Ralph Fiennes

British actor Ralph Fiennes inhabits the characters he portrays with passion and intensity. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Fiennes, like so many great thespians before him, began his career as a Shakespearean actor prior to his 1992 feature debut as Heathcliff in a well-received adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Two years later, Fiennes co-starred in Steven Spielberg's seminal period piece Schindler's List as Nazi officer Amon Göth, perhaps one of the most memorable antagonists in film history. Fiennes has had great success with movies that involve World War II, including his 1996 role as a mysterious burn victim in The English Patient, and 12 years later as the former lover of Kate Winslet's withdrawn character in The Reader. Reveling in playing the villain, he is perhaps most widely known as the evil wizard Lord Voldemort in the final four installments of the Harry Potter franchise, though he has balanced his résumé with many sympathetic turns, including a crusading diplomat in search of his wife's killer in the lauded Kenya-set thriller The Constant Gardener. In 2011, he returned to his roots for his directorial debut, modernizing the obscure Shakespeare tragedy Coriolanus. An intellectual actor, Fiennes often waxes philosophical in interviews about his characters' motivations, allowing him to delve more deeply into each role while constantly refining his craft.