Ralph Fiennes

Ralph Fiennes (pronounced "Rafe Fines") is an English actor and filmmaker. Born Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes on December 22, 1962, in Ipswich, Suffolk, he is the eldest of six children of photographer Mark Fiennes and novelist Jennifer Lash, and his siblings include actor Joseph Fiennes and director Martha Fiennes.

Fiennes attended Bishopshalt School and Newland Park Teacher Training College, then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1983 to 1985. He spent his early career on the British stage, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988 and playing Henry VI, Troilus, Berowne, and the title role in Hamlet, the last earning him a Tony Award when the production transferred to Broadway in 1995.

He came to international attention as Nazi commandant Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List (1993), receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His performance as Count Almásy in The English Patient (1996) brought a second Oscar nomination, this time for Best Actor.

His later film work includes Quiz Show (1994), Oscar and Lucinda (1997), The Constant Gardener (2005), The Reader (2008), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and Conclave (2024). He played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series from 2005 to 2011 and M in the James Bond films Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), and No Time to Die (2021). He has also directed the films Coriolanus (2011), The Invisible Woman (2013), and The White Crow (2018).

The name Ralph comes from the Old Norse Ráðúlfr, composed of ráð (counsel, advice) and úlfr (wolf), giving the meaning "counsel-wolf" or "wise wolf." It entered England via Scandinavian and Norman settlers.