Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor of film, stage, and television. Journalist Zoe Williams observed that "he seemed to be the go-to actor for English cultural history". Fiennes is particularly known for his versatility and period pieces. His numerous accolades include one Screen Actors Guild Award and nomination for a

British Academy Film Award The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...

. He is known for his portrayals of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

in ''

Shakespeare in Love ''Shakespeare in Love'' is a 1998 romantic period comedy-drama film directed by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and playwright Tom Stoppard, and produced by Harvey Weinstein. It stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Colin ...

'' (1998), for which he was nominated for the

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Best Actor in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film. Superlatives Note: ...

and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, Sir Robert Dudley in ''

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

'' (1998), Commisar Danilov in ''

Enemy at the Gates ''Enemy at the Gates'' (''Stalingrad'' in France and ''L'Ennemi aux portes'' in Canada) is a 2001 war film directed, co-written, and produced by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on William Craig's 1973 nonfiction book '' Enemy at the Gates: The Batt ...

'' (2001), Martin Luther in '' Luther'' (2003), and Monsignor Timothy Howard in the second season of the TV series ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

'' (2012–2013). His performance as Commander Fred Waterford in the TV series '' The Handmaid's Tale'' (2017–2021) was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2018.

Early life and family

Fiennes is the son of Mark Fiennes (1933–2004), a farmer and photographer, and Jennifer Lash (1938–1993), a writer."It's Raiph actually"
''The Guardian''. 14 November 1999. Retrieved 7 July 2020. He has pan-British Isles ancestry. His siblings are actor

Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...

; directors Martha Fiennes and

Sophie Fiennes Sophia Victoria Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 12 February 1967), better known as Sophie Fiennes, is an English film director and producer. She is the sister of actors Ralph Fiennes and Joseph Fiennes, director Martha Fiennes and composer ...

; composer Magnus Fiennes; and conservationist Jacob Fiennes, Joseph's twin brother. His foster brother, Michael Emery, is an archaeologist. His nephew Hero Fiennes-Tiffin played Tom Riddle, young Lord Voldemort in ''

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the sixth and penultimate novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. Set during Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts, the novel explores t ...

''. His cousin is Sir Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, a decorated English explorer.

Education

Fiennes was briefly educated in the Republic of Ireland, then at Swan School For Boys (now known as Leehurst Swan School, following a merger with another school), an independent school in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

, before passing his 11+ exam and continuing to Bishop Wordsworth's School, a voluntary-aided state day

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

, in the Cathedral Close of the city. He then attended

art school An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...

in Suffolk for a year, before joining the Young Vic Youth Theatre. Fiennes subsequently trained for three years at London's

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

, graduating in 1993.

Career

Stage and film

Fiennes' first professional stage appearance was in the West End in '' The Woman in Black'', followed by '' A Month in the Country''. He then became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company for two seasons. He made his television debut as Willy in the 1995

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

adaptation of '' The Vacillations of Poppy Carew''. His first feature film was 1996's ''

Stealing Beauty ''Stealing Beauty'' (french: Beauté volée; it, Io ballo da sola) is a 1996 drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Liv Tyler, Joseph Fiennes, Jeremy Irons, Sinéad Cusack, and Rachel Weisz. Written by Bertolucci and Susan Mi ...

''. In 1998, Fiennes appeared in two films that were nominated at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

: he played Robert Dudley in ''

'' and he portrayed

in ''

'', receiving nominations for the

and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. He appeared in '' Running with Scissors'' (2006). In 2001, Fiennes appeared in the film ''

''. In 2002, he starred in the independent film, '' Killing Me Softly''. In 2003, he lent his voice as Proteus in the DreamWorks animated film '' Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas'' opposite Brad Pitt. The same year, he starred in the limited-release film '' Luther'', playing Martin Luther, and he also appeared in '' The Merchant of Venice'', in which he portrayed Bassanio. Fiennes returned to the theatre in 2006 to perform in the one-man play ''Unicorns, Almost'' about World War II poet

Keith Douglas Keith Castellain Douglas (24 January 1920 – 9 June 1944) was a poet and soldier noted for his war poetry during the Second World War and his wry memoir of the Western Desert campaign, '' Alamein to Zem Zem''. He was killed in action during ...

at the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

. In 2006, he appeared in the films '' The Darwin Awards'' and '' Goodbye Bafana''. '' Goodbye Bafana''. Fiennes portrayed James Gregory, author of the book ''Goodbye Bafana: Nelson Mandela, My Prisoner, My Friend''.

