Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and director born on 22 December 1962 in Ipswich, Suffolk. Recognised for his work across stage and screen, his accolades include a BAFTA Award and a Tony Award, alongside nominations for three Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Fiennes was born the eldest of six children to Mark Fiennes, a farmer and photographer, and Jennifer Lash, a writer. Raised in his mother's Catholic faith, he attended Bishop Wordsworth's School in Salisbury from 1976 to 1981. He initially studied painting at Chelsea College of Arts before deciding to pursue acting. He completed his dramatic training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, graduating in 1985.

Beginning his acting career at the Open Air Theatre and the Royal National Theatre, Fiennes achieved early prominence performing Shakespearean roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He made his screen debut in the 1990 British television film A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, followed by his feature film debut as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights in 1992. In 1995, Fiennes made his Broadway debut in Hamlet, winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play. He returned to Broadway in Faith Healer in 2006, earning a second Tony Award nomination.

Fiennes gained major international acclaim for portraying Nazi concentration camp commandant Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), winning a BAFTA Award and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He earned a second Academy Award nomination for his role as László Almásy in The English Patient (1996). His other notable early film projects included Quiz Show (1994), Strange Days (1995), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), Onegin (1999), Red Dragon (2002), and The Constant Gardener (2005), the latter yielding a BAFTA nomination.

Fiennes achieved broad worldwide recognition playing Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film franchise from 2005 to 2011. He also joined the James Bond franchise as Gareth Mallory / M, appearing in films such as Skyfall (2012) and No Time to Die (2021). In 2011, Fiennes made his feature directorial debut with Coriolanus, in which he also starred. He went on to direct and star in the biographical dramas The Invisible Woman (2013) and The White Crow (2018).

His extensive filmography includes roles in In Bruges (2008), The Reader (2008), The Hurt Locker (2009), Clash of the Titans (2010), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)—which earned him BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations—A Bigger Splash (2015), Hail, Caesar! (2016), The Dig (2021), The King's Man (2021), The Menu (2022), and Conclave (2024). Fiennes has also voiced characters in animated features such as The Prince of Egypt (1998), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), and The Lego Batman Movie (2017). His upcoming roles include Dr. Ian Kelson in 28 Years Later (2025) and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026).