Yahoo Lifestyle How 'Conclave' Star Ralph Fiennes' Net Worth Compares to the Real Pope's
Ralph Fiennes is an English actor known for playing morally complex roles in his films. From the justice-obsessed head chef in The Menu to the brooding Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Fiennes has spent much of his career playing anti-heroes. In his latest project, the papal thriller Conclave, Fiennes once again showcases how he can play both sides of the hero/villain spectrum.
"I like characters that have contradictions inside them," he told CBS News in a recent interview.
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In this case, he plays Thomas Lawrence, a cardinal of the Catholic Church who must lead the selection of a new pope. As CBS News put it, Fiennes "... navigates the intrigue, the treachery even, of papal politics—a reluctant player consumed with doubt."
Conclave started its U.S. theater run on Oct. 25 and has scored an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fiennes, who clearly likes to stay busy, also stars in The Return, a retelling of The Odyssey, in December and two movies slated for 2025.
Here’s a closer look at Fiennes’ career, his net worth and how much money he’s made for his many films.
How did Ralph Fiennes get his start?
Fiennes got his start as a stage actor. Born in 1962 in Ipswich, England, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and joined the National Theatre in London in 1987. Two years later, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Fiennes acted in various plays through the mid-to-late-1980s, including Romeo and Juliet, in which he played the star-crossed lead. It wasn’t until the early ‘90s, when he starred in the TV movie A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia, that he got traction in the film industry.
His first big movie role was as romantic antihero Heathcliff in 1992’s Wuthering Heights. This led him to Schindler’s List (1993), Quiz Show (1994) and The English Patient (1996), after which he had no trouble finding work in Hollywood.
What is Ralph Fiennes’ net worth?
Ralph Fiennes has an estimated net worth of $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
The bulk of this fortune comes from his work as a lead actor in critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies. He’s also stayed active in the London and New York theater scenes, most recently starring in a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth in 2023.
What did Ralph Fiennes make for playing Voldemort in Harry Potter?
One of Fiennes’s more famous roles is that of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. Although there are eight films in total, Fiennes only appears in four: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and both parts of Deathly Hallows.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth movie, Fiennes doesn’t make an appearance, mainly because the plot follows a younger version of Voldemort. In a fun twist, the actor who played young Voldemort—aka Tom Riddle—is actually Fiennes’s nephew, Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
Although these are among the most commercially successful films Fiennes has acted in, his salary is not public information. We do know that the Harry Potter leads made millions. Daniel Radcliffe, for the titular role of Harry Potter, made $1 million for the first movie; and his per-movie salary steadily climbed to a height of $25 million for Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Counting all eight movies, he was paid over $95 million.
Anyone who’s not the star is going to take home less, but supporting actor Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) still made an estimated $18 million total, as reported by LadBible. It’s likely that Fiennes also made millions.
According to Variety, Fiennes would “of course” reprise his role as Voldemort if asked. Which is a real possibility, given the upcoming HBO TV adaptation. Fiennes also likely makes money from merchandise deals that use his likeness.
Related: We Ranked All 11 Harry Potter Movies, From 'Sorcerer's Stone' to 'Secrets of Dumbledore'
FilmNation Entertainment
What did Ralph Fiennes make for Conclave?
For Fiennes’ most recent movie Conclave, his salary is unknown. However, no matter what he earned for the part, he's still worth more than the actual Pope, as Pope Francis has an estimated net worth of just $100 according to Celebrity Net Worth. While the Roman Catholic Church does pay for the Pope's food, lodging, security, etc. Pope Francis has taken a vow of poverty and so therefore owns very few earthly possessions. Moreover, the Pope doesn't receive a salary, so whatever Fiennes brought in is more than Pope Francis earned this year as well.
The movie was made on a budget of $20 million, which falls within the normal range for dramas looking to make a splash at the Oscars. In fact, according to Axios, more than 60% of Best Picture winners in the last five decades were made with a production budget of $50 million or less. The 2023 winner, Everything Everywhere All at Once, was made for about $25 million.
So $20 million is a respectable budget that could lead to an Oscar … but it means Fiennes probably took a smaller paycheck than if he were to star in a Barbie-esque blockbuster. He likely only earned a few million as the film's lead. That’s OK—money doesn’t seem to be his main motivation, anyway.
"People sometimes say, 'What do you want to play?' And I go, well, I could tick off a few Shakespeare parts or well-known Ibsen parts,” Fiennes said in his CBS News interview. “But actually, that's not really it. I want to be surprised by a new script, something I've never heard of, and you go, ‘Oooh, yes. Oh my God, what is this new thing? I've not heard of it, I've not read the source material.’ And this all feels, it feels good, it feels right.”
What did Ralph Fiennes make for Schindler's List?
Fiennes likely didn't earn much for his Oscar-nominated turn in Stephen Spielberg's World War II epic. While Fiennes was already a successful stage actor by the time he landed the role of Nazi soldier Amon Göth, he'd only appeared in two previous movies. Also with a budget of only $22 million, the film wasn't delivering big paydays to any of its actors.
What did Ralph Fiennes make for The Menu?
Fiennes didn't likely earn much from The Menu either. The film's $30 million budget and stacked cast likely didn't leave room for Fiennes to make more than a million or two. It did, however, earn him a Golden Globe nomination and plenty of young fans.
Warner Bros. Pictures
What are Ralph Fiennes’s biggest movies?
Going by worldwide box-office performance, here are the 10 biggest movies Ralph Fiennes has been a part of, according to IMDb. Spoiler alert: it's a lot of Harry Potter.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011): $1.34 billion
Skyfall (2012): $1.11 billion
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010): $960 million
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007): $942 million
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005): $896 million
Spectre (2015): $881 million
Clash of the Titans (2010): $493 million
Schindler’s List (1993): $322 million
Wrath of the Titans (2012): $302 million
The English Patient (1996): $232 million
Has Ralph Fiennes won any Oscars?
Ralph Fiennes has been nominated for two Academy Awards. His first nomination came early in his career, for his performance as concentration camp commandant Amon Göth in Schindler’s List (Best Supporting Actor, 1994). Then, in 1997, he was nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Laszlo de Almasy in The English Patient.
While Fiennes is a master of period dramas, he has yet to secure an Oscar win – though some are saying he has a good shot with Conclave (2024).
An accomplished film and stage actor, Fiennes has racked up numerous other accolades, including a Tony Award for his leading performance in the 1995 Broadway production of Hamlet.
