Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 26 May 1970), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor. His numerous accolades include an Actor Award as well as nominations for a BAFTA Award and a Laurence Olivier Award.
Fiennes rose to stardom portraying William Shakespeare in the romantic comedy Shakespeare in Love (1998), for which he was nominated for the Actor Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He also portrayed Sir Robert Dudley in the biographical drama Elizabeth (1998), Commisar Danilov in the war drama Enemy at the Gates (2001), and Martin Luther in the historical film Luther (2003).
On television, he portrayed 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. On the stage, Fiennes's 2023 portrayal of Gareth Southgate in James Graham's Dear England earned him a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor.
Early life and education
Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born on 26 May 1970 in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, the son of Mark Fiennes (1933–2004), a farmer and photographer, and Jennifer Lash (1938–1993), a writer. His siblings are: actor Ralph Fiennes; directors Martha Fiennes and Sophie Fiennes; composer Magnus Fiennes; and conservationist Jacob Fiennes, Joseph's twin brother. They lived mainly in Suffolk as children. His distant cousin is Sir Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, a decorated English explorer.
Fiennes trained to be an actor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, graduating in 1993.
Career
1990–1999: Early roles and breakthrough
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 adaptation of The Vacillations of Poppy Carew. His first feature film was 1996's Stealing Beauty. In 1998, Fiennes appeared in two films that were nominated at the Academy Awards: he played Robert Dudley in Elizabeth and he portrayed William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love, receiving nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role and the Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
2000–2016: Established actor
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 2004 film version of 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. Also in 2006, he appeared in the films The Darwin Awards, Running with Scissors, and Goodbye Bafana.
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 American Horror Story, which premiered in October 2012, Fiennes played the role of Monsignor Timothy Howard. In Goodbye Bafana Fiennes portrayed James Gregory, author of the book Goodbye Bafana: Nelson Mandela, My Prisoner, My Friend. He portrayed Roman Tribune Clavius in the 2016 biblical film, Risen alongside his brother's Harry Potter co-star, Tom Felton. Felton shared his recollections of filming scenes with Fiennes in his memoirs and praised his performance.
2017–present
From 2017 to 2021, Fiennes starred on the Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale as Commander Fred Waterford. In 2019, he was described in The Guardian as "the go-to actor for English cultural history". In 2023, he appeared in the play Dear England, portraying the England football manager Gareth Southgate.
Personal life
In August 2009, Fiennes married María Dolores Diéguez, a Swiss model and photographer of Spanish/Galician origin, in a Catholic ceremony in Tuscany. They have two daughters. The family resided in Mallorca, Spain near Palma, then later moved back to London.
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 cards were auctioned on eBay in May 2014.
Television
† released in U.S. as Egypt with the World's Greatest Explorer by the National Geographic
Discography
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
Print sources
Felton, Tom (2023). Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard (Paperback ed.). London: Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9781529149432.
Joseph Fiennes biography and credits at the BFI's Screenonline
Joseph Fiennes in Angola BBC News