Born:
December 22, 1962
in
Ipswich
Best Known For:
Schindler's List and The English Patient.
Early-life:
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born on December 22, 1962, in Suffolk. He's the oldest of six children, and says his brothers and sisters were his earliest audiences. His father Mark was a photographer and his mother, Jennifer Lash, was a painter, novelist and travel writer. His cousin is explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. The family moved 15 times during his childhood. After A-levels he completed a foundation course at Chelsea College of Art & Design, then attended Rada.
Career:
Fiennes' film debut was in Wuthering Heights opposite Juliette Binoche in 1992. It was his performances in that and the acclaimed 1990 TV drama A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia that impressed Steven Spielberg so much he cast him in Schindler's List. That movie launched his Hollywood career and he was soon snapped up for Quiz Show, Strange Days, The English Patient, The End of the Affair and Red Dragon. In 1995, he won a Tony Award for his role as Hamlet on Broadway. More recently, Fiennes has worked in such diverse projects as Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, The Constant Gardener, The White Countess, In Bruges, The Reader, Clash of the Titans, Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang and four Harry Potter movies. He made his directorial debut with Coriolanus in 2011, and is the Bond franchise's latest M.
Quote:
"It's Rafe, actually."
Trivia:
He won a Tony Award for his performance in a 1995 production of Hamlet.