Television

Fiennes starred in the ABC science fiction series '' FlashForward'', which debuted on 24 September 2009 and ran through 27 May 2010, as Mark Benford. He starred in Starz's 10-part series, '' Camelot'', as the wizard Merlin. In the second season of ''

'', which premiered in October 2012, Fiennes played the role of Monsignor Timothy Howard. From 2017 to 2021, Fiennes started on the Hulu series '' The Handmaid's Tale'' as Commander Fred Waterford.

Personal life

In August 2009 Fiennes married María Dolores Diéguez, a Swiss model of Spanish/Galician origin, in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Tuscany. They have two daughters named Sam and Isabel.

Charity work

Fiennes was one of the celebrities to design and sign his own card for the UK-based charity

Thomas Coram Foundation for Children The Thomas Coram Foundation for Children is a large children's charity in London which uses the working name Coram (formerly Coram Family). It originated as part of England's oldest children's charity, the Foundling Hospital, established by ro ...

. The cards were auctioned off on eBay in May 2014.

Filmography

Films

Television

† released in U.S. as ''Egypt with the World's Greatest Explorer'' by the National Geographic.

Plays

*'' The Woman in Black'', Fortune Theatre London (1993) *'' A Month in the Country'', Belyaev, Guildford, Richmond and the Albery Theatre London (1994) *'' A View from the Bridge'', Rodolpho, Guildford, Bristol Old Vic, Strand Theatre London (1995) *'' Son Of Man'',

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, Royal Shakespeare Company, London (1996), , (1997) *'' Les Enfants du Paradis'', Lacenaire, Royal Shakespeare Company, London (1996) *'' Troilus and Cressida'',

Troilus Troilus ( or ; grc, Τρωΐλος, Troïlos; la, Troilus) is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War. The first surviving reference to him is in Homer's ''Iliad,'' composed in the late 8th century BCE. In Greek myth ...

, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon and London (1996), , (1997) *'' The Herbal Bed'', Rafe Smith, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon and London (1996), , (1997) *'' As You Like It'', Silvius, Royal Shakespeare Company, London (1997) *''Real Classy Affair'', Billy, Royal Court Theatre Company, London (1998) *'' Christopher Marlowe's Edward II'', Edward II, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (2001) *''War Poet's Reading'', Apollo Theatre (2001) *'' Othello'',

Iago Iago () is a fictional character in Shakespeare's ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Iago is the play's main antagonist, and Othello's standard-bearer. He is the husband of Emilia, who is in turn the attendant of Othello's wife Desdemona. Iago ha ...

, West End, London (2002) *'' Love's Labour's Lost'', Berowne, Royal National Theatre, London (2003) *'' Epitaph for George Dillon'', George Dillon, Royal National Theatre, London (2005), , (2006) *''

2,000 Feet Away ''2,000 Feet Away'' is a play by British playwright Anthony Weigh. The play is a portrait of small-town life in the Midwest. It is set primarily in Eldon, Iowa, which provided the setting for Grant Wood's famous painting ''American Gothic''. The o ...

'', Deputy, Bush Theatre, London (2008) *''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'', Cyrano, Chichester Festival Theatre (2009) *'' Ross'', T. E. Lawrence, Chichester Festival Theatre (2016)

Other projects and contributions

* 2002 – contributed to the compilation album, '' When Love Speaks'', which consists of Shakespearean sonnets and play excerpts – "Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises" and "Our revels are now ended" (both from '' The Tempest'') * 2010 – starred in a series of readings of literary love scenes for The Carte Noire Readers.
Joseph Fiennes reads ''Presumed Innocent'' by Scott Turow

Joseph Fiennes reads ''The Brightest Star in the Sky'' by Marian Keyes

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* *
Joseph Fiennes in Angola
BBC News {{DEFAULTSORT:Fiennes, Joseph Living people 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama English expatriates in the United States English male film actors English male radio actors English male stage actors English male television actors English male voice actors English people of Scottish descent English people of Irish descent Joseph Male actors from Wiltshire English male Shakespearean actors Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from Salisbury Royal Shakespeare Company members Year of birth missing (living people)