Ralph Fiennes letting off steam about the difficulties of the job. In 1994, he portrayed American academic Charles Van Doren in "Quiz Show." In 1996 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for the epic World War II romance "The English Patient," in which he starred with Kristin Scott-Thomas. Fiennes' film work has encompassed a variety of genres, including thrillers ("Spider"), an animated Biblical epic ("The Prince of Egypt"), camp nostalgia ("The Avengers"), romantic comedy ("Maid in Manhattan"), and historical drama ("Sunshine"). In 1999, Fiennes had the title role in "Onegin," a film which he also helped produce. His
Ranulph Fiennes He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Fiennes' mother was Audrey Joan (died 2004), younger daughter of Sir Percy Newson, Bt. Fiennes inherited his father's baronetcy, becoming the 3rd Baronet of Banbury, at his birth. Fiennes is a third cousin of Mark Fiennes, whose children include actors Joseph and Ralph Fiennes, and is a distant cousin to the British Royal Family. After the war his mother moved the family to South Africa, where he remained until he was 12. While in South Africa he attended Western Province Preparatory School in Newlands, Cape Town. Fiennes then returned to be educated