Ralph Fiennes

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Ralph Fiennes

The 60th Annual Tony Awards, New York City
Born Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes
December 22, 1962 (1962-12-22) (age 45)
Suffolk, England
Years active 1990-present
Spouse(s) Alex Kingston (1993-1997)

Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes[1] (pronounced /ˈreɪf ˈfaɪnz/ "rafe fines"; born 22 December 1962) is an English Tony Award-winning, Bafta Award-winning and a two time Academy Award-nominated actor.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Fiennes was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, the son of Mark Fiennes (1933-2004), a farmer and photographer, and Jennifer Lash (1938-1993), a writer. [2] His surname is of Norman origin.[3] He is a third cousin of the adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The eldest of six children, his siblings are actor Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love, Luther), Martha Fiennes, a director (in her film Onegin, he acted the title role), Magnus Fiennes, a composer, Sophie Fiennes, a filmmaker, Jacob Fiennes, a conservationist, and his foster brother Michael Emery, an archaeologist.

The Fiennes family moved to Ireland in 1973, living in West Cork and County Kilkenny for some years, where Fiennes attended Saint Kieran's College for one year. It has been alleged by locals in Kilkenny that this year was a thoroughly unenjoyable one. They moved to Salisbury in England, where Fiennes finished his schooling at Bishop Wordsworth's School before attending Chelsea College of Art.[citation needed]

[edit] Career

Fiennes trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988.[3] He is the only actor ever to have won a Tony Award for playing Hamlet on Broadway. In 2001, Fiennes received the William Shakespeare Award from the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. Fiennes made his film debut in 1992 as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights opposite Juliette Binoche, for which he received substantial acclaim and praise throughout Europe.

1993 was the "breakout year" for him. He had a major role in the very controversial Peter Greenaway film The Baby of Mâcon with Julia Ormond. Though the film was poorly received, Fiennes suffered no lasting consequences, as later that year he became known internationally for portraying the amoral Nazi concentration camp commandant Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. For this he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[3] He did not win the Oscar, but did win the Best Supporting Actor BAFTA Award for the role. His portrayal as Göth also earned him a spot on the American Film Institute's Top 50 of movie villains.

In 1994, he portrayed American academic Charles Van Doren in Quiz Show, and in 1996 was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the World War II epic romance The English Patient.[3] Fiennes' work has ranged from thrillers (Red Dragon) to animated Biblical epic (The Prince of Egypt) to campy nostalgia (The Avengers) to romantic comedy (Maid in Manhattan) and offbeat dramedy (Oscar and Lucinda).

Fiennes was cast as Lord Voldemort in the 2005 fantasy film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and has retained this role for the 5th film Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. The Constant Gardener was also released in 2005, with Fiennes as the title role.[3] The film is set in the slums of Kibera and Loiyangalani, Kenya. The situation affected the crew to the extent that they set up the Constant Gardener Trust in order to provide basic education around these villages. Fiennes is a patron of the charity.[4] His recent performance in the play Faith Healer gained him a nomination for a 2006 Tony Award.

[edit] Personal life

Fiennes is a UNICEF ambassador.[5]

Fiennes met actress Alex Kingston (Dr. Corday from ER) while both were students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. After dating for ten years, they married in 1993. However, they divorced in 1997. In 1995, Fiennes started dating Francesca Annis, an actress 17 years his senior, who played his mother in Hamlet. In February 2006 the couple separated. This came after tabloid reports that said Fiennes had had an affair with Romanian singer Cornelia Crisan.[6] In late 2006, sources reported that Fiennes was dating American actress Ellen Barkin.[7]

