Image of Claude Rains

Claude Rains

Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man (1933), a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and, perhaps his most famous performance, Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942). Rains was born William Claude Rains in Camberwell, London on November 10, 1889. He grew up, according to his daughter, with "a very serious cockney accent and a speech impediment". His father was British stage actor Frederick Rains, and the young Rains made his stage debut at 11 in Nell of Old Drury. His acting talents were recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, founder of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Tree paid for the elocution lessons Rains needed in order to succeed as an actor. Later, Rains taught at the institution, teaching John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, among others. Rains served in the First World War in the London Scottish Regiment, with fellow actors Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Herbert Marshall. Rains was involved in a gas attack that left him nearly blind in one eye for the rest of his life. However, the war did aid his social advancement and, by its end, he had risen from the rank of Private to Captain. Rains began his career in the London theatre, having a success in the title role of John Drinkwater's play Ulysses S. Grant, the follow-up to the playwright's major hit Abraham Lincoln, and traveled to Broadway in the late 1920s to act in leading roles in such plays as Shaw's The Apple Cart and in the dramatizations of The Constant Nymph, and Pearl S. Buck's novel The Good Earth, as a Chinese farmer. Rains came relatively late to film acting and his first screen test was a failure, but his distinctive voice won him the title role in James Whale's The Invisible Man (1933) when someone accidentally overheard his screen test being played in the next room. Rains later credited director Michael Curtiz with teaching him the more understated requirements of film acting, or "what not to do in front of a camera".


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Born:
Nov 10, 1889 In London, England, UK
Movie/TV Credits:
71
First Appeared:
In the movie The Invisible Man 1933-11-03
Latest Project:
Movie Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman 2007-05-16
Known For
Poster of The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Poster of The Man Who Watched Trains Go By
Poster of The Wolf Man
Poster of Sons of Liberty
Filmography
Movie Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman Self (archive footage) 2007-05-16
Movie The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked Erique Claudin (archive footage) 2000-01-01
Movie Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' Self (archive footage) 1999-01-01
Movie Ingrid Bergman Remembered Self (archive footage) 1996-04-06
Movie James Stewart: A Wonderful Life Self (archive footage) 1988-11-22
Movie Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 1983-02-25
Movie The Horror Show (archive footage) 1979-02-06
Movie Twilight of Honor Art Harper 1963-11-13
Series Sam Benedict Unknown 1962-09-15
Series Dr. Kildare Unknown 1961-09-27
Movie Battle of the Worlds Professor Benson 1961-10-30
Movie This Earth Is Mine Philippe Rambeau 1959-07-08
Movie The Pied Piper of Hamelin Mayor of Hamelin 1957-11-26
Movie Lisbon Aristides Mavros 1956-08-17
Series Alfred Hitchcock Presents Unknown 1955-10-02
Movie The Man Who Watched Trains Go By Kees Popinga 1952-12-01
Movie Sealed Cargo Capt. Henrik Skalder 1951-05-19
Series Hallmark Hall of Fame Unknown 1951-12-24
Movie The White Tower Paul Delambre 1950-06-24
Movie Where Danger Lives Frederick Lannington 1950-11-16
Movie Song of Surrender Elisha Hunt 1949-10-27
Movie Rope of Sand Arthur 'Fred' Martingale 1949-08-03
Series The Ed Sullivan Show Unknown 1948-06-20
Movie The Unsuspected Victor Grandison 1947-10-11
Movie Notorious Alexander Sebastian 1946-08-21
Movie Angel on My Shoulder Nick 1946-09-20
Movie Deception Alexander Hollenius 1946-10-26
Movie Strange Holiday John Stevenson 1945-10-19
Movie This Love of Ours Joseph Targel 1945-11-02
Movie Caesar and Cleopatra Julius Caesar 1945-12-11
Movie Passage to Marseille Captain Freycinet 1944-03-11
Movie Mr. Skeffington Job Skeffington 1944-05-25
Movie Casablanca Captain Louis Renault 1943-01-15
Movie Phantom of the Opera Erique Claudin 1943-08-12
Movie Forever and a Day Ambrose Pomfret 1943-01-21
Movie Kings Row Alexander Tower 1942-02-02
Movie Moontide Nutsy 1942-05-29
Movie Breakdowns of 1942 Self 1942-12-31
Movie Now, Voyager Dr. Jaquith 1942-10-22
Movie Four Mothers Adam Lemp 1941-01-04
Movie Here Comes Mr. Jordan Mr. Jordan 1941-08-07
Movie Breakdowns of 1941 Self (archive footage) (uncredited) 1941-11-14
Movie The Wolf Man Sir John Talbot 1941-12-12
Movie The Sea Hawk Don José Alvarez de Cordoba 1940-08-10
Movie Saturday's Children Mr. Henry Halevy 1940-05-04
Movie Lady with Red Hair David Belasco 1940-11-30
Movie Sons of Liberty Haym Salomon 1939-05-20
Movie They Made Me a Criminal Det. Monty Phelan 1939-01-21
Movie Juarez Emperor Louis Napoleon III 1939-06-10
Movie Daughters Courageous Jim Masters 1939-06-23
Movie Four Wives Adam Lemp 1939-12-22
Movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Joseph Paine 1939-10-19
Movie The Adventures of Robin Hood Prince John 1938-05-13
Movie Gold Is Where You Find It Colonel Ferris 1938-02-12
Movie White Banners Paul Ward 1938-06-23
Movie Four Daughters Adam Lemp 1938-08-09
Movie Breakdowns of 1938 Claude Rains (archive footage) (uncredited) 1938-12-31
Movie The Prince and the Pauper Earl of Hertford 1937-04-30
Movie Stolen Holiday Stefan Orloff 1937-02-06
Movie They Won't Forget District Attorney Andrew J. Griffin 1937-07-14
Movie Breakdowns of 1937 Self 1937-12-31
Movie Hearts Divided Napoleon Bonaparte 1936-06-20
Movie Anthony Adverse Marquis Don Luis 1936-08-26
Movie Breakdowns of 1936 Self 1936-12-30
Movie The Mystery of Edwin Drood John Jasper 1935-02-04
Movie The Clairvoyant Maximus 1935-06-07
Movie The Last Outpost John Stevenson 1935-10-11
Movie Scrooge Jacob Marley (voice) (uncredited) 1935-11-26
Movie Crime Without Passion Lee Gentry 1934-08-30
Movie The Man Who Reclaimed His Head Paul Verin 1934-12-24
Movie The Invisible Man Dr. Jack Griffin 1933-11-03
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