Claude Rains
| Claude Rains | |
|---|---|
Rains in the trailer for Now, Voyager (1942)
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| Born |
William Claude Rains 10 November 1889 Camberwell, London, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 30 May 1967 (aged 77) Laconia, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Royal Academy of Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1901–1966 |
| Spouse(s) |
Isabel Jeans (m. 1913; div. 1915) Marie Hemingway (m. 1920; div. 1920) Beatriz Thomas (m. 1924; div. 1935) Frances Propper (m. 1935; div. 1956) Agi Jambor (m. 1959; div. 1960) Rosemary Clark Schrode (m. 1960; d. 1964) |
| Children | Jessica Rains (b. 1938) |
| Parent(s) |
Fred Rains (father) Emily Rains (nee Cox) (mother) |
William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was an English film and stage actor whose career spanned 46 years. After his American film debut with The Invisible Man (1933) he played in classic films like The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Wolf Man (1941), Casablanca (1942, as Captain Renault), Notorious (1946), and Lawrence of Arabia (1962). He was a four-time nominee for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, but never won. Rains was considered to be "one of the screen's great character stars" with an extraordinary voice who was, according to the All-Movie Guide, "at his best when playing cultured villains".
Rains was born in Camberwell, London. According to his daughter, he grew up with "a very serious Cockney accent and a speech impediment". His parents were Emily Eliza (née Cox) and the actor Frederick William Rains. Rains made his stage debut at the age of 11 in the play Nell of Old Drury.
His acting talents were recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the founder of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Tree paid for the elocution lessons that Rains needed to succeed as an actor. Later, Rains taught at RADA, where John Gielgud was one of his students. Many years later, after Rains had gone to Hollywood and become a well-known film actor, Gielgud commented: "He was a great influence on me. I don't know what happened to him. I think he failed and went to America."
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