Which actor plays Commander Waterford in the TV series?

Joseph Fiennes plays Commander Fred Waterford in the television series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Waterford is one of Gilead’s senior officials and the first Commander to whom June Osborne is assigned as a Handmaid, giving her the forced name Offred.

Fiennes’s performance presents Waterford as a polished, educated official whose apparently courteous behavior coexists with participation in Gilead’s system of sexual slavery and political repression. His household includes his wife Serena Joy, the Handmaid assigned to bear a child for the couple, and domestic workers known as Marthas. The character’s public authority and private contradictions become increasingly important as the series progresses.

Joseph Fiennes is an English actor known for film, television, and stage work. Before joining the Hulu drama, he appeared in productions including “Shakespeare in Love,” “Elizabeth,” and “FlashForward.” A common mix-up is confusing Fiennes with Bruce Miller, who created the television adaptation, or Reed Morano, who directed episodes and served as an executive producer. Fiennes is the actor portraying Waterford.