[edit] Work

[edit] Filmography

Year Film Role Director Notes
1990 A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia T. E. Lawrence Christopher "Chris" Menaul
1992 Wuthering Heights Heathcliff Peter Kosminsky
1993 The Baby of Mâcon The Bishop's son Peter Greenaway
Schindler's List Amon Goeth Steven Spielberg Best Supporting Actor Nomination: Oscar
1994 Quiz Show Charles Van Doren Robert Redford
1995 Strange Days Lenny Nero Kathryn Bigelow
1996 The English Patient Count Laszlo de Almásy Anthony Minghella Nominated for Academy Award for Best Actro in a leading role
1997 Oscar and Lucinda Oscar Hopkins Gillian Armstrong
1998 The Avengers John Steed Jeremiah S. Chechik
The Prince of Egypt Rameses Brenda Chapman
Steve Hickner
Simon Wells
(voice)
1999 Sunshine Ignatz Sonnenschein/Adam Sors/Ivan Sors István Szabó
Onegin Evgeny Onegin Martha Fiennes
The End of the Affair Maurice Bendrix Neil Jordan
2000 The Miracle Maker Jesus Christ Derek W. Hayes
Stanislav Sokolov
(voice)
2002 Spider Spider David Cronenberg
The Good Thief Tony Angel Neil Jordan (uncredited)
Red Dragon Francis Dolarhyde Brett Ratner
Maid in Manhattan Christopher Marshall Wayne Wang
2005 The Chumscrubber Mayor Michael Ebbs Arie Posin
Chromophobia Stephen Tulloch Martha Fiennes
The Constant Gardener Justin Quayle Fernando Meirelles
Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Victor Quartermaine Steve Box
Nick Park
(voice)
The White Countess Todd Jackson James Ivory
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Lord Voldemort Mike Newell
2006 Land of the Blind Joe Robert Edwards
2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Lord Voldemort David Yates
Bernard and Doris Bernard Lafferty Bob Balaban
2008 In Bruges Harry Martin McDonagh
The Hurt Locker Mercenary Team Leader Kathryn Bigelow post-production
The Duchess William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire Saul Dibb post-production
The Reader Stephen Daldry filming
2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I) Lord Voldemort David Yates
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part II) Lord Voldemort David Yates

[edit] Stage

  • Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare (1985) - Role: Curio - Directed by Richard Digby Day - New Shakespeare Company - Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (1985) - Role: Cobweb - Directed by Toby Robertson - New Shakespeare Company - Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (1986) - Role: Lysander - Directed by David Conville and Emma Freud - New Shakespeare Company - Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London and New Shakespeare Company's European Tour
  • Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (1986) - Role: Romeo - Directed by Declan Donnellan - New Shakespeare Company - Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London
  • Six Characters In Search Of An Author by Luigi Pirandello (1987) - Role: Son - Directed by Michael Rudman - National Theatre's Olivier Theatre, London
  • Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev (1987) - Role: Arkady Nikolayevich Kirsanov - Directed by Michael Rudman - National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre, London
  • Ting Tang Mine by Nick Darke (1987) - Role: Lisha Ball - Directed by Michael Rudman - National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre, London
  • Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (1988) - Role: Claudio - Directed by Di Trevis - Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
  • The Plantagenets: Henry VI, The Rise of Edward IV, Richard III His Death by William Shakespeare (1988-1989) - Role: Henry VI, ghost of Henry VI - Directed by Adrian Noble - Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barbican Theatre, London
  • King John (1989) by William Shakespeare - Role: Dauphin - Directed by Deborah Warner - The Other Place Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and The Pit Theatre, London
  • The Man Who Came To Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman (1989) - Role: Bert Jefferson - Directed by Ron Gene Saks - The Royal Shakespeare Company - Barbican Theatre, London
  • Playing With Trains by Stephen Poliakoff (1989) - Role: Gant - Directed by Ron Daniels - The Royal Shakespeare Company - The Pit Theatre, London
  • Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare (1990) - Role: Troilus - Directed by Sam Mendes - The Royal Shakespeare Company - Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
  • King Lear by William Shakespeare (1990) - Role: Edmund - Directed by Nicholas Hytner - The Royal Shakespeare Company - Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
  • Love's Labour's Lost by William Shakespeare (1991) - Role: Berowne - Directed by Terry Hands - The Royal Shakespeare Company - Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Barbican Theatre, London
  • Hamlet by William Shakespeare (1995) - Role: Hamlet - Directed by Jonathan Kent - The Almeida Theatre Company - Hackney Empire Theatre, London and Belasco Theatre on Broadway, NY
  • Ivanov by Anton Chekhov (1997) - Role: Ivanov - Directed by David Hare - The Almeida Theatre Company - Almeida Theatre, London
  • Coriolanus by William Shakespeare (2000) - Role: Coriolanus - Directed by Jonathan Kent - The Almeida Theatre Company - Gainsborough Film Studios in Shoreditch, London and BAM Harvey Theatre in Brooklyn, New York City
  • Richard II by William Shakespeare (2000) - Role: Richard II - Directed by Jonathan Kent - The Almeida Theatre Company - Gainsborough Film Studios in Shoreditch, London and BAM Harvey Theatre in Brooklyn, New York City
  • The Play What I Wrote by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley and Eddie Braben (2001) - Role: Sir Ralph Fiennes - Directed by Kenneth Branagh - The Duo The Right Size - West End Wyndham's Theatre, London
  • The Talking Cure by Christopher Hampton (2003) - Role: Carl Jung - Directed by Howard Davies - National Theatre's Cottesloe Theatre, London
  • Brand by Henrik Ibsen (2003) - Role: Brand - Directed by Adrian Noble - The Royal Shakespeare Company - Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon and Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
  • Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (2005) - Role: Mark Anthony - Directed by Deborah Warner - Barbican Centre, London
  • Faith Healer by Brian Friel (2006) - Role: Frank Hardy - Directed by Jonathan Kent - Gate Theatre, Dublin and Booth Theatre on Broadway, New York City
  • First Love by Samuel Beckett - Sydney Festival 2007
  • God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza (2008) - Role: Alain Reille - Gielgud Theatre, West End

