RALPH FIENNES STARTED WORK IN THEATRES BEFORE BECOMING A HOLLYWOOD ACTOR. IN TRAINING WITH THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF DRAMATIC ART THEATRE HE DID "NIGHT AND DAY", "SEE HOW THEY RUN" (CLYWD). "ME MAM SEZ", "DON QUIXOTE", CLOUD NINE" (OLDHAM). IN REGENTS PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE HE PLAYED ROMEO IN "ROMEO AND JULIET" AND LYSANDER IN "A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM". FOR THE NEW SHAKESPEAR COMPANY TOUR HE PLAYED THESEUS/OBERON IN "A MIDSUMMERS NIGHT DREAM". FOR THE NATIONAL THEATRE HE PLAYED THE SON IN " SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN AUTHOR", ARKADY IN "FATHERS AND SONS" AND LISHA BALL IN "TING TANG MINE". FOR THE NEW SHAKESPEAR COMPANY HE PLAYED CLAUDIO IN "MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING", LEWIS THE DAUPHIN IN "KING JOHN" AND HENRY VI IN "THE PLANTAGENETS". OTHER PLAYS HE DID INCLUDE TROILUS IN "TROILUS AND CRESSIDA", BEROWNE IN "LOVE'S LABOUR LOST", EDMUND IN "KING LEAR", BERT JEFFERSON IN "THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER" AND GANT IN "PLAYING WITH TRAINS".

Picture from "Love's Labour's lost".

IN 1995 RALPH FIENNES TOOK TO THE STAGE IN LONDON AS THE TITLE ROLE IN JONATHAN KENT'S PRODUCTIONS OF HAMLET. WHICH STARTED AT THE HACKNEY EMPIRE BEFORE TRANSFERRING TO BROADWAY AT THE BELSACO THEATRE. RALPH THEN DID A 'ONE-NIGHT ONLY' PERFORMANCE OF "LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE" AT THE LAURA PELS THEATRE IN NEW YORK ON APRIL 29TH 1996, IN BENEFIT OF THE ALMEIDA THEATRE.

RALPH FIENNES ALSO STARRED IN ALMEIDA'S PRODUCTION OF CHEKHOV'S IVANOV. WHICH OPENED IN ISLINGTON IN 1997 AND VISITED MOSCOW LATER THAT YEAR. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIS APPEARANCE IN IVANOV CLICK HERE

Picture from "Hamlet".