Editing Joseph Fiennes (section)

== Early life, family and education==
{{further|Baron Saye and Sele}}

Fiennes was born in 1970 in [[Salisbury]], Wiltshire, England, the son of [[Mark Fiennes]] (1933–2004), a farmer and photographer, and [[Jennifer Lash]] (1938–1993), a writer.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=14 November 1999 |title=It's Raiph actually |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/nov/14/1 |access-date=30 November 2023 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> He has Irish-British ancestry.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ralph Fiennes Biography|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/66/Ralph-Fiennes.html|work=filmreference|year=2008| access-date=10 April 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ralph Fiennes – Biography |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000146/bio |access-date=7 July 2020 |publisher=IMDb}}</ref>

His siblings are actor [[Ralph Fiennes]], well known for playing [[Lord Voldemort]] in ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' to ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]''; directors [[Martha Fiennes]] and [[Sophie Fiennes]]; composer [[Magnus Fiennes]]; and [[Conservation movement|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 (film)|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''. His cousin is [[Ranulph Fiennes|Sir Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes]], a decorated English explorer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dobson |first=Jim |date=2 March 2019 |title=World Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes And Actor Joseph Fiennes On Their New Adventure Series In Egypt |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2019/03/02/world-explorer-sir-ranulph-fiennes-and-actor-joseph-fiennes-on-their-new-adventure-series-in-egypt/ |access-date=7 July 2020 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

Fiennes was briefly educated in the Republic of Ireland, then at [[Leehurst Swan School|Swan School For Boys]] and [[Bishop Wordsworth's School]] in Salisbury. 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guildhall School of Music & Drama {{!}} People who studied at Guildhall |url=https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206131418/https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/about_the_school/alumni/people_who_studied_at_guildhall/ |archive-date=6 February 2018 |access-date=5 February 2018 |website=gsmd.ac.uk |language=en}}</ref>