Born December 22, 1962, Ralph Fiennes is the eldest of six children born to photographer Mark Fiennes and his wife, novelist Jennifer Lash.
An eighth cousin of King Charles, with his mellifluous voice, Fiennes give the impression of a well-heeled British aristocrat when in fact he was brought up in near poverty. The family moved to Ireland in 1973 where he spent his formative years. Moving back to England, he was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London between 1983 and 1985 and made his stage debut soon after.
On TV in 1990, Fiennes made his film debut as Heathcliff in the 1992 version of Wuthering Heights. He became a major star with 1993’s Schindler’s List for which he received numerous awards including an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of evil Nazi commandant Amon Goeth. He received universal acclaim for his performances in 1994’s Quiz Show and 1996’s The English Patient for which he received a second Oscar nomination.
Major starring roles followed in such films as The Avengers and Oscar and Lucinda, but it wasn’t until 1999’s The End of the Affair that he was once again the recipient of major awards recognition. It would be another six years until he was once again in the running for major awards in 2005’s The Constant Gardener.
Fiennes expanded his fan base with his appearance as Voldemort in the fourth Harry Potter film, 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and continued to play the villainous character for the remainder of the series. In 2008 he had a featured role in the year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, The Hurt Locker and starred opposite the year’s Best Actress winner, Kate Winslet in The Reader.
Fiennes had a very busy year in 2011 in which he appeared in the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two; played an important role in TV’s Page Eight and directed his first film, Coriolanus in which he also starred.
In 2012, the actor starred as Magwitch in Mike Newell’s version of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and made his James Bond film debut in Skyfall. In 2013, he played Dickens opposite Felicity Jones in The Invisible Woman which he also directed. In 2014, he was nominated for a BAFTA for his lead performance in The Grand Budapest Hotel but missed out on a Oscar nomination. In 2015, he received further awards recognition for A Bigger Splash but again missed out on an Oscar nomination. He also became M in that year’s James Bond movie, Spectre.
Fiennes subsequently played thee title role in the 2016 film version of Shakespeare’s Richard III, Professor Moriarty in Ethan Cohn’s 2018 film, Holmes & Watson, M in 2021’s No Time to Die, and the chef in 2022’s The Menu among many other projects.
In 2024, Fiennes played the title role in the latest film version Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Odysseus in The Return, and the Cardinal in charge of the voting for the next Pope in Conclave for which he received his third Oscar nomination, his first in 28 years.
Fiennes has five films in various stages of production including 28 Years Later. He remains ever busy at 62.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
SCHINDLER’S LIST (1993), directed by Steven Spielberg
Fiennes’ breakthrough role as hair-trigger Nazi commandant Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List is a startling depiction of evil personified. The atrocities slowly mount in Spielberg’s brilliant three-hour-and-fifteen-minute holocaust drama during its first hour but really take hold with Fiennes’ entry fifty-seven minutes into the film. There’s no telling who this madman will shoot and kill next. It could be anyone. Needless to say that there are no tears in the audience when he finally receives his just desserts in the end. Fiennes’ first Oscar nomination was well deserved as were the many awards that did receive.
THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996), directed by Anthony Minghella
Michael Ondatjee’s novel was said to be un-filmable. Minghella not only filmed it but made it into the year’s most admired film, earning twelve Oscar nominations and nine wins including Best Picture. The film tells two stories, that of a young nurse (Juliette Binoche) and the badly burned pilot (Fiennes) she finds, and that of the pilot whose story is told in flashback. Fiennes does some of his best acting as the downed pilot both in his scenes with Binoche and Kristin Scott Thomas as the married woman with whom he has an ill-fated affair. The difficult role earned Fiennes a richly deserved second Oscar nomination.
THE END OF THE AFFAIR (1999), directed by Neil Jordan
Graham Greene’s novel had been previously filmed in 1955 with Deborah Kerr, Van Johnson, and Peter Cushing in the roles played so brilliantly here by Julianne Moore, Fiennes and Stephen Rea.
Fiennes is at his best as the novelist who has an affair with married Moore during World War II which she abruptly breaks off for a reason unbeknownst to him. A chance meeting with her husband after the war rekindles his interest. The film received Oscar nods for Moore and Roger Pratt’s vivid cinematography. The direction, screenplay, production design and Rea’s portrayal of the betrayed husband, as well as Fiennes’ performance, were also Oscar worthy.
THE CONSTANT GARDENER (2005), directed by Fernando Meirelles
Oscar missed another opportunity to recognize Fiennes with a nomination for his moving portrayal of a young widower who sets out to find the truth behind his wife’s brutal murder. Rachel Weisz, also outstanding as the murdered wife in flashback, was nominated and won for her performance making it the third time Oscar recognized one of Fiennes’ co-stars (Paul Scofield in Quiz Show and Moore were the others) while overlooking his own award-worthy contributions. Fiennes fared better with the British Academy’s Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) which gave him their fourth nomination following Schindler’s List; The English Patient and The End of the Affair.
CONCLAVE (2024), directed by Edward Berger
When Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with leading one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, selecting a new Pope, he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy that could shake the very foundation of the Catholic Church in this absorbing film version of Robert Harris’ bestselling novel. Co-starring John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci as two of the candidates and Isabella Rossellini as a nun who has seen everything, the film has been nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Director, Actor (Fiennes), Supporting Actress (Rossellini), Adapted Screenplay (by Peter Straughan), Film Editing, Production Design, and Costume Design.
RALPH FIENNES AND OSCAR
Schindler’s List (1993) – Nominated – Best Supporting Actor
The English Patient (1996) – Nominated – Best Actor
Conclave (2024) – Nominated – Best Actor
