Joseph Fiennes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joseph Fiennes
Fiennes in 2018
Born	Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (1970-05-27) 27 May 1970 (age 55) Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
Education	Guildhall School of Music and Drama (BA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	María Dolores Diéguez ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2
Parents	Mark Fiennes (father) Jennifer Lash (mother)
Relatives	Ralph Fiennes (brother) Martha Fiennes (sister) Magnus Fiennes (brother) Sophie Fiennes (sister) Hero Fiennes Tiffin (nephew) Ranulph Fiennes (third cousin, once removed)

Joseph Alberic Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (born 27 May 1970), known as Joseph Fiennes, is an English actor. He has starred in many films, plays, and TV shows.

Joseph Fiennes is famous for playing different kinds of characters, especially in movies set in the past. He is known for his roles as William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Martin Luther in Luther (2003). He also played Commander Fred Waterford in the TV series The Handmaid's Tale (2017–2021). He has won a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for a BAFTA Award.

Early Life and Family

Joseph Fiennes was born in 1970 in Salisbury, England. His father, Mark Fiennes, was a farmer and photographer. His mother, Jennifer Lash, was a writer.

He comes from a very creative family!

• His brother, Ralph Fiennes, is also a famous actor.
• His sisters, Martha Fiennes and Sophie Fiennes, are directors.
• His brother, Magnus Fiennes, is a composer who writes music.
• He has a twin brother named Jacob, who works to protect nature.
• His nephew, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, played young Lord Voldemort in a Harry Potter movie.
• His cousin, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, is a well-known explorer.

Joseph went to school in Ireland and England. He then studied at an art school before joining a youth theater group. Later, he trained for three years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, finishing in 1993.

Acting Career

Stage and Film Roles

Joseph Fiennes in 2009

Joseph Fiennes started his acting career on stage. His first professional play was The Woman in Black. He also joined the Royal Shakespeare Company for two seasons.

He first appeared on TV in 1995 in a film called The Vacillations of Poppy Carew. His first movie was Stealing Beauty in 1996.

In 1998, Joseph starred in two big movies:

• He played Robert Dudley in Elizabeth.
• He played William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love. For this role, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

He also played Commisar Danilov in Enemy at the Gates (2001). In 2003, he voiced the character Proteus in the animated movie Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas. That same year, he played Martin Luther in the film Luther. He also appeared in The Merchant of Venice as Bassanio.

In 2007, he played James Gregory in Goodbye Bafana, a film about Nelson Mandela. More recently, in 2023, he played England football manager Gareth Southgate in the play Dear England.

Television Roles

Joseph Fiennes has also had many important roles on television.

• He starred as Mark Benford in the science fiction series FlashForward from 2009 to 2010.
• He played the wizard Merlin in the 2011 series Camelot.
• From 2012 to 2013, he was Monsignor Timothy Howard in the second season of American Horror Story, called Asylum.
• From 2017 to 2021, he played Commander Fred Waterford in the popular Hulu series The Handmaid's Tale. This role earned him a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Personal Life

In August 2009, Joseph Fiennes married María Dolores Diéguez. She is a model from Switzerland with Spanish heritage. They got married in a Roman Catholic ceremony in Italy.

They have two daughters named Eva and Isabel. The family lives in Mallorca, Spain.

Charity Work

Joseph Fiennes supports charity work. He designed and signed a card for the UK charity Thomas Coram Foundation for Children. These cards were sold to raise money for children in need.

Acting Credits

Films

Television

† released in U.S. as Egypt with the World's Greatest Explorer by the National Geographic.

Theatre

• The Woman in Black, Fortune Theatre London (1993)
• A Month in the Country, Belyaev, Guildford, Richmond and the Albery Theatre London (1994)
• A View from the Bridge, Rodolpho, Guildford, Bristol Old Vic, Strand Theatre London (1995)
• Son Of Man, Jesus Christ, Royal Shakespeare Company, London (1996)||(1997)
• Les Enfants du Paradis, Lacenaire, Royal Shakespeare Company, London (1996)
• Troilus and Cressida, Troilus, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon and London (1996)||(1997)
• The Herbal Bed, Rafe Smith, Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford Upon Avon and London (1996)||(1997)
• As You Like It, Silvius, Royal Shakespeare Company, London (1997)
• Real Classy Affair, Billy, Royal Court Theatre Company, London (1998)
• Christopher Marlowe's Edward II, Edward II, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield (2001)
• War Poet's Reading, Apollo Theatre (2001)
• Othello, Iago, West End, London (2002)
• Love's Labour's Lost, Berowne, Royal National Theatre, London (2003)
• Epitaph for George Dillon, George Dillon, Royal National Theatre, London (2005)||(2006)
• 2,000 Feet Away, Deputy, Bush Theatre, London (2008)
• Cyrano de Bergerac, Cyrano, Chichester Festival Theatre (2009)
• Ross, T. E. Lawrence, Chichester Festival Theatre (2016)
• Dear England, Gareth Southgate, Royal National Theatre, London (2023)

Spoken Word

• 2002 – He contributed to an album called When Love Speaks. This album featured Shakespearean sonnets and play parts.
• 2010 – He read literary love scenes for "The Carte Noire Readers".

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Joseph Fiennes para niños