Biography
With his rugged, everyman exterior and quick wit, Aussie actor Bryan Brown has made an undeniable mark in the world of cinema with unforgettable roles in such efforts as
Bruce Beresford's
Breaker Morant (1980), the innovative action thriller F/X, and the bottle slingin' bartender drama
Cocktail (1988). Although public misconception may be that Brown abandoned the Land Down Under for a film career in Hollywood, the lifelong Australian resident remains true to his homeland despite his status as a popular international film star. A former insurance salesman who was bitten by the acting bug early on, the Sydney native soon found stage work in both his hometown as well as London. His film debut as a lovelorn, mentally ill man in
The Love Letters From Teralba Road (1977) soon followed, and after gaining positive critical notice for his performance, Brown appeared in minor capacity in such films as
Phillip Noyce's
Newsfront and
Bruce Beresford's
Money Movers before his breakout turn as a supporting player in the searing war drama
Breaker Morant. His star on the rise in the early '80s, Brown subsequently appeared in the prison drama
Stir before turning up in the acclaimed miniseries
The Thorn Birds (1983). The musical drama
Give My Regards to Broad Street proved a surprising gem to
Paul McCartney and Brown fans alike the following year, and with the release of F/X in 1986, Brown became a bankable international star. The film's innovative use of special effects as a means to drive the plot, combined with a smart script and Brown's natural charisma, resulted in a modest hit that spawned both a sequel and a television series (albeit without him).
After taking the lead in
Tai-Pan (1986) and returning to Australia for the relationship drama
The Good Wife (1987), Brown took his biggest Hollywood role to date as a veteran bartender opposite
Tom Cruise in
Cocktail. Although Brown would have little chance to truly shine opposite the Hollywood heavy, he did manage to steal a few scenes and have fun with the role. Shifting gears entirely for
Gorillas in the Mist that same year, Brown was once again offered the opportunity to shine in the role of a National Geographic photographer who falls for primate researcher Dian Fossey
Sigourney Weaver. Despite the fact that Brown's '80s momentum may not have carried into the '90s as strongly as fans might have hoped, those who did seek out his films found him still very much at the top of his game. From
Nicolas Roeg's existential drama
Full Body Massage (1995) to the intensely personal
Dead Heart (1996), his performances were consistently thought provoking. After expanding his resumé to include producer credits with the 1991 F/X sequel, Brown did his best to bring stories to the screen that he found personally compelling. His association both in front of and behind the scenes of
Twisted Tales (a sort of Down Under
Twilight Zone meets
The X-Files) helped to maintain his high profile in Australia, and, in 1999, Brown appeared opposite hot-Aussie export
Heath Ledger in the comedy drama
Two Hands. After more starring roles that year, Brown appeared in the sleeper drama
Risk and the nuclear drama
On the Beach (both 2000). Having been a youngster in 1960 Australia, the retro-gangster comedy
Dirty Deeds had special appeal to Brown, and his turn as a Sydney-based crime syndicate leader who draws the ire of a fearsome Chicago crime family offered a fun take of the gangster-chic trend. Although Brown would threaten to take a break from acting following
Dirty Deeds, it wasn't long before he was back in front of the cameras for the
Ben Stiller comedy Along Came Polly Captured (2004). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide