Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes[lower-alpha 1][1] (/faɪnz/; born 27 May 1970), 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".[2] 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.
Joseph Fiennes | |
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![]() Fiennes in 2018 | |
Born | Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (1970-05-27) 27 May 1970 (age 52) |
Education | Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1993–present |
Spouse | María Dolores Diéguez
(m. 2009) |
Children | 2 |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Ralph Fiennes (brother) Martha Fiennes (sister) Magnus Fiennes (brother) Sophie Fiennes (sister) Hero Fiennes Tiffin (nephew) Sir Ranulph Fiennes (third cousin, once removed) |
He is known for his portrayals of William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love (1998), for which he was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role, Sir Robert Dudley in Elizabeth (1998), Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates (2001), Martin Luther in Luther (2003), and Monsignor Timothy Howard in the second season of the TV series American Horror Story (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.
Fiennes was born on 27 May 1970 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, the son of Mark Fiennes (1933–2004), a farmer and photographer, and Jennifer Lash (1938–1993), a writer.[3] He has pan-British Isles ancestry.[4][5] His grandfathers were industrialist Sir Maurice Fiennes (1907–1994) and Brigadier Henry Alleyne Lash.
His siblings are actor Ralph Fiennes; directors Martha Fiennes and Sophie Fiennes; 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. His cousin is Sir Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, a decorated English explorer.[6]
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, before passing his 11+ exam and continuing to Bishop Wordsworth's School, a voluntary-aided state day grammar school, in the Cathedral Close of the city. He then attended art school 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, graduating in 1993.[7]
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (February 2016) |
Fiennes' first professional stage appearance was in the West End in The Woman in Black, followed by A Month in the Country opposite Helen Mirren. 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 adaptation of The Vacillations of Poppy Carew. His first feature film was 1996's Stealing Beauty, co-starring Liv Tyler. In 1998, Fiennes appeared in two films that were nominated at the Academy Awards: he played Robert Dudley opposite Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth and he portrayed William Shakespeare opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, receiving nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. He and Paltrow were reunited onscreen in Running with Scissors (2006).
In 2001, Fiennes appeared in the film Enemy at the Gates. 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 at the Old Vic.
In 2006, he appeared in the films The Darwin Awards and Goodbye Bafana. Goodbye Bafana was filmed by director Bille August in South Africa, and released in 2007. Fiennes portrayed James Gregory, author of the book Goodbye Bafana: Nelson Mandela, My Prisoner, My Friend.
Fiennes starred in the ABC science fiction series FlashForward, which debuted on 24 September 2009 and ran through 27 May 2010, as Mark Benford.[8] He starred in Starz's 10-part series, Camelot, as the wizard Merlin.[9]
In the second season of American Horror Story, 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.
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.[10]
Fiennes was one of the celebrities, including Tom Hiddleston, Jo Brand, E. L. James and Rachel Riley, to design and sign his own card for the UK-based charity Thomas Coram Foundation for Children. The cards were auctioned off on eBay in May 2014.[11]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | The Vacillations of Poppy Carew | Willy | Television film |
1996 | Stealing Beauty | Christopher Fox | |
1998 | Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence | Laurence | Released as The Very Thought of You in the US |
1998 | Elizabeth | Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester | |
1998 | Shakespeare in Love | William Shakespeare | |
1999 | Forever Mine | Manuel Esquema/Alan Riply | |
2000 | Rancid Aluminum | Sean Deeny | |
2001 | Enemy at the Gates | Commisar Danilov | |
2001 | Dust | Elijah | |
2002 | Leo | Stephen | |
2003 | Killing Me Softly | Adam Tallis | |
2003 | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | Proteus | Voice role |
2003 | Luther | Martin Luther | |
2004 | The Merchant of Venice | Bassanio | |
2005 | The Great Raid | Major Gibson | |
2005 | Man to Man | Jamie Dodd | |
2006 | Running with Scissors | Neil Bookman | |
2006 | The Darwin Awards | Michael Burrows | |
2007 | Goodbye Bafana | James Gregory | |
2008 | The Escapist | Lenny Drake | |
2008 | The Red Baron | Arthur Roy Brown | |
2008 | You Me and Captain Longbridge | Narrator | |
2008 | Spring 1941 | Artur Planck | |
2009 | Against the Current | Paul Thompson | |
2014 | The Games Maker | Morodian | |
2014 | Hercules | King Eurystheus | |
2015 | Strangerland | Matthew Parker | |
2015 | Psy | American man | |
2016 | Risen | Clavius | |
2016 | On Wings of Eagles (The Last Race) | Eric Liddell | |
2023 | The Mother | Post-production | |
TBA | The Way of the Wind | Post-production |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | Pretty/Handsome | Bob Fitzpayne | Unsold TV pilot |
2009–10 | FlashForward | Mark Benford | 22 episodes |
2011 | Camelot | Merlin | 10 episodes |
2012–13 | American Horror Story: Asylum | Monsignor Timothy Howard | 10 episodes |
2017 | Urban Myths | Michael Jackson | Episode: "Elizabeth, Michael, and Marlon" |
2017–2021 | The Handmaid's Tale | Commander Fred Waterford | 36 episodes |
2019 | Fiennes: Return to the Nile† | Himself | 3 episodes |
2019 | Sherwood | Sheriff Nottingham (voice) | 6 episodes |
† released in U.S. as Egypt with the World's Greatest Explorer by the National Geographic.
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Most Promising Actor | Shakespeare in Love | Won |
1999 | BAFTA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Male Newcomer | Won | ||
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Breakthrough Artist | Elizabeth | Won | |
Shakespeare in Love | Won | |||
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Most Promising Actor | Won | ||
MTV Movie Awards | Best Breakthrough Male Performance | Nominated | ||
Best Kiss (with Gwyneth Paltrow) | Won | |||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Won | ||
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |||
Teen Choice Awards | Sexiest Love Scene (with Gwyneth Paltrow) | Nominated | ||
2005 | Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | The Merchant of Venice | Nominated |
2008 | Cinema for Peace | Best Short Film[12] | The Spirit | Won |
2018 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Handmaid's Tale | Nominated |
Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
2019 | MTV Movie & TV Awards | Best Villain | Nominated | |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | |||
2020 | Nominated | |||
2022 | Nominated |
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