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Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes has been honored for his work on the stage and screen. In 2008, he earned dual British Independent Film (BIF) Award nominations, both for Best Supporting Actor, for his roles in The Duchess, opposite Keira Knightley, for which he also received a Golden Globe nomination, and In Bruges, with Colin Farrell. Also in 2008, Fiennes starred in the acclaimed dramas The Reader, with Kate Winslet, and in the nine time Academy Award-nominated The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The same year, he received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations for his performance in the HBO movie Bernard and Doris, opposite Susan Sarandon.

Fiennes has a wide range of films upcoming, including Ricky Gervais' comedy drama Cemetery Junction; the fantasy Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang, with Emma Thompson; and a film adaptation of Shakespeare's Coriolanus, with Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave, which will also mark his directorial debut. In addition, Fiennes will reprise the role of the evil Lord Voldemort in the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. He first appeared as Voldemort in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and returned to the role in the 2007 blockbuster Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

A two-time Academy Award nominee, Fiennes received his first nomination in 1994 for his performance in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning Best Picture, Schindler's List. His chilling portrayal of Nazi Commandant Amon Goeth also brought him a Golden Globe nomination and a BAFTA Award, as well as Best Supporting Actor honors from numerous critics groups, including the National Society of Film Critics, and the New York, Chicago, Boston and London Film Critics.

Fiennes earned his second Oscar nomination in 1997 for the title role in another Best Picture winner, Anthony Minghella's The English Patient. He also garnered Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations, as well as two SAG Award nominations, one for Best Actor and another shared with the cast. He later won a British Independent Film Award, an Evening Standard British Film Award and a London Film Critics Circle Award, and earned a BAFTA Award nomination, for his work in the acclaimed 2005 drama The Constant Gardener, directed by Fernando Meirelles.

His additional film credits include James Ivory's The White Countess; Aardman's Oscar-winning animated film Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit; Red Dragon; the Neil Jordan films The End of the Affair and The Good Thief; David Cronenberg's Spider; Martha Fiennes' Chromophobia and Onegin; Istvan Szabo's Sunshine; Maid in Manhattan, opposite Jennifer Lopez; the animated musical The Prince of Egypt; The Avengers; Oscar and Lucinda, opposite Cate Blanchett; Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days; Quiz Show, directed by Robert Redford; and Wuthering Heights, in which he made his film debut.

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Fiennes began his career on the London stage. He joined Michael Rudman's company at the Royal National Theatre and later spent two seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). In 1995, Fiennes opened as Hamlet in Jonathan Kent's production of the play, winning a Tony Award for his performance when the production moved to Broadway. He reunited with Kent in the London production of Ivanov, later taking the play to Moscow.

In 2000, Fiennes returned to the London stage in the title roles of Richard II and Coriolanus. In 2002, he originated the role of Carl Jung in Christopher Hampton's The Talking Cure at the Royal National Theatre and, the following year, played the title role in Ibsen's Brand at the RSC. Fiennes played Mark Anthony in Deborah Warner's 2005 production of Julius Caesar, before reuniting with director Jonathan Kent to star in Brian Friels' Faith Healer. The play opened in 2006 in Dublin and later went to Broadway, where Fiennes earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance.

In March of last year, Fiennes opened in the Yasmina Reza play God of Carnage in London's West End and then starred in Kent's production of Oedipus at the National Theatre.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2010.
Read earlier biographies on this page.

Ralph Fiennes Facts

Birth NameRalph Nathaniel Fiennes
OccupationActor
BirthdayDecember 22, 1962 (61)
SignCapricorn
BirthplaceSuffolk, England, United Kingdom
Height5' 11" (1m80)  How tall is Ralph Fiennes compared to you?
Awards1994 BAFTA Awards: Actor in a Supporting Role (for Schindler's List)

Selected Filmography

Spectre
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Bernard and Doris
Kubo and the Two Strings
Maid In Manhattan
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Page Eight
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