Age: 63
male
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (born 22 December 1962) is an British-American actor, film producer, and director. He has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, Fiennes was trained at and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1985. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before succeeding at the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1995, Fiennes made his Broadway debut playing Prince Hamlet in the revival of the William Shakespeare play Hamlet, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. He was later Tony-nominated for his role as a travelling faith healer in the Brian Friel play Faith Healer (2006). Fiennes made his film debut playing Heathcliff in Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights (1992). He has earned three Academy Award nominations for his performances in the films Schindler's List (1993), The English Patient (1996), and Conclave (2024). He has also acted in Quiz Show (1994), Maid in Manhattan (2002), The Constant Gardener (2005), In Bruges (2008), The Reader (2008), The Duchess (2008), The Hurt Locker (2009), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), A Bigger Splash (2015), Hail, Caesar! (2016), and The Menu (2022). Fiennes gained wider recognition for playing Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series (2005–2011) and Gareth Mallory / M in the James Bond films (2012–2021); and has voiced roles in the animated films The Prince of Egypt (1998), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), and The Lego Batman Movie (2017). He directed and starred in the films Coriolanus (2011) and The Invisible Woman (2013). Aside from acting, Fiennes has been an ambassador for UNICEF UK since 1999.
The Star Wars Prequels chronicle the tragic fall of Anakin Skywalker from gifted Jedi Knight to the dark side, ultimately becoming Darth Vader. Set decades before the original trilogy, the saga follows young Anakin's discovery by Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his training under Obi-Wan Kenobi. As the Clone Wars erupt across the galaxy, Anakin becomes increasingly powerful yet tormented by visions of his wife Padmé's death. Manipulated by the sinister Chancellor Palpatine—secretly the Sith Lord Darth Sidious—Anakin seeks forbidden knowledge to save those he loves. His descent culminates in a devastating betrayal of the Jedi Order and a catastrophic duel with Obi-Wan on a volcanic planet. The trilogy explores themes of ambition, corruption, love, and destiny while revealing how the Galactic Republic falls to tyranny and the Jedi are nearly extinguished. Through political intrigue, epic battles, and intimate character drama, the Prequels complete the Skywalker saga's tragic arc.
