In 1993, he portrayed the brutalNaziconcentration camp commandantAmon Göth inSteven Spielberg's historicalholocaust drama epicSchindler's List.[15] Todd McCarthy, film critic ofVariety praised his performance describing it as "extraordinary" adding that he "creates an indelible character in Goeth. With paunch hanging out and eyes filled with disgust both for his victims and himself, he’s like a minor-league Roman emperor gone sour with excess, a man in whom too much power and debauchery have crushed anything that might once have been good."[16] For his performance in the film, he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won theBAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.[8] His portrayal of Göth also saw him listed at number 15 on theAFI'slist of the top 50 film villains. Fiennes gained weight to portray Göth, but shed it afterwards.[2] Fiennes later stated that playing the role had a profoundly disturbing effect on him.[17]
Fiennes gained worldwide prominence for his portrayal asLord Voldemort, the antagonist in theHarry Potter franchise. His first appearance was in the 2005 fantasy filmHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He returned to the role for three other films in the series:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and bothHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) andPart 2 (2011). In an interview withEmpire magazine, Fiennes said his portrayal of Voldemort was an "instinctive, visceral, physical thing".[27] In a 2024 interview withCollider, Fiennes expanded on playing the character saying, "When I play Voldemort, I'm trying to access something without empathy. It's about power and control and the manipulating of people for power. It's a real, almost erotic pleasure in how I can control you. I know I have the power to do it. You have no chance."[28]
Fiennes with Eddie and Gloria Minghella at the 2011 Minghella Film Festival in England
In 2012, he appeared in the twenty-thirdJames Bond film,Skyfall, directed bySam Mendes. He replaced DameJudi Dench asM in subsequent Bond films.[29] That same year, he playedAbel Magwitch inGreat Expectations (2012), directed byMike Newell based on theCharles Dickensnovel of the same name. He acted alongsideHarry Potter alumniRobbie Coltrane andHelena Bonham-Carter. David Rooney ofThe Hollywood Reporter wrote of his performance that "Fiennes is feral and frightening" adding, "[He] is a touching figure of unexpected integrity and enormous pathos".[30] Also in 2012, he reprised his role ofHades again acting oppositeLiam Neeson'sZeus in the action fantasy sequelWrath of the Titans. Despite the film receiving negative reviews it was a financial success.[31] In 2013, Fiennes returned to the directors chair helming over the biographical romance dramaThe Invisible Woman where he also acted portraying the leading role ofCharles Dickens oppositeFelicity Jones asEllen Ternan. The film was well-received withPeter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian writing, "Fiennes himself portrays a complex figure: a showman, an egotist and an applause-addict whose lovers and children were his enablers, but also a genuine artist and social idealist. This is an engrossing drama, with excellent performances".[32][33]
Though he is not commonly noted as a comic actor, in 2014, Fiennes made an impression with his farcical turn as a flirty and eccentricconcierge, Monsieur Gustave inWes Anderson's comedy-dramaThe Grand Budapest Hotel. Fiennes used his time as a young porter at London'sBrown's Hotel to help construct the character.[34] Film critic Jocelyn Noveck ofBoston Magazine stated, "In the end it's Fiennes who makes the biggest impression. His stylised, rapid-fire delivery, dry wit and cheerful profanity keep the film bubbling along."[35] For his performance, Fiennes was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and theBAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Film magazineEmpire ranked Fiennes's portrayal of Gustave as the 17th Greatest Movie Character of All Time.[34]
In 2021, Fiennes returned to the stage in David Hare's latest playStraight Line Crazy at theBridge Theatre in London. In the play, Fiennes portrays New York's legendary urban plannerRobert Moses. His performance has received rave reviews withVariety declaring, "Fiennes is all boldly convincing, controlled threat, his monomania teetering on the edge of malevolence".[46] InThe Guardian's five star rave review, criticMark Lawson described Fiennes's performance as "enthralling" and an "acting triumph".[47] It was announced that the production would make its New York stage debut,Off-Broadway atThe Shed running from October to December in 2022.[48] In 2022, Fiennes starred as chef Julian Slowik in theMark Mylod-directed comedy horrorThe Menu.[49][50][51] For his performance he received a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Also in 2022 Fiennes collaborated with his sister, the filmmakerSophie Fiennes, translating to the screen his production and performance ofT. S. Eliot's poem,Four Quartets. The original on-stage performance was described as "a magnificent theatrical experience"[52] and "a poignant one-man show about a world under threat."[53] In Sophie Fiennes's film "the lens and the screen bring a new, even more intimate, perspective".[54]
Fiennes returned to the stage in June 2025, starring as the Victorian stage star SirHenry Irving oppositeMiranda Raison who plays the stage actressEllen Terry, in David Hare's playGrace Pervades, which explores the working and romantic relationship of Irving and Terry, with the play transferring to theWest End in April 2026.[60][61] His first foray in opera direction took place at theOpéra de Paris in January 2026 with a new production ofEugene Onegin, where one critic noted that he "warned that he would approach the work as theater. It is hard to say what deserves more admiration: the crowd scenes crafted as living genre paintings or the taut dramatic threads between the protagonists, where singing becomes just one expressive element among others".[62]
Fiennes met English actressAlex Kingston while they were both students at theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art. After dating for ten years, they married in 1993 and divorced in 1997 following his affair withFrancesca Annis.[64] Annis and Fiennes separated on 7 February 2006, after 11 years together,[65][66] in a parting described as "acrimonious", following rumours that he had an affair with the Romanian singer Cornelia Crișan.[65]
Fiennes has previously worked with UNICEF UK and has undertaken work in India,Kyrgyzstan, Uganda and Romania. Fiennes is also a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.[68]
Fiennes opposed the UK leaving theEuropean Union (Brexit). Following theEU membership referendum in 2016, Fiennes stated, "I'm strongly aremainer. I think that our connection with Europe, faulty as it may be in its current state ... it seems to me that the point of the EU was to take down barriers of interactive trade, culture, between cultures, nations."[69]
In a March 2021 interview withThe Daily Telegraph, Fiennes voiced support forJ. K. Rowling following backlash againsther views ontransgender people, arguing: "I can't understand the vitriol directed at her. I can understand the heat of an argument, but I find this age of accusation and the need to condemn irrational. I find the level of hatred that people express about views that differ from theirs, and the violence of language towards others, disturbing."[70]
^"Miracle Maker comes to big screen".news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 31 March 2000.Archived from the original on 16 December 2024. Retrieved18 April 2024.A joint Welsh and Russian-made animated film on the life of Jesus starring Ralph Fiennes.
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