Born Bryan Neathway Brown on June 23, 1947 in Sydney, Australia, Bryan Brown is an actor best known for his roles in Along Came Polly, Dirty Deeds, and a string of Australian films. Growing up in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown, his first profession was in insurance, then later on, he became an actuarial student. Eventually, he was acting in amateur theater performances, where he discovered his passion for acting. He went to England in 1964 when he was just 17 years old. He was fortunate enough to land minor roles at the Old Vic. He eventually returned to Australia and became a member of the Genesian Theater. His big screen debut came in 1977, with a small role in The Love Letters from Teralba Road. He, of course, still appeared in more Australian films.
In 1980, Brown achieved world-wide renown for his performance in Breaker Morant. While still being based in the land down under, he has also appeared in several American television miniseries such as A Town Like Alice in 1981 and the Emmy-nominated The Thorn Birds in 1983. He would star in more movies with a big international audience, such as Gorillas in the Mist with Sigourney Weaver and Cocktail, which starred Tom Cruise.
Brown owns a production company that made the series Twisted Tales, much like Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He has been married to actress Rachel Ward since 1983. As an actor, it is said that he is one of the rare Australian actors who almost always play Australian in their movies. In fact, it is only in Tai-Pan where he didn’t have an Australian role. In 2005, Brown was made a Member of the order of Australia for a range of chartable organizations to support the young people and the Australian film and television industry.