Ralph Fiennes’ 5 Best Movies to Watch After Conclave

One of the frontrunners for an Oscar at the upcoming ceremony, Ralph Fiennes is also one of the most prolific and versatile actors of his generation who rose to true stardom thanks to the role of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movie series.

This year, Fiennes is competing for the award with The Brutalist’s Adrien Brady and A Complete Unknown’s Timothée Chalamet, though he currently has a pretty scarce chance to win Best Actor, despite Conclave’s boosted possibility to take the statuette for Best Picture after all.

However, the actor’s acting credits aren’t limited to just a couple of outstanding roles, and it’s safe to say Fiennes deserved more Oscar nods (or even wins) for a bunch of his other movies.

Quiz Show (1994)

One of the most audacious Oscar snubs in the past decades, Fiennes’ brilliant performance in Robert Redford’s mystery drama was never acknowledged, despite the movie itself receiving 4 Oscar nominations, including for Best Picture.

In Quiz Show, the actor had one of the leading roles, portraying Charles Van Doren, a popular quiz show contestant drawn to investigation after being suspected of having correct answers prior to the show’s filming.

A powerful social message about balancing between moral ethics and enormous temptation, Quiz Show received critical acclaim, but eventually bombed in the box office.

The English Patient (1996)

Another major Oscar snub for Fiennes, The English Patient had a stunning success during the 1997 awards season, winning 9 Oscars out of 12 nominations.

Also starring Juliette Binoche who received the statuette for Best Supporting Actress, the movie follows the eponymous protagonist who, speaking with an English accent, recalls some essential events that defined his life path afterwards.

The English Patient also came as a turning point in the career of Fiennes’ co-stars like Kristin Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe and Colin Firth.

In Bruges (2008)

Directed by acclaimed playwright Martin McDonagh, In Bruges was another proof that Ralph Fiennes is good not only at epic historical movies or romantic dramas, but at comedies too.

In the movie, the actor once again takes on the role of a villain, portraying the ill-tempered boss of two Irish hitmen played by Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson. And though the film does owe its charm to the leads, its comic and the most compelling part wouldn’t be the same without Fiennes in it.

Schindler’s List (1993)

Years before Fiennes brought Lord Voldemort to the screens with his eerie performance, he gave a not less frightening look at Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg ’s Schindler's List, released back in 1993.

The movie became a defining moment in Fiennes’ career, bringing him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

While Spielberg tends to explore the boundaries between the good and the bad, Fiennes’ character is definitely on the evil side, and the contrast might have not been that striking had the role gone to another actor.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Sharing the screen with his current co-nominee Adrien Brody, Fiennes stars in Wes Anderson’s comedy drama as Monsieur Gustave H., a famous concierge of a 20th-century mountainside resort in a fictional country called Zubrowka.

At some point his moment of fame adopts way more obscure colours as he’s wrongly accused of murdering a wealthy widow, and Fiennes delivers one of his best performances ever, mixing comedy, drama and suspense.