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Brown grew up in the south-western Sydney suburb of Bankstown.

He began working in insurance as an actuarial student and started to act in amateur theatre performances. There he discovered his passion for acting. In 1964 Brown went to England, eventually winning minor roles at the Old Vic, and later returned to Australia where he became a member of the Genesian Theatre (Sydney), appearing in Colleen Clifford's production of 'A Man for All Seasons', and later joined the Queensland Theatre Company.

He made his first appearance in cinema in 1977, with a small role in The Love Letters From Teralba Road. During the next two years he played in several more Australian films.

In 1980, Brown became known to the international audiences for his performance in Breaker Morant. Although he went on playing roles in Australian productions for several years more, he appeared also in American TV mini-series, after winning popularity in the United States in A Town Like Alice (1981). For The Thorn Birds (1983), starring Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward, he was nominated for an Emmy. Several years later he starred in several films which had international success, like Tai-Pan, with Joan Chen, Gorillas in the Mist, with Sigourney Weaver, and Cocktail, with Tom Cruise.

In the 1990s and more recently, Brown went on appearing in American and Australian TV productions and occasionally also in movies. He has also appeared in British TV commercials.

Bryan Brown's production company made the series Twisted Tales and Two Twisted; both are similar to Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The second series had an additional twist in that both stories in each episode were connected in some way and the audience had to try and spot how.

The Australian Film Commission provides grants to stimulate film production in Australia. The funding is required to be repaid from first cash flow after release. Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward have publicly criticised the NSW Government for failing to help finance their next project. But documents show the couple's New Town Films has yet to pay back Australian Film Commission grants for their 2003 short film "Martha's New Coat," which received at least $18,250 in 2002. The 50-minute production was directed by Ward, produced by Brown and their daughter Matilda made her film debut in it.

He is one of the rare Australian actors who regularly gets to play parts of Australians and almost always retains his accent for the role. In fact, Tai-Pan is the only film in which he does not play an Australian. (Also, his role in the TV series Against the Wind called for an Irish Accent.)

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. "

He has been married to actress Rachel Ward since 1983. He met her while shooting the TV miniseries The Thorn Birds in the same year. Rachel and Bryan have three children, Rosie, Matilda and Joe.

• The Love Letters from Teralba Road (1977)
• Third Person Plural(film) (1978)
• The Irishman(film) (1978)
• Weekend of Shadows(film) (1978)
• The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (1978)
• Newsfront (1978)
• Money Movers(film) (1978)
• Palm Beach (film) (1979)
• Cathy's Child(film) (1979)
• The Odd Angry Shot (1979)
• Breaker Morant(1980)
• Stir(film) (1980)
• Blood Money (1980)
• Winter of Our Dreams(film) (1981)
• Far East(film) (1982)
• Parker(film) (1984)
• Give My Regards to Broad Street(1984)
• The Empty Beach (film) (1985)
• Rebel(film) (1985)
• F/X - Murder by Illusion(1986)
• Tai-Pan(1986)
• The Good Wife(film) (1987)
• Cocktail (1988)
• Gorillas in the Mist: The Story of Dian Fossey(1988)
• Blood Oath (a.k.a. Prisoners of the Sun) (1990)
• Sweet Talker(film) (aka Confidence) (1991)
• F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion(1991)
• Blame It on the Bellboy(1992)
• Dead Heart(1996)
• Dear Claudia(1999)
• Two Hands (1999)
• Grizzly Falls(1999)
• Risk(2000 film) (2000)
• Mullet (2001, voice)
• Styx(film) (2001)
• Dirty Deeds(2002)
• Along Came Polly (2004)
• Dean Spanley (2008)
• Cactus(2008 film) (2008)
• Australia(2008)

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