One of the most respected British actors of his generation, Ralph Fiennes has starred in several of the best English-language dramas of the past 15 years, and his career has recently blossomed into mainstream Hollywood fare with his role as Lord Voldemort in the “Harry Potter” series. Fiennes’s icy-cool demeanor and his surprising emotional range have made him an actor of unparalleled skill and versatility.
Fiennes’s early years mirror many of his British contemporaries – posh public schools, advanced theatre training, and the benefit of a prestigious artistic family. He is the eldest of seven children – one of his siblings is celebrated “Shakespeare in Love” star Joseph Fiennes – born to photographer Mark Fiennes and novelist Jennifer Lash, both of whom have passed away. Though Fiennes was born on December 22, 1962 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, his family moved to Ireland for several years in 1973, where Ralph received much of his schooling. Upon returning to England, he finished his studies at the Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury. He then attended the Chelsea College of Art before moving on to the famed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, which led him to the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988.
Fiennes made quite a splash in the British theatre, usually in Shakespeare productions which allowed him to work with now-famous film directors like Sam Mendes and Nicholas Hytner. His fame on stage earned him the lead role in a 1990 TV ‘sequel’ to David Lean’s classic “Lawrence of Arabia.” Titled “A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia,” the film saw Fiennes playing the vaunted hero T.E. Lawrence during the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, in his first screen role. In 1992 he starred as Heathcliff in a major film version of “Wuthering Heights” alongside Juliette Binoche, while 1993 saw him achieve international stardom in Steven Spielberg’s affecting Holocaust drama “Schindler’s List.” Daring to take on a wholly unsympathetic character, Fiennes received an Oscar nomination and a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of a perverted and cruel Nazi officer.
Hollywood quickly realized how effective Fiennes - with his trance-like intensity and enormous sex appeal – could be as a major leading man. He was soon starring in Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” the James Cameron-penned “Strange Days,” and most notably Anthony Minghella’s masterful adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s twisty wartime novel “The English Patient,” which won a handful of Oscars and another nomination for Fiennes (he lost to Geoffrey Rush). The latter film made Fiennes the go-to man for period piece heartthrob roles – his next major roles were “Oscar and Lucinda” with Cate Blanchett, the century-spanning “Sunshine,” “Onegin” with Liv Tyler, and Neil Jordan’s terrific “The End of the Affair” with Julianne Moore. Both Fiennes and Uma Thurman have the scar of “The Avengers” on their résumés from this period.
Fiennes is arguably one of the greatest screen actors in history, and in this century he has continually impressed in films like David Cronenberg’s “Spider,” “The Constant Gardener” (which scored co-star Rachel Weisz an Oscar), and James Ivory’s “The White Countess.” His foray into mainstream cinema has also been successful, with the surprise Jennifer Lopez hit “Maid in Manhattan” and two “Harry Potter” films to his credit. Fiennes is currently on screen in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” and can be seen later this year in “Bernard and Doris” with Susan Sarandon.