Editing Ralph Fiennes (section)

=== 1993–2004: Breakthrough and acclaim ===
In 1993, he portrayed the brutal [[Nazism|Nazi]] [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camp]] commandant [[Amon Göth]] in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s historical [[holocaust]] drama epic ''[[Schindler's List]].''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20100304 |title=Voices on Antisemitism &#124; Transcript |publisher=Ushmm.org |access-date=24 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118210205/http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/antisemitism/voices/transcript/?content=20100304 |archive-date=18 January 2012 }}</ref> Todd McCarthy, film critic of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' praised his performance describing it as "extraordinary" adding that he "creates an indelible character in Goeth. With paunch hanging out and eyes filled with disgust both for his victims and himself , he’s like a minor-league Roman emperor gone sour with excess, a man in whom too much power and debauchery have crushed anything that might once have been good."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/schindler-s-list-2-1200434300/|title= Schindler's List|website= Variety|date= 20 November 1993|accessdate= February 24, 2025}}</ref> For his performance in the film, he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] and won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role|BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor]].<ref name="actors" /> His portrayal of Göth also saw him listed at number 15 on the [[American Film Institute|AFI]]'s [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains|list of the top 50 film villains]]. Fiennes gained weight to portray Göth, but shed it afterwards.<ref name="EW-19940304">{{cite magazine |last=Cagle |first=Jess |url=https://ew.com/article/1994/03/04/its-pronounced-rafe-fines/ |title=It's Pronounced 'Rafe Fines' |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=4 March 1994 |access-date=7 November 2012 |archive-date=9 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150409020429/http://www.ew.com/article/1994/03/04/its-pronounced-rafe-fines |url-status=live }}</ref> Fiennes later stated that playing the role had a profoundly disturbing effect on him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/5e0bc1e5#p00941wp |title=Desert Island Discs – Castaway: Ralph Fiennes |publisher=BBC |date=31 October 1999 |access-date=7 March 2012 |archive-date=24 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111124083607/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/5e0bc1e5#p00941wp |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1994, Fiennes portrayed the American academic [[Charles Van Doren]] in [[Robert Redford]]'s historical drama ''[[Quiz Show (film)|Quiz Show]]'' acting opposite [[John Turturro]] and [[Paul Scofield]]. The film centered around the ''[[Twenty-One (game show)|Twenty-One]]'' [[1950s quiz show scandals|quiz show scandals]] of the 1950s. The film received critical acclaim as well as a nomination for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. In 1996, he was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for playing [[László Almásy]] in the epic World War II romantic drama ''[[The English Patient (film)|The English Patient]],'' in which he starred with [[Kristin Scott-Thomas]] and reunited with Binoche.<ref name="actors" /> David Ansen of ''[[Newsweek]]'' wrote, "once you're hooked, it never loses its grip on your emotions. A great deal of the credit belongs to Fiennes and Scott Thomas, who ignite on screen together."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.newsweek.com/mapping-heart-176360|title= Mapping Heart|website= Newsweek|date= 10 November 1996|accessdate= February 24, 2025}}</ref> He starred in the romantic drama ''[[Oscar and Lucinda (film)|Oscar and Lucinda]]'' (1997) opposite [[Cate Blanchett]], played [[John Steed]] in spy comedy ''[[The Avengers (1998 film)|The Avengers]]'' (1998), and voiced [[Ramesses II]] in an animated Biblical epic ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'' (1998).

Fiennes's film work has encompassed a variety of genres, including [[Thriller film|thrillers]] (''[[Spider (2002 film)|Spider]], [[Strange Days (film)|Strange Days]]''), [[romantic comedy]] (''[[Maid in Manhattan]]''), and historical drama (''[[Sunshine (1999 film)|Sunshine]]''). In 1999, Fiennes had the [[Eugene Onegin|title role]] in ''[[Onegin (1999 film)|Onegin]],'' a film which he also helped produce. His sister [[Martha Fiennes]] directed, and brother [[Magnus Fiennes|Magnus]] composed the score. Fiennes portrayed [[Francis Dolarhyde]] in the 2002 film, ''[[Red Dragon (2002 film)|Red Dragon]]'', a prequel to ''[[The Silence of the Lambs (film)|The Silence of the Lambs]]'' and ''[[Hannibal (2001 film)|Hannibal]]''. Fiennes's performance as a sympathetic serial killer with a romantic relationship with a blind girl, played by [[Emily Watson]], was praised. Film critic [[David Sterritt]] wrote, "Ralph Fiennes is scarily good as [Hannibal Lecter's] fellow lunatic."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1004/p15s02-almo.html |last=Sterritt |first=David |title=The doctor is in: Hannibal returns in 'Lambs' prequel |work=Christian Science Monitor |date=4 October 2002 |access-date=16 March 2019 |archive-date=22 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222190947/https://www.csmonitor.com/2002/1004/p15s02-almo.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Fiennes voiced [[Jesus]] in ''[[The Miracle Maker (1999 film)|The Miracle Maker]]'' (2000), a stop-motion animated film depicting the life of Jesus.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Watts |first1=Murray |title=The Miracle Maker |date=2000 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |isbn=978-0-340-73563-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kMzBHAAACAAJ |access-date=18 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Miracle Maker comes to big screen |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/696058.stm |access-date=18 April 2024 |work=news.bbc.co.uk |publisher=BBC News |date=31 March 2000 |quote=A joint Welsh and Russian-made animated film on the life of Jesus starring Ralph Fiennes. |archive-date=16 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216221738/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/696058.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[Image:2003-10-06 ralph fiennes in Bishkek.jpg|thumb|left|Fiennes gives autographs to fans in Kyrgyzstan, in 2003, during his visit as a [[UNICEF UK]] ambassador|220x220px]]