Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes who goes by his professional alias, Ralph Fiennes, played the role of 'The Dark Lord,' Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies.
The leader of the Death Eaters who wished to be the supreme ruler in the wizard's world, lord Voldemort, with no doubt left many kids terrified of his pure evilness. The main antagonist in J.K Rowlings' most successful fantasy novel, Harry Potter, was brought to life on the big screens by the versatile actor, Ralph Fiennes. The actor's performance as the dark wizard was beyond perfection and it left many fans sleepless at night.
The Harry Potter film series is one of the most successful fantasy film series out there. All the eight parts of the film have been blockbusters at the box office and due to this, Harry Potter had a profound impact on Pop-culture. The first film was released back in 2001 and the last film was released in 2011. Although the series has been completed, fans are still crazy about the franchise, worldwide.
When did Ralph Fiennes begin playing Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter?
Although the character of Lord Voldemort was introduced in the first Harry Potter film (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone) itself, Ralph Fiennes entered the series as the embodiment of Lord Voldemort from the fourth film (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) after his death eater followers were able to summon him back with a physical body of his own.
Talking about his appearance, Voldemort was designed to have pale skin, a chalk-white, skull-like face, snake-like slits for nostrils, red eyes and cat-like slits for pupils, a skeletally thin body, and long, thin hands with unnaturally long fingers as his features. Rather than red eyes, in the film, Voldemort had blue eyes and a pupil. The 'He who shall not be named', hated the idea of half-bloods and aimed to eradicate the muggles and the half-bloods from the wizarding world, despite being a half-blood himself.
Is Voldemort dead?
Yes. After an intense battle between Harry Potter and Voldemort, the son of Lily and James Potter was successfully able to kill the evil Voldemort and bring peace to Hogwarts. The last film - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, shows the complete last battle between the main characters of the series.
Will Ralph Fiennes play Voldemort once again if given the chance?
During his interview with Variety, Ralph Fiennes expressed his interest in reprising his villainous role in the wizarding world. When asked about it, the actor replied by saying, "Sure, of course." In 2022, Fiennes was also seen defending the Harry Potter author, J.K Rowling, against "verbal abuse" and death threats for her outspoken beliefs about biological sex and trans people.
“J.K. Rowling has written these great books about empowerment, about young children finding themselves as human beings,” Fiennes told The New York Times. “It’s about how you become a better, stronger, more morally centered human being. The verbal abuse directed at her is disgusting, it’s appalling.”
Fiennes continued, “I mean, I can understand a viewpoint that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not some obscene, über-right-wing fascist. It’s just a woman saying, ‘I’m a woman and I feel I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.’ And I understand where she’s coming from. Even though I’m not a woman.”
