During his childhood, Ralph Fiennes lived in 15 different houses in many different parts of the world, but all of them were always full of noise and love. His father Mark, is a farmer turned photographer. And his mother Jennifer, was a woman who generously lavished love and care on her seven children. In her spare time she painted and wrote novels, some of which were published, including Blood Ties, after her death, brought on by breast cancer.
      As a boy, Ralph says he never really fitted into a group. He tended to wait for people to find him. After high school he briefly went to Chelsea College of Art, before deciding that he really wanted to be an actor.
      From the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Ralph [pronounced: Rafe] became a regular at the National Theatre, winning good reviews and soon moving on to the Royal Shakespeare Company. Adrian Noble, who was there at the time, says that Ralph gave one of the greatest auditions he had ever witnessed. Ralph Fiennes played parts including Berowne in Love's Labour's Lost, Edmund in King Lear, but it was his performance in the TV movie, A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia in 1992 that caught the eye of Steven Spielberg who went on to cast him in Schindler's List.
      Artistry seems to flourish in the Fiennes family. Ralph's brother, Joseph is also a successful actor, best known for his part in the mega hit Shakespeare in Love. Martha is a director. Sophie is a theatrical designer. Michael Emery, Ralph's foster brother, is an archaeologist. Only Jacob has not become part of the Fiennes artistic dynasty; having found satisfaction working as a gamekeeper.
Photo © Unknown / Bio by ThespianNet.com © 2001