Born November 10, 1989 in London, England, (William) Claude Rains was the son of British stage actor Fred Rains. Following in his fatherโs footsteps, he made his acting debut at the age of 11 in Nell of Old Drury. Growing up in the theatre, he also worked behind the scenes, graduating from page boy to stage manager. He came to New York in 1913 but returned to England in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I where he served in a Scottish regiment in Europe.
While working in British theatre, Rains became in demand as an acting teacher. Among his most famous pupils were Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud. He returned to the U.S. in 1927 as a replacement performer in The Constant Nymph, the first of his eighteen appearances on Broadway. Given a screen test by Universal in 1932, he was immediately cast in the title role of 1933โs The Invisible Man, a major hit. That was followed by starring roles in Crime Without Passion, The Man Who Reclaimed His Head, Mystery of Edwin Drood and The Clairvoyant.
Despite his early Hollywood career as a leading man, it was perhaps inevitable that the short, aging Rains would find his niche in Hollywood as one of the moviesโ great character actors, a supporting player in some of the most prestigious films from the mid-1930s through the mid-1960s.
From the mid through late 1930s Rains gave standout performances in Anthony Adverse, The Prince and the Pauper, White Banners, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Four Daughters, They Made Me a Criminal, Juarez and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (his first Oscar nomination). The 1940s provided him with more great acting opportunities in The Sea Hawk, Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Wolf Man, Kings Row, Now, Voyager, Casablanca (his second Oscar nomination), Phantom of the Opera (the title role), Mr. Skeffington (his third Oscar nomination), Caesar and Cleopatra, Notorious (his fourth Oscar nomination), Deception, The Unsuspected and Rope of Sand.
In the 1950s Rains was frequently on TV, most notably in Spencer Tracy role in the 1959 TV version of Judgment at Nuremberg. His screen career resumed full throttle with 1959โs This Earth Is Mine, followed by equally memorable performances in The Lost World, Lawrence of Arabia, Twilight of Honor and his last film, The Greatest Story Ever Told.
Claude Rains was married six times and had one child, producer Jessica Rains, with fourth wife Frances Propper in 1938. He died on May 30, 1967 at the age of 77, three years after the death of his sixth wife, Rosemary McGroarty Clark.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
The Invisible Man (1933), directed by James Whale
Rains made his Hollywood film debut unseen for most of this classic Universal horror film directed by James Whale form H.G. Wellsโ novel. It didnโt matter. His magnificent speaking voice was enough to earn him accolades from critics and to leave audiences panting for more, and more they got in short order. Universal quickly put him in a slew of similar roles although he didnโt actually return to the horror genre until 1941โs The Wolf Man in which he played star Lon Chaney, Jr.โs father and 1943โs The Phantom of the Opera in which he again played the title role in a Universal horror film.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), directed by Frank Capra
Unforgettable in a number of films in 1938 and 1939 including The Adventures of Robin Hood and Four Daughters, Rains had his best role of the period as the duplicitous senior Senator from naรฏve junior Senator James Stewartโs home state in Capraโs classic about political corruption. It was a performance worthy of the Oscar for which he was nominated. The only problem was he was up against one of his Washington co-stars, the equally superb Thomas Mitchell who won for his portrayal of the drunken doctor in John Fordโs Stagecoach.
Casablanca (1942), directed by Michael Curtiz
Rainsโ portrayal of the local police captain in the French Moroccan city was another Oscar worthy candidate. He was nominated and had the film been released in Los Angeles in 1942, as it was in New York, he might have won in a weaker year for supporting actors than in 1943 when he was up against Charles Coburnโs cuddly old matchmaker in George Stevensโ The More the Merrier. Then again, maybe he wouldnโt have won anyway as the filmโs star, Humphrey Bogart didnโt win either and co-star Ingrid Bergman wasnโt even nominated. Her 1943 nomination was for For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Notorious (1946), directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Rains finally had a role for which the Oscar seemed to be made, that of the Nazi agent hiding in South America, newly married to Ingrid Bergman as the beautiful daughter of a recently deceased Nazi agent. What he doesnโt know is that Bergman is an American agent who married him to find the plans that he and his friends are working on toward the development of the Atomic bomb. It was a role full of pathos as he is torn between his love for Bergman and his need to slowly poison her to keep her from destroying him and his friends. Unfortunately he was up against Harold Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives.
This Earth Is Mine (1959), directed by Henry King
Rains turned 70 in 1959, but proved he still had it in two roles that year. He played the judge in the original TV version of Judgment at Nuremberg that earned Spencer Tracy an Oscar nomination when it was turned into a film two years later. On the big screen he was the stubborn head of a California winemaking family caught in hard times twelve years into the Prohibition era. Fourth billed Rains triumphs in a role filled with brimstone and fire. Rock Hudson is his illegitimate grandson, Jean Simmons his great-niece from England and Dorothy McGuire his embittered wheelchair bound middle-aged daughter.
CLAUDE RAINS AND OSCAR
- Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
- Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Casablanca (1943)
- Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Mr. Skeffington (1944)
- Nominated – Best Supporting Actor – Notorious (1946)
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