTA and Golden Globe award nominated....
(1984) - The Empty Beach (1985)
- Rebel (1985)
- F/X – Murder by IllusionF/XF/X is a 1986 American action-thriller film about Rollie Tyler , an expert in the art of special effects with a reputation built by his work on many low-budget hack-and-slash films such as I Dismember Mama...
(1986) - Tai-PanTai-Pan (film)Tai-Pan is a 1986 film directed by Daryl Duke, loosely based on James Clavell's 1966 novel of the same name. While many of the same characters and plot twists are maintained, a few smaller occurrences are left out. Filmed under communist Chinese censorship, some portions of Clavell's story were...
(1986)
- The Good WifeThe Good Wife (film)The Good Wife is a 1987 film starring Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward. It was also released as The Umbrella Woman. It also features Steven Vidler and Sam Neill.- Plot :...
(1987) - The Shiralee (1987)
- Cocktail (1988)
- Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian FosseyGorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian FosseyGorillas in the Mist is a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the true-life story of her work in Rwanda with Mountain Gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Awards....
(1988) - Blood OathBlood Oath (film)Blood Oath is a 1990 Australian feature film, known in some countries as Prisoners of the Sun. The film is based on the real-life trial of Japanese soldiers for war crimes committed against Allied prisoners of war on the island of Ambon, in the Netherlands East Indies , such as the Laha massacre of...
(a.k.a. Prisoners of the Sun) (1990) - Sweet Talker (aka Confidence) (1991)
- F/X 2: The Deadly Art of IllusionF/X2F/X2 is a 1991 American action thriller film directed by Richard Franklin and starring Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy. It is a sequel to the 1986 film F/X.-Plot:...
(1991) - Blame It on the BellboyBlame It on the BellboyBlame It on the Bellboy is a 1992 film comedy written and directed by Mark Herman, revolving around a case of mistaken identity of three individuals with similar sounding surnames staying at the same hotel...
(1992) - Full Body MassageFull Body MassageFull Body Massage is an erotic made-for-cable movie directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Mimi Rogers getting a nude full body massage while talking about relationships and philosophy with her masseur .-Plot:...
(1995) - Dead HeartDead Heart (film)Dead Heart is a 1996 Australian film. It was written and directed by Nick Parsons and starred Bryan Brown, Angie Milliken, Ernie Dingo, Aaron Pedersen and John Jarratt....
(1996) - On The Border (1998)
- Dear Claudia (1999)
- Two Hands (1999)
- Grizzly FallsGrizzly FallsGrizzly Falls is a film from 1999 about a boy and a bear, set in British Columbia in the early 20th century.-Plot:The film starts with an old man, Harry Banks telling his grandson and granddaughter about his life as a young boy in the early 20th century.The tale begins: Harry as a boy is in his...
(1999) - Risk (2000)
- MulletMullet (film)Mullet is an Australian film released in 2001, written and directed by David Caesar, and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Susie Porter and Andrew Gilbert.-Plot summary:...
(2001, voice) - Styx (2001)
- Dirty DeedsDirty Deeds (2002 film)Dirty Deeds is a 2002 film shot in Australia. It was directed by noted fringe director David Caesar and stars Bryan Brown, Toni Collette, Sam Neill, Sam Worthington and John Goodman and produced by Nine Films and Television, the film and television production arm of the Nine Network, owned by PBL...
(2002) - Along Came PollyAlong Came PollyAlong Came Polly is a 2004 American romantic comedy film written and directed by John Hamburg, starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston in the lead roles.-Plot:...
(2004) - Dean SpanleyDean SpanleyDean Spanley is a 2008 New Zealand and British comedy-drama film, with fantastic elements, from Miramax Films, Atlantic Film Group and General Film Corporation , directed by Fijian New Zealander Toa Fraser...
(2008) - CactusCactus (2008 film)Cactus is a 2008 Australian mystery-thriller film, it is the directing debut for Jasmine Yuen-Carrucan.-Plot:The movie begins with John Kelly pulling Eli Jones from his city residence, drugging him and driving across regional Australia for three days...
(2008) - AustraliaAustralia (2008 film)Australia is a 2008 epic historical romance film directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. It is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, behind Crocodile Dundee. The screenplay was written by Luhrmann and screenwriter Stuart Beattie, with Ronald Harwood...
(2008) - Beautiful KateBeautiful KateBeautiful Kate is a 2009 Australian film directed by Rachel Ward and starring Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown, Sophie Lowe and Ben Mendelsohn. Rachel Ward adapted the script from a 1982 novel of the same name by Newton Thornburg; this was the first novel by Thornburg used for a movie since Cutter's Way...
