Ralph Fiennes, great actor that he is, is probably more recognizable these days in sinister supervillain makeup than he is outside of it. That?s because he played Voldemort in the Harry Potter series, an iconic role that he filled excellently. He was hesitant for one simple reason: He didn?t know anything about Harry Potter. ?The truth is I was actually ignorant about the films and the books,? he said, as transcribed by Digital Spy. I think the clincher was that my sister Martha ? who has three children who were then probably about 12, 10 and 8 ? she said, ?What do you mean?