Series Description

The Thorn Birds miniseries won 3 Emmys and 4 Golden Globe Awards! The Thorn Birds was watched by more viewers than any other miniseries except Roots. A Catholic priest, played by Richard Chamberlain, agonizes over his two great desires in life. His drive to advance his career in the church is overwhelming but so is his love for a beautiful woman he meets in Austailia! Will his guilt over this passionate affair be enough to end it? Will the Vatican learn of the affair and deflock him, especially as he rises in rank and is much more visible?

The Thorn Birds explores the age old question; "Can a person truly love two people at once?". Can he love both God and this woman at the same time?

The Thorn Birds Cast

(Partial List)

Richard Chamberlain .... Ralph de Bricassart
Rachel Ward .... Meggie Cleary
Barbara Stanwyck .... Mary Carson
Richard Kiley .... Paddy Cleary
Christopher Plummer .... Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese
Jean Simmons .... Fiona "Fee" Cleary
Piper Laurie .... Anne Mueller
Earl Holliman .... Luddie Mueller
Mare Winningham .... Justine O'Neill
Antoinette Bower .... Sarah MacQueen
Bryan Brown .... Luke O'Neill
Stephen W. Burns .... Jack Cleary
Philip Anglim .... Dane O'Neill
John Friedrich .... Frank Cleary
Brett Cullen .... Bob Cleary
John de Lancie .... Alastair MacQueen
Dwier Brown .... Stuart Cleary
Bill Morey .... Angus MacQueen
Chard Hayward .... Arne Swenson

The Thorn Birds Trivia

Many of the scenes of the Australian countryside in the Thorn Birds were actually filmed in southern California and on the island of Kauai.