(2009) - Love Birds (2011)
Television
- Against the Wind (TV series)Against the Wind (TV series)Against the Wind was a 1978 Australian television mini-series.It is a historical drama portraying both the British rule of Ireland, and the development of New South Wales and Australia...
(1978) - A Town Like AliceA Town Like AliceA Town Like Alice is a novel by the British author Nevil Shute about a young Englishwoman in Malaya during World War II and in outback Australia post-war....
(1981) - The Thorn BirdsThe Thorn Birds (TV miniseries)The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons...
(1983) - Eureka Stockade (1984 film) (1984)
- KimKim (TV film)Kim is a 1984 British television film directed by John Howard Davies and based on Rudyard Kipling's novel Kim. The film stars Peter O'Toole, Bryan Brown, John Rhys-Davies, Nadira, Jalal Agha, Raj Kapoor and Ravi Sheth in the title role.-Plot:...
(1984) - The ShiraleeThe Shiralee (1987 film)The Shiralee is a 1987 Australian TV film directed by George Ogilvie, based on the novel of the same name by D'Arcy Niland.-External links:*...
(1987) - Dead in the Water (TV film) (1991)
- Devlin (1992 film) (1992)
- Age of Treason (1993)
- The Last Hit (1993)
- The Wanderer (1994 TV series)The Wanderer (1994 TV series)The Wanderer is a television series first broadcast 1994 comprising 13 episodes.Every episode brings a new adventure, and the story of long-ago brothers Adam and Zachary, Princess Beatrice, and Lady Clare slowly unfolds as Adam searches for Zachary's grave, a magic stone, and a lost book of...
(1994, 13 episodes) - Full Body MassageFull Body MassageFull Body Massage is an erotic made-for-cable movie directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Mimi Rogers getting a nude full body massage while talking about relationships and philosophy with her masseur .-Plot:...
(1995, made for cable film) - Twisted TalesTwisted Tales (TV series)Twisted Tales is an Australian television Anthology and Mystery drama which screened on the Nine Network in 1996. Each episode was narrated by Bryan Brown, who also produced the follow-up series, Two Twisted, in 2006. Each episode of the series contains a twist ending.-External links:*...
(1996) - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1997 Village Roadshow film)20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is a 1997 television movie produced by Village Roadshow Pictures, based on the novel of the same name by Jules Verne.-Events:In this version:...
(1997) - Dogboys (1998)
- On the Border (TV Film) (1998)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (TV miniseries) (1999)
- On the BeachOn the Beach (2000 film)On the Beach is an apocalyptic television movie released in 2000, airing originally on Showtime. It is a remake of the 1959 film, and is based on the 1957 novel by Nevil Shute. It starred Armand Assante, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Ward...
(2000) - Footsteps (TV film) (2003)
- Revenge of the Middle-Aged WomanRevenge of the Middle-Aged Woman- Plot :Rose, a middle-aged woman who is married Nathan Lloyd loses her job and her husband to her assistant Mindy. Her life gets broken, then she runs into Australian businessman, Hal Thorne, an old love....
(2004) - Spring Break Shark Attack (2005)
- The Poseidon AdventureThe Poseidon Adventure (2005 film)The Poseidon Adventure is a 2005 action and adventure film based on a novel by Paul Gallico. It is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name.-Plot:...
(2005, Tele-Movie) - Two TwistedTwo TwistedTwo Twisted is an Australian TV mystery anthology drama which premiered on the Nine Network on 14 August 2006. Narrated by Bryan Brown, who also produced the series' predecessor, Twisted Tales, each episode of the series contains two short half-hour stories, that have a twist ending...
(2006) - Joanne Lees: Murder in the OutbackJoanne Lees: Murder in the OutbackJoanne Lees: Murder in the Outback is a television film produced by Channel Ten and ITV Productions, which first aired in Australia on Channel Ten on 18 March 2007 and in the UK on ITV on Sunday 8 April, where it was titled Murder In The Outback...
(2007, Tele-Movie)
External links
- Bryan Brown — Australian Film Commission
- http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Number%3A349705%20|%20Number%3A347926%20|%20Number%3A347881%20|%20Number%3A349070%20|%20Number%3A347853%20|%20Number%3A347965%20|%20Number%3A349242%20|%20Number%3A349780%20|%20Number%3A350421%20|%20Number%3A349432%20|%20Number%3A579234%20|%20Number%3A353031%20|%20Number%3A350851%20|%20Number%3A374785%20|%20Number%3A374798%20|%20Number%3A355527%20|%20Number%3A352077%20|%20Number%3A352509%20|%20Number%3A546449%20|%20Number%3A353254%20|%20Number%3A352700%20|%20Number%3A363468%20|%20Number%3A354643%20|%20Number%3A353820;querytype=;resCount=10Bryan Brown at the National Film and Sound Archive]
- Bryan Brown's Official Website — New Town Films