Ralph Fiennes

Eldest of 6 children born to photographer Mark Fiennes and his wife, Jini - aka Jennifer Lash - a novelist. Siblings are Martha Fiennes, a director; Magnus, a musician; Sophie, a producer; and twins Joseph Fiennes, an actor, and Jacob, a gamekeeper. Foster brother Michael (Mick) is an archaeologist. Cousin is British explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Attended Bishop Wordsworth Boys' School, the Chelsea College of Art & Design, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Joined Britain's Royal National Theatre in 1987 and the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1988.

Name pronounced "Rafe Fine".

Ranked #34 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]

Of the roughly one dozen actors to play "Hamlet" on Broadway, he is the first to win a Tony Award for doing so, in the 1995 Almeida Theatre production directed by Jonathan Kent.

Brother of Martha Fiennes and Joseph Fiennes.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#33). [1995]

On 3 March 2001, he received the William Shakespeare Award from the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. Past recipients include Mel Gibson, Patrick Stewart, Lynn Redgrave, Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Kline.

His uncle, Nicholas Lash, is a former priest and Cambridge theology professor, and his great-uncle, Dom Patrick Moore, is a Benedictine monk.

Partner Francesca Annis. [1995 - 2006]

Gained several pounds of muscle for his role in Red Dragon (2002).

His performance as Amon Goeth from his film Schindler's List (1993) was ranked #15 on the American Film Institute's Villains list in their compilation of the 100 years of The Greatest Screen Heroes and Villains.

Is the oldest of 6 children - younger siblings; Martha Fiennes (b. 1964), Magnus Hubert Fiennes (b. 1965), Sophia Victoria Fiennes (b. 1967) and Jacob Mark Fiennes & Joseph Fiennes (fraternal twins) (b. 27 May 1970). He also has a foster brother, Michael Emery (b. 31 Dec 1952) who has been with the family since he was 11.

A Member of the RADA Council.

He and his The End of the Affair (1999) co- star Julianne Moore have acted in separate Hannibal Lecter films: he in Red Dragon (2002) and she in Hannibal (2001).

His tattoo in Red Dragon (2002) took eight hours to apply.

Appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) with Gary Oldman. Both of them have played villains in the Hannibal Lecter films: Fiennes played Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (2002), and Oldman played Mason Verger in Hannibal (2001).

4th cousin of Lord Saye & Sele, owner of Broughton Castle, which appears in Shakespeare in Love (1998) as Viola's house.

8th cousin to HRH The Prince of Wales.

Fiennes was reluctant to take the role of Lord Volemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). In a television interview on AMC's "Sunday Morning Shootout" (2003) (November 20, 2005), he claimed to have been unimpressed with the previous three Harry Potter films. Fiennes was apparently nonplussed at the idea of appearing in the fourth film of a series and stated that he had "never bought into [the] world" of Harry Potter. Family members urged him to take the role while other friends counseled against it. He eventually changed his mind after Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell showed Fiennes preproduction conceptions of what the character of Voldemort might look like: "The little kid in me that likes to dress up and be bad went 'Yeah! I want to do it!'".

He was considered for the role of Robert Langdon in The Da Vinci Code (2006). Tom Hanks was cast instead.

Appeared in two Best Picture winners from the 1990s: Schindler's List (1993) and The English Patient (1996). The only other actor to do this was Richard Harris, who appeared in Unforgiven (1992) and Gladiator (2000) (The year 2000 was still part of the twentieth century, so it was technically part of the 1990s as well). Both Fiennes and Harris appear in the Harry Potter films.

Broke up with Francesca Annis [February 7, 2006].

Has appeared in two Best Picture winners (Schindler's List (1993) and The English Patient (1996)), and a Best Animated Feature winner (Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)).

He and his brother, Joseph Fiennes, have both worked with Cate Blanchett (Oscar and Lucinda (1997) and Elizabeth (1998)), Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener (2005) and Enemy at the Gates (2001)) and Liv Tyler (Onegin (1999) and Stealing Beauty (1996)).

When he noticed that children watching the filming were scared of him as "Voldemort" in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), he knew he had the character right.

His performance as "Amon Goeth" in Schindler's List (1993) is ranked #61 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

He turned down the lead role in The Saint (1997).

Filmed his role as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) in only two days.