Beginning with a role that could well have destroyed a career, Ralph Fiennes only grew to greater heights from the casually murderous Nazi officer he played in Schindler’s List. On his 54th birthday, we take a look at some of his most memorable roles.
Schindler’s List
It was his third film role, and his breakout one too. Ralph Fiennes stars as the SS officer Amon Goeth in this Steven Spielberg masterpiece on the Holocaust. In a particularly chilling scene, he stands on the balcony of his room, with a sniper rifle and kills people in a concentration camp, as if it’s just target practice for him.
Quiz Show
Another film, based on a real-life scandal, Quiz Show had Fiennes playing Charles Van Doren, the supposed genius television quiz show participant. His winning streak is what led to a U.S. Congressional hearing on tampering with quiz shows, the reason, that up to this day, reality shows can’t be fixed as easily as we think they are.
The English Patient
Playing the Hungarian cartographer Count László de Almásy, Fiennes was in the film that could be the Casablanca of the late 20th century. It is tragic, ambitious and well-intended, making for a powerful two and a half hours of cinematic drama.
The End of the Affair
It may seem as a sappy love story, but Fiennes brings a certain charm to a role that can otherwise be despised.
The Constant Gardener
In what was probably his subtlest role, Fiennes stands out as Justin Quayle, the British diplomat whose wife is found dead in Kenya. It is a wonderfully structured movie, moving between flashbacks and present day, making for a riveting watch every time.
The Harry Potter series
He was Lord Voldemort in this beloved series, and to the role he brought much-needed gravitas. As He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Ralph Fiennes made the character both eerie and fascinating at the same time.
The Reader
A hard watch, primarily thanks to the subject matter, The Reader has Kate Winslet playing a guard at a Nazi concentration camp, who was more ashamed of the fact that she was illiterate than of her Nazi past. Fiennes plays the older version of the 15-year-old boy she seduces.
Coriolanus
Based on the Shakespearean tragedy, Coriolanus was also Fiennes’ directorial debut, earning him a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding Debut as a Director.
Spectre
Though Skyfall was the first film in the James Bond franchise that gave a backstory to M, Spectre ran with it making M a more political character than ever before.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The director who excels at all things quirky, Wes Anderson made this 2014 masterpiece about a subject that could well have turned out to be boring. But Ralph Fiennes, playing Monsieur Gustave H. made the character his very own, so much so that with every watch, one notices new touches he has given the role.
