Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor, film producer, and director. He graduated from RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) in 1985. A Shakespeare interpreter, Fiennes excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Widely regarded as one of Britain's most well-known and popular actors, he has received various accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and an Emmy Award.
Fiennes made his film debut playing Heathcliff in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1992). His portrayal of Nazi war criminal Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg's drama Schindler's List (1993) earned him a nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His performance as Count Almásy in The English Patient (1996) earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Fiennes has appeared in several other films including Quiz Show (1994), The End of the Affair (1999), Maid in Manhattan (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), In Bruges (2008), The Reader (2008), The Hurt Locker (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), A Bigger Splash (2015), Hail, Caesar! (2016), The King's Man (2021), The Menu (2022), and Conclave (2024). He also voiced roles for the animated films 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). Fiennes played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series (2005–2011) and Gareth Mallory / M in the James Bond films Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021).
In 2011, Fiennes made his directorial debut with his film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy Coriolanus, in which he also played the titular character. He followed this with The Invisible Woman (2013), where he portrayed Charles Dickens. In 1995, he won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for playing Prince Hamlet in the Broadway revival of Hamlet.
Since 1999, Fiennes has served as an ambassador for UNICEF UK. Fiennes is also an Honorary Associate of London Film School. For his work in front of the camera, in 2019 he received the Stanislavsky Award.
