The Big Picture

• Ralph Fiennes has had a successful and versatile career in both film and theatre, with two Oscar nominations and 87 acting credits on IMDb.
• Fiennes has showcased his talent in a variety of roles, from complex and sensitive characters like Count Almásy in The English Patient to iconic villains like Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series.
• Through his performances, Fiennes has demonstrated range, emotional depth, and a dedication to his craft, as seen in films like The Constant Gardener and Schindler's List .

Ralph Fiennes was a well-regarded performer well before becoming the infamous Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. Fiennes is a veteran of film and theatre alike, with two Oscar nominations under his belt, and a 20-year career still going strong, it's clear that Fiennes knows how to give an awards-worthy performance. Fiennes has a whopping 87 acting credits on IMDb.

But let’s take a trip down memory lane, as we reminisce over some of Ralph Fiennes' must-see performances.

'The English Patient's Count Almásy

Fiennes exploded into leading man stardom with this wartime epic love story. Fiennes portrays a more complex and sensitive version of your typical military hero. He brings a Shakespearean tragedy to the role, tortured by his journey and a never fully realized love. His brooding but well-spoken tone brings a novel approach to the classic English gentleman, harrowed by emotional restraint. Caught in the midst of a sizzling hot love affair, the turbulence of war and the brutality of the desert, Fiennes is a chameleon, morphing through a million emotional states throughout this non-linear adventure. His final breakdown, carrying his dying paramour, is a real tearjerker.

'The Grand Budapest Hotel's Unforgettable Gustave

What looks to be a more light-hearted character on the surface, Fiennes’ approach to Gustave is subtle but so overwhelmingly charming. The bizarre but often profound humor is delivered with a lightness of touch and down-to-earthness that really draws us to the character. Wes Anderson is famous for his intricately stylized approach to cinema, which many may not expect from the classically-trained Fiennes. However, the role fits him like a concierge’s glove. When contrasting it with heavier and more devious characters, such as Voldemort, Lenny Nero and Rameses, we get to see a sort of purity and earnestness that isn’t common in Fiennes’ filmography. Adorning an outlandish but playful personality, he makes us root for Gustave from the beginning, making his end even more devastating.

'The Constant Gardener' Shows a Vulnerable Side

This thought-provoking entry combines a moving love story and a harrowing political and social commentary on poverty in Kenya. In fact, the eponymous Constant Gardener Foundation provided education within the villages where the project was filmed. Here, Fiennes plays a man not only traumatized by the horrors of class-divide and impoverishment but those of personal grief, having lost his wife (Rachel Weisz) to murder. This film sees Fiennes in his most broken and desperate role, riddled with loss, culture shock, anger and bewilderment. We see his character break again and again as a cascade of horrifying truths are revealed.

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Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter Series

Fiennes's role as the infamous He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is more of a thing than a man. Accenting every gesture and pace with eerie, serpentine movements, the attention to detail with which he adorns his performance has made one of the most iconic movie villains of the 21st century. Barely recognizable in his noseless prosthetics, Fiennes’s voice packs a punch from animalistic fury, to homicidal mirth, to subtle cunning, to quiet calculation. With a clear motivation for Fascism, Fiennes’s performance cements Voldemort as an unsettling experiment of the Uncanny Valley, who will stop at nothing in his war path for destruction.

'Strange Days' Shows Fiennes' Range

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From the poverty-stricken villages of Kenya to the seedy streets of Los Angeles comes this brutal but brilliant sci-fi thriller. Here, Fiennes shows his range more than ever, adopting a convincing American accent and playing a more suave character than any of his other performances. However, as always, behind a collected demeanor, he shows us that air of vulnerability and emotion. Dealing with themes such as sexual violence, memory, addiction and suicide, Strange Days is more than just an edgier Blade Runner. Predating similar titles like The Matrix, this film uses its futuristic aesthetic to explore deeper aspects of human nature, and it's clear that Fiennes understood this.

Ralph Fiennes Goes American in 'Quiz Show'

Robert Redford’s historical mystery-drama takes us back to the 1950s, to an atmosphere of suspicion, conspiracy and scandal. Based on the Twenty-Onequiz show scandal, this movie saw Brit Fiennes in an American role and story once more. After many American actors were considered, it was Fiennes’ talent and approach to researching real-life Van Doren that landed him the part. Once more, Fiennes balances the facade and the inner reality: Van Doren is an outwardly confident man, playing up to the cameras and the press, but privately struggling with his newfound career as a conman. Fiennes gives an everyman charm to the role, always delivering the film’s layered and fast-paced dialogue to perfection.

'The Prince of Egypt' Gives Us Another Villainous Fiennes

The lesser-known title on the list, this Dreamworks classic rolls out the red carpet to tell its dramatic Biblical tale. Starring alongside the likes of Val Kilmer as Moses (and as God… which you can make of what you will), Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Steve Martin and Sir Patrick Stewart, to name but a few, Fiennes brings the classic villainy of Voldermort with the Shakespearian quality of Almásy, his voice being the focal point. This movie struck fear into the hearts of many children of the late '90s to the mid-2000s, with Fiennes’ portrayal of the dictatorial Pharaoh one of the core reasons.

'In Bruges' Lets Fiennes Show a Comedic Side

On a lighter note, we get to see Fiennes give his usual dimensional depth, but this time with impeccable comedic timing. Using his piercing stares and grandiose voice for the power of humor, the short-fused Harry adds explosive outbursts and extra laughs to an already incredibly witty film. Furthermore, as mentioned, Fiennes still gives a deeper layer to the role, making Harry an almost tragic figure that we can’t help but love. Whilst Voldemort has no love or compassion beneath his rage, Harry clearly does.

'Schindler's List': When the World Noticed Ralph Fiennes

It’s hard to believe that this was one of Fiennes’ first roles in cinema, given the sheer power and magnitude of his performance. Cast next to the glorious Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley, Fiennes holds his own to an incredible degree. Much like his role in Strange Days, Fiennes adopts another convincing accent — this time German —and takes a more morally ambiguous role, which is strangely compelling, considering he plays a Nazi. He gives the classic cold and calculated, buttoned-up man that we’ve come to see in his other roles, but we can definitely see the origins of his power as an actor, always supplying that gray area of emotional depth. Fiennes' portrayal of Amon is, of course, uncomfortable to watch. Overall, this powerful performance demonstrates the foundations of Fiennes’ dedication and technique towards his craft.

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