The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, 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:...

, Barbara Stanwyck

Barbara Stanwyck

Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...

, Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer

Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...

, Richard Kiley, Bryan Brown

Bryan Brown

Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John 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 Bankstown and began working at...

, Mare Winningham

Mare Winningham

Mare Winningham , born Mary Megan Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 7 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.She is...

, Philip Anglim

Philip Anglim

Philip Charles Anglim is an American actor best known for his performance as Joseph Merrick in the stage and television versions of The Elephant Man, a role for which he received a Best Actor nomination in the 1979 Tony Awards...

 and Jean Simmons

Jean Simmons

Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...

. It was directed by Daryl Duke

Daryl Duke

Daryl Duke was a Canadian film producer and director.Duke was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became one of CBC Television's earliest regional producers...

 and based on a novel

The Thorn Birds

The Thorn Birds is a 1977 best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough, an Australian author.In 1983 it was adapted as a television mini-series that, during its television run 27–30 March, became the United States' second highest rated mini-series of all time behind Roots; both series were produced by...

 by Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough

Colleen McCullough-Robinson, , is an internationally acclaimed Australian author.-Life:McCullough was born in Wellington, in outback central west New South Wales, in 1937 to James and Laurie McCullough. Her mother was a New Zealander of part-Māori descent. During her childhood, her family moved...

.

Set primarily on Drogheda, a fictional sheep station

Station (Australian agriculture)

Station is the term for a large Australian landholding used for livestock production. It corresponds to the North American term ranch or South American estancia...

 in the Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n outback

Outback

The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...

, the story focuses on three generations of the Cleary Family and spans the years 1920 to 1962.

Deviations from the novel

In the novel, Meggie is totally ignorant of sexual matters until her wedding and has her own childish idea of how babies are made, which is revealed in her dialogue with Ralph. In the corresponding dialogue in the film, she is at least aware that animals copulate.

Cast

Actor	Role
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:...	Ralph de Bricassart
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:...	Meggie Cleary (as an adult)
Sydney Penny Sydney Penny Sydney Penny is an American Daytime Emmy-nominated actress best known for the roles of Julia Santos Keefer on the soap opera All My Children and Samantha "Sam" Kelly on the CBS soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.She is of part Cherokee descent and raised in Chatsworth, California, the daughter...	Meggie Cleary (as a child)
Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...	Mary Carson
Richard Kiley	Paddy Cleary
Jean Simmons Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, OBE was an English actress. She appeared predominantly in motion pictures, beginning with films made in Great Britain during and after World War II – she was one of J...	Fee Cleary
Bryan Brown Bryan Brown Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John 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 Bankstown and began working at...	Luke O'Neill
Mare Winningham Mare Winningham Mare Winningham , born Mary Megan Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 7 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.She is...	Justine O'Neill
Philip Anglim Philip Anglim Philip Charles Anglim is an American actor best known for his performance as Joseph Merrick in the stage and television versions of The Elephant Man, a role for which he received a Best Actor nomination in the 1979 Tony Awards...	Dane O'Neill
Ken Howard Ken Howard Kenneth Joseph "Ken" Howard, Jr. is an American actor, best known for his roles as Thomas Jefferson in 1776 and as basketball coach and former Chicago Bulls player Ken Reeves in the television show The White Shadow...	Rainer Hartheim
John Friedrich John Friedrich (actor) John Friedrich is an American film actor.A talented and enigmatic character actor of the 1970s and early 1980s, John Friedrich is probably best known for his portrayal of Joey Capra in The Wanderers , Philip Kaufman's film adaption of Richard Price's novel.A familiar face on television throughout...	Frank Cleary
Dwier Brown Dwier Brown Dwier Brown , is an American film and television actor. He is appeared in a few horror films, of which House and The Guardian realised by The Exorcists director William Friedkin, and appeared for several T.V., films and series.- Films and TV :* Locked Down : ...	Stuart Cleary (as an adult)
Vidal Peterson	Stuart Cleary (as a child)
Piper Laurie Piper Laurie Piper Laurie is an American actress of stage and screen known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks and the films The Hustler, Carrie, and Children of a Lesser God, all of which brought her Academy Award nominations...	Anne Mueller
Earl Holliman Earl Holliman -Early life:Earl Holliman was born at Delhi in Richland Parish of northeastern Louisiana. Holliman’s biological father died before he was born, and his biological mother, living in poverty with several other children, gave him up for adoption at birth...	Luddie Mueller
Christopher Plummer Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...	Archbishop Vittorio di Contini-Verchese
Brett Cullen Brett Cullen Peter Brett Cullen is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures and television programs. Early in 2007, he was cast as the role of an estranged father to one of the American football players, Tim Riggins , in the NBC drama series Friday Night Lights.Cullen was born in Houston,...	Bob Cleary
Stephen W. Burns Stephen W. Burns Stephen W. Burns was an American actor.-Career:Born in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, Burns is best known for playing 'Pete Stancheck' in Herbie Goes Bananas and 'Jack Cleary' in the The Thorn Birds mini-series...	Jack Cleary
Barry Corbin Barry Corbin Leonard Barrie Corbin, known as Barry Corbin , is an American actor with more than one hundred film, television and video game credits.-Early life:...	Pete
Holly Palance Holly Palance Holly Palance is an American actress.Palance was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of the actor Jack Palance and his wife Virginia Baker. Holly was the first of three children born to the couple, followed by Brooke Palance in 1952 and Cody Palance in 1955...	Miss Carmichael
John de Lancie John de Lancie John de Lancie is an American actor. He has been active in screen and television roles since 1977, though he is best known for his recurring role as Q on the various Star Trek series and as Frank Simmons in Stargate SG-1....	Alastair MacQueen
Allyn Ann McLerie	Mrs. Smith
Richard Venture	Harry Gough
Stephanie Faracy Stephanie Faracy Stephanie Faracy is an American film and television actress.Faracy was born in Brooklyn, New York. One of her earliest notable roles was as Mary Carson's servant "Judy", in the 1983 television mini-series The Thorn Birds.Faracy also appeared with Frankie Faison and Nancy Walker in True Colors , a...	Judy
Antoinette Bower Antoinette Bower Antoinette Bower is a German-born film and television actress, whose career lasted more than three decades. She appeared on the television series Neon Rider for 42 episodes. She is a naturalized United States citizen...	Sarah MacQueen

