Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Thorn Birds

  • TV Mini Series
  • 19831983
  • 7h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,434
50
Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward in The Thorn Birds (1983)
In the arid 1920s Australian Outback, a Catholic priest and the beautiful niece of a vast sheep station owner stand powerless before God's will, tormented by desire. How far are they willing to go in the name of love?
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
99+ Photos
DramaRomance
In the arid 1920s Australian Outback, a Catholic priest and the beautiful niece of a vast sheep station owner stand powerless before God's will, tormented by desire. How far are they willing... Read allIn the arid 1920s Australian Outback, a Catholic priest and the beautiful niece of a vast sheep station owner stand powerless before God's will, tormented by desire. How far are they willing to go in the name of love?In the arid 1920s Australian Outback, a Catholic priest and the beautiful niece of a vast sheep station owner stand powerless before God's will, tormented by desire. How far are they willing to go in the name of love?
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
9.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,434
50
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Stars
      • Richard Chamberlain
      • Rachel Ward
      • Christopher Plummer
    Top credits
    • Stars
      • Richard Chamberlain
      • Rachel Ward
      • Christopher Plummer
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 74User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
    • Won 6 Primetime Emmys
      • 15 wins & 18 nominations total

    Episodes4

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season
    1983

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:03
    Trailer

    Photos382

    Christopher Plummer in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Rachel Ward and Brett Cullen in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Christopher Plummer in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Barry Corbin in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Richard Chamberlain, Christopher Plummer, Rachel Ward, and Mare Winningham in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    The Thorn Birds (1983)
    The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward in The Thorn Birds (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Richard Chamberlain
    Richard Chamberlain
    • Ralph de Bricassart
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Rachel Ward
    Rachel Ward
    • Meggie Cleary
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer
    • Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Bryan Brown
    Bryan Brown
    • Luke O'Neill
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Brett Cullen
    Brett Cullen
    • Bob Cleary
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Stephanie Faracy
    Stephanie Faracy
    • Judy
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Barry Corbin
    Barry Corbin
    • Pete
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    John de Lancie
    John de Lancie
    • Alastair MacQueen
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Barbara Stanwyck
    Barbara Stanwyck
    • Mary Carson
    4 episodes4 eps • 1983
    Jean Simmons
    Jean Simmons
    • Fiona 'Fee' Cleary
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Piper Laurie
    Piper Laurie
    • Anne Mueller
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Earl Holliman
    Earl Holliman
    • Luddie Mueller
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Philip Anglim
    Philip Anglim
    • Dane O'Neill
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    John Friedrich
    John Friedrich
    • Frank Cleary
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Stephen W. Burns
    • Jack Cleary
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Bill Morey
    Bill Morey
    • Angus MacQueen
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Holly Palance
    Holly Palance
    • Miss Carmichael
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    Allyn Ann McLerie
    Allyn Ann McLerie
    • Mrs. Smith
    3 episodes3 eps • 1983
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years
    6.1
    The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years
    James Clavell's Shogun
    8.1
    James Clavell's Shogun
    North and South
    8.0
    North and South
    Return to Eden
    7.1
    Return to Eden
    All the Rivers Run
    7.5
    All the Rivers Run
    James Clavell's Shogun
    7.8
    James Clavell's Shogun
    The Winds of War
    8.1
    The Winds of War
    Mistral's Daughter
    6.7
    Mistral's Daughter
    North and South
    8.0
    North and South
    Against the Wind
    8.2
    Against the Wind
    Return to Eden
    7.1
    Return to Eden
    Rich Man, Poor Man
    8.2
    Rich Man, Poor Man

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Rachel Ward and Bryan Brown fell in love on the set. They were married in 1983 and have three children.
    • Goofs
      The name of the farm is mispronounced. It is named after the Irish town Drogheda. The American cast did not know that 'gh' in Irish is pronounced like an 'h' in English. The cast said Drow-Geeda whereas the proper pronunciation is Dro-huh-duh, where Dro is pronounced like in "drop".
    • Quotes

      Ralph de Bricassart: [telling the legend of the thorn bird to Meggie] There's a story... a legend, about a bird that sings just once in its life. From the moment it leaves its nest, it searches for a thorn tree... and never rests until it's found one. And then it sings... more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. And singing, it impales itself on the longest, sharpest thorn. But, as it dies, it rises above its own agony, to outsing the lark and the nightingale. The thorn bird pays its life for just one song, but the whole world stills to listen, and God in his heaven smiles.

      Young Meggie Cleary: What does it mean, Father?

      Ralph de Bricassart: That the best... is bought only at the cost of great pain.

    • Connections
      Featured in The 35th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1983)
    • Soundtracks
      Main Title
      Written and Performed by Henry Mancini

    User reviews74

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    right up there with Gone with the wind-The Way We Were, Somewhere in Time
    This was one of the most beloved love stories, right up there with Gone With the Wind, Somewhere in Time, and The Way we Were...I remember there was talk once on making a sequel to The Way we Were, and I thought please don't. In my mind Hubel and Katie eventually reunited. Again, in my mind things turned out wonderful for the Cleary's. I remember the series when it came out, I was 12, I understood sacrifice, torture, love, betrayal, hate, undying love from this movie---I never get bored of seeing this again and again. The passion these two had for each other--the love Father Ralph showed to God--his tortured soul of loving both, but only committing to one kept me on the edge till the end.
    helpful•10
    1
    • amy-dorsey
    • Jun 14, 2006

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 27, 1983 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Les oiseaux se cachent pour mourir
    • Filming locations
      • Big Sky Ranch - 4927 Bennett Road, Simi Valley, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • David Wolper-Stan Margulies Productions
      • Edward Lewis Productions
      • Warner Bros. Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      7 hours 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward in The Thorn Birds (1983)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Thorn Birds (1983) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page
    Add episode

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in August
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples
    See the gallery
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.