Ralph Fiennes

Fiennes trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and built a celebrated career with the Royal Shakespeare Company before his breakthrough film role brought him sudden international attention.

Fresh off Schindler's List, Fiennes played against type as Lenny Nero — a sweaty, desperate ex-cop dealing bottled memories on the black market, addicted to replaying his own past. Already an Academy Award nominee for his chilling dramatic work in Schindler's List, he deliberately sought out a very different kind of role immediately afterward.

He has continued moving fluidly between blockbuster and prestige-drama work throughout his career since, one of relatively few actors of his generation equally comfortable in both registers.