Filming

• Although the mini-series is set in Australia it was filmed in the United States. The outback scenes were filmed in southern California
  Southern California
  Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
  
   and the Queensland
  Queensland
  Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
  
   scenes were filmed on the Hawaii
  Hawaii
  Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
  
  an island of Kauai
  Kauai
  Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
  
  . The Drogheda main house was a set built on the Big Sky Ranch
  Big Sky Ranch
  Big Sky Ranch is a movie ranch located in Simi Valley, California. It has been widely used for the filming of Western television and film productions....
  
   in Simi Valley
  Simi Valley
  Simi Valley is a synclinal valley in Southern California in the United States. It is an enclosed or hidden valley surrounded by mountains and hills. It is connected to the San Fernando Valley to the east by the Santa Susana Pass & 118 freeway, and in the west the narrows of the Arroyo Simi and 118...
  
  , California.

• The mountainous terrain of the southern California "outback" filming location does not resemble western New South Wales
  New South Wales
  New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
  
  , which is predominantly level to gently rolling.

• The mini-series included "the most dangerous bus in Australia". Since filming took place in the US an American bus was used. In Australia, where there is right-hand drive, it would set down its passengers in the middle of the road.

• In the miniseries, Drogheda, Mary Carson's sheep station, is said to have been named after the Irish town of Drogheda
  Drogheda
  Drogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
  
  , by a former resident of that town. However, its name is mispronounced by all characters as "Drog-ee-da". In fact, the g should be silent and the e short. A former resident would pronounce it as Draw-hed-ah or Dro-hed-ah (with a soft o as in "drop").

• A "midquel" was produced in 1996, by CBS entitled The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years
  The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years
  The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years was a CBS miniseries that aired in 1996. It is a "midquel" to the original miniseries, The Thorn Birds, that aired on ABC in 1983....
  
   which tells the story of the 19 years unaccounted for in the original miniseries

• New York Jets
  New York Jets
  The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
   offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson
  D'Brickashaw Ferguson
  -New York Jets:Ferguson finally reached the NFL when the New York Jets drafted him with the 4th pick overall after Vince Young was chosen by the Titans. On July 26, 2006, Ferguson signed a five-year deal with the Jets that was similar to the $35 million deal that 2005’s No. 4 pick, Cedric Benson,...
  
   was named after the character Ralph de Bricassart.

• 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:...
  
  , who was born in 1957, plays the mother of a daughter played by 1959 born actress Mare Winningham
  Mare Winningham
  Mare Winningham , born Mary Megan Winningham, is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Drama Desk, 7 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won an Independent Spirit Award and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.She is...
  
  , and a son played by 1953 born actor Philip Anglim
  Philip Anglim
  Philip Charles Anglim is an American actor best known for his performance as Joseph Merrick in the stage and television versions of The Elephant Man, a role for which he received a Best Actor nomination in the 1979 Tony Awards...
  
  .

• 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:...
  
   met her husband Bryan Brown
  Bryan Brown
  Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John 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 Bankstown and began working at...
  
   on the set while filming the series. Brown plays Luke O'Neill who marries Ward's character, Meggie Cleary
  Meggie Cleary
  'Meggie Cleary is the main character of The Thorn Birds, a 1977 best selling novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. The book was turned into a 1983 television mini-series starring Rachel Ward as Meggie....
  
  .

• Actor Bryan Brown
  Bryan Brown
  Bryan Neathway Brown, AM is an Australian actor.-Early life:Brown was born in Sydney, the son of John 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 Bankstown and began working at...
  
  , was actually the only Australian born cast member hired in a major role. This is not too unusual since although the series takes place in Australia, Luke O'Neill and Meggie's children were the only major characters who were Australian born. Father Ralph, Mary Carson, and Paddy Cleary were all Irish born. Fee and most of the Cleary children were born in New Zealand.

• During casting, actress Jane Seymour
  Jane Seymour (actress)
  Jane Seymour, OBE is an English actress best known for her performances in the James Bond film Live and Let Die , East of Eden , Onassis: The Richest Man in the World , and the American television series Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman...
  
   was considered for the role of Meggie Cleary
  Meggie Cleary
  'Meggie Cleary is the main character of The Thorn Birds, a 1977 best selling novel by Australian author Colleen McCullough. The book was turned into a 1983 television mini-series starring Rachel Ward as Meggie....
  
   and the role of Mary Carson was originally offered to Audrey Hepburn
  Audrey Hepburn
  Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...
  
  .

• The serial has had great success in France. The French title is "Les oiseaux se cachent pour mourrir" (The Thorn Birds to die). The series is still regularly repeated on TV channels.

Emmy Awards

The Mini-series was nominated in 16 categories at the Primetime Emmy Awards in 1983, 7 of which were for acting and 3 of those winning:

• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or a Special- Barbara Stanwyck.
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special- Richard Kiley.
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special- Jean Simmons.

Also nominated for their roles:

• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special- Richard Chamberlain.
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special- Bryan Brown.
• Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special- Christopher Plummer.
• Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special- Piper Laurie.

External links

• Encyclopedia of Television