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The Thorn Birds

Play trailer Poster for The Thorn Birds TV-14 1983 1 Season Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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Richard Chamberlain stars as a priest forced to make a choice between his feelings and his ambitions in this sweeping adaptation of Colleen McCullough's novel. Set in the early 1900s on a sheep station in the Australian outback, the 1983 miniseries follows members of the Cleary family, whose move to the sheep station leads to a pivotal relationship between young Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph. When the attraction between Meggie and Father Ralph becomes obvious, Meggie's wealthy aunt forces Father Ralph to choose between Meggie and his ambition to rise within the Catholic Church. Though he chooses the church, as decades pass he continues to be drawn back to Meggie, with sometimes disastrous consequences.
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The Thorn Birds

Seasons

Season 1 Mar 1983 Details

Cast & Crew

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Richard Chamberlain

Father Ralph de Bricassart

Rachel Ward

Meggie Cleary

Barbara Stanwyck

Mary Carson

Christopher Plummer

Archbishop Vittorio Contini-Verchese

Jean Simmons

Fiona "Fee" Cleary

Richard Kiley

Paddy Cleary
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The Thorn Birds

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Series Info

Synopsis Richard Chamberlain stars as a priest forced to make a choice between his feelings and his ambitions in this sweeping adaptation of Colleen McCullough's novel. Set in the early 1900s on a sheep station in the Australian outback, the 1983 miniseries follows members of the Cleary family, whose move to the sheep station leads to a pivotal relationship between young Meggie Cleary and Father Ralph. When the attraction between Meggie and Father Ralph becomes obvious, Meggie's wealthy aunt forces Father Ralph to choose between Meggie and his ambition to rise within the Catholic Church. Though he chooses the church, as decades pass he continues to be drawn back to Meggie, with sometimes disastrous consequences.
Director
Daryl Duke
Screenwriter
Colleen McCullough, Carmen Culver, Lee Stanley
Network
ABC
Rating
TV-14 (S)
Genre
Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date
Mar 27, 1983