Back Claude Rains Afrikaans كلود راينس Arabic كلود راينس ARZ کلود رینس AZB Клод Рейнс Bulgarian Claude Rains Catalan Claude Rains Czech Claude Rains Danish Claude Rains German Κλοντ Ρέινς Greek
Claude Rains | |
|---|---|
 Rains in the trailer for Now, Voyager (1942). | |
| Born | William Claude Rains 10 November 1889 |
| Died | 30 May 1967 (aged 77) Laconia, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1900–1965 |
| Spouses | Marie Hemingway
(m. 1920; div. 1920)Frances Propper
(m. 1935; div. 1956)Rosemary Clark Schrode
(m. 1960; died 1964) |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Fred Rains |
William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, and is considered one of the screen's great character stars who played cultured villains during the Golden Age of Hollywood.[1][2]
The son of a stage actor, Rains began acting on stage in his native London in the 1900s. He became a leading thespian on the West End, and an acting teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He moved to the United States in the late 1920s and became a successful Broadway star, before making his American film debut in Dr. Jack Griffin in The Invisible Man (1933). He went on to play prominent roles in such big screen production as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Wolf Man (1941), Casablanca (1942), Kings Row (1942), Phantom of the Opera (1943) and Notorious (1946).
In 1951, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performance in Darkness at Noon. He continued to work as a prominent character actor in films, notably as Mr. Dryden in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and his final role in the Biblical epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
In 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to the film industry.[3] Richard Chamberlain described him as "one of the finest actors of the 20th century," while Bette Davis considered him one of her favorite co-stars.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (5 March 2016). "Claude Rains". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ McFarlane, Brian. "Rains, Claude (1889-1967)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 30 December 2015. From McFarlane's Encyclopedia of British Film. London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p. 545
- ^ Chad (25 October 2019). "Claude Rains". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved 23 January 2025.