[edit] Awards and nominations

Awards
Nominations
  • 1994 - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor - Schindler's List
  • 1994 - Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Schindler's List
  • 1994 - MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance - Schindler's List
  • 1997 - Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role - The English Patient
  • 1997 - BAFTA Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - The English Patient
  • 1997 - Golden Globe and Golden Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama - The English Patient
  • 1997 - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast - The English Patient
  • 1999 - Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production - The Prince of Egypt
  • 1999 - Razzie Award for Worst Actor - The Avengers
  • 1999 - Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (shared with Uma Thurman) - The Avengers
  • 2000 - BAFTA Film Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - The End of the Affair
  • 2000 - Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role - Sunshine
  • 2001 - ALFS Award for British Actor of the Year - The End of the Affair
  • 2003 - Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor - Red Dragon
  • 2003 - Teen Choice Award - Choice Movie Liplock (shared with Jennifer Lopez) - Maid in Manhattan
  • 2006 - BAFTA Award - Best Actor - The Constant Gardener
  • 2006 - Annie Awards - Best Voice/Animation - Wallace & Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit
  • 2006 - MTV Movie Awards - Best Villain - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

[edit] References

  1. ^ Person Page 18418. thePeerage.com (06 April 2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  2. ^ Ralph Fiennes Biography. filmreference (2008). Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  3. ^ a b c d e Fiennes, Ralph. Interview with James Lipton. Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 15 January 2006. (Interview). Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  4. ^ Constant Gardener Trust - Patrons. UNICEF. Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  5. ^ Ralph Fiennes, UNICEF UK Ambassador. UNICEF. Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  6. ^ World Entertainment News Network (12 February 2007). Fiennes in Air Sex Scandal?. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-04-10.
  7. ^ World Entertainment News Network. Fiennes Finds Another Older Woman In Barkin?. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2008-04-10.

[edit] External links


Awards
Preceded by
Gene Hackman
for Unforgiven
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1994
for Schindler's List
Succeeded by
Samuel L. Jackson
for Pulp Fiction
Preceded by
Brian Bedford
for Timon of Athens
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play
1994-1995
for Hamlet
Succeeded by
Frank Langella
for The Father