BRETT CULLEN plays ruggedly handsome Sweetwater Marshall Sam Cain. With a fair sense of justice and a quick draw, Sam manages to keep law and order in the small town of Sweetwater. In the latter part of the first season, we find out that Marshall Sam Cain had a "checkered past." When his wife died at the hands of some hired guns, he set forth to vindicate her death. Because of his experience as a gunfighter, Sam was able to advice the young Hickok about the road he was about to take in life. His rule: Shoot to kill.

Apparently, Sam has been courting Sweetwater waystation owner Emma Shannon for a while. He enjoys a lot of free meals at Emma's place and doesn't even need to look for deputies since he always gets help from the riders. He and Emma wed between the first and second season and Cain got a promotion. He was named territorial marshall and passed his badge to Teaspoon Hunter.

Brett was last seen as a series regular in the UPN drama Legacy, playing dad to five kids. Unfortunately, the series was canceled after one season.

One of Brett's most memorable assignments was as New Orleans cop Clade Charbonnet in the CBS drama series Orleans. He is fondly remembered for his portrayal of Bob Cleary in The Thorn Birds (still the second highest-rating miniseries ever aired.) He also starred opposite Bryan Brown in the Australian miniseries Eureka Stockade and with Jane Wyman and Cesar Romero, for two years, in the primetime soap Falcon Crest.

Brett started acting in high school in Houston, Texas, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from the University of Houston. He spent four years with the Houston Shakespeare Festival before making his screen debut (as a result of his meeting John Travolta's manager, Bob Lemond) in the TV series The Chisholms. He relocated to Los Angeles and landed the Thorn Birds role in 1983.

His other TV credits include Suddenly Susan (as Susan's boyfriend), and the TV-movies Gambler Five: Last Days of the Wild Bunch, Danielle Steele's Family Album, Dead Soldier Perfect, The Image and Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Lifetime Televisions The Hired Heart (with Penelope Ann Miller). Brett's film work has included Leaving Normal (with Meg Tilly), Courage Under Fire (opposite Meg Ryan), The Killing Jar, Apollo 13 and Something to Talk About (alongside Julia Roberts). Brett makes his home in L.A. 

From the Earth to the Moon (1998) (mini) TV Series .... Dave Scott