After his American film debut with The Invisible … Claude Rains was born William Claude Rains on 10 November, 1889, in Camberwell, London, the son of British stage actor Frederick Rains. Because his father was an actor, the young Rains would spend time in theatres and was surrounded by actors and stagehands. His daughter Jessica, when describing her father's voice, said, "The interesting thing to me was that he became a different person. 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. Birth Place: London, England. Generally he had no problem remembering his lines despite getting along in years. Roddy McDowall once asked Rains if he had intentionally lampooned Bette Davis in his performance as Prince John, and Rains' only smiled "an enigmatic smile." In fact he was one of the best and most popular teachers there. Rains later revealed to his daughter that he'd enjoyed playing the prince as a homosexual, by using subtle mannerisms. Claude Rains and Humphrey Bogart in ‘Casablanca’ Claude Rains was not capable of giving a bad performance – nor even a mediocre one. He stood at a mere 5′6″, yet his enormous talent and immense stage presence made him a giant among his colleagues. I'm so glad of that. Claude Rains was larger than life in all respects, not only in his various incarnations on the cinema screens. 683 Last Comments. For Warner Bros., he played Dr. Alexander Tower, who commits murder-suicide to spare his daughter a life of insanity in Kings Row (1942) and the cynical police chief Captain Renault in Casablanca (also 1942). Rains left school after the second grade to sell newspapers so that he could bring the pennies and halfpennies home for his mother. Rains' declining health delayed their completion and with Root's death in March 1967 the project was never completed. Rains moved to America in 1913 due to the opportunities that were being offered in the New York theatres. Born William Claude Rains in London, England, the son of British stage actor Frederick Rains, he made his stage debut at the age of eleven, and learned the technical end of the business working first as a page, then working up to stage manager. Rains starred in multiple plays and productions over the course of his career, playing a variety of leading and supporting parts. I got another taste of Claude's witty nature shooting a scene in his [next-to-last] film, in which he had a long piece of dialogue. During her childhood, Claude had an intense jealously toward her twin sisters, Emone and Henrietta. I don't think many people did that. John Gielgud and Charles Laughton were among his students. [2] During his lengthy career, he was greatly admired by many of his acting colleagues, such as Bette Davis, Vincent Sherman, Ronald Neame, Albert Dekker, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Charles Laughton and Richard Chamberlain. [13][14] According to Rains' daughter, this was the only film of his he ever saw. What am I going to do? After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in The Invisible Man (1933) he appeared in such highly regarded films as The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Wolf Man (1941), Casablanca and Kings Row (both 1942), Notorious (1946), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). He became a very elegant man, with a really extraordinary Mid-Atlantic accent. Rains remained active as a character actor in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in films and as a guest in television series. Here is all you want to know, and more! Cary Grant’s agent is such an unmitigated son of a bitch that Rains gathers sympathy as the movie goes on, and his Alex even reaches a heroic level when he admits, on a very long walk down a staircase, that he’s not afraid to die, though he is certainly afraid to live. Devlin (Grant), who enlists the help of Alicia … He knew the whole script before he came out (to film). He grew up in the theatrical world and worked his way up … His daughter said, "And, just like most actors, he died waiting for his agent to call. Rains signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros. on 27 November 1935 with Warner able to exercise the right to loan him to other studios and Rains having a potential income of up to $750,000 over seven years. He was extremely attractive and needless to say, all the girls in my class were hopelessly in love with him. Claude Rains. His screen test for A Bill of Divorcement (1932) for a New York representative of RKO was a failure but, according to some accounts, led to his being cast in the title role of James Whale's The Invisible Man (1933) after his screen test and unique voice were inadvertently overheard from the next room. Red Hill Cemetery,   Moultonborough,  New Hampshire,  United States. Follow. "[20] However, Gielgud later went on to recollect a time when he was in New York and in the audience during an event that included a focus on Bette Davis. Cops and Robbers. He married six times; his only child, Jessica […] William Claude Rains is part of G.I. clauderains11 months ago. According to his daughter, Jessica Rains, he grew up with "a very serious Cockney accent and a speech impediment"[5] which took the form of a stutter, causing him to call himself "Willie Wains". Biography - A Short WikiFour-time Oscar nominee who starred as Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca and as the title character in the 1933 film The Invisible Man. Claude Rains, British motion picture and stage character actor noted for his smooth distinguished voice, polished ironic style, and intelligent portrayal of a variety of roles, ranging from villains to sympathetic gentlemen. Wiki User Answered 2011-08-12 20:45:12. Claude Rains: truly a class act, on and off screen. See Answer. When he came to California to do a film, I had to "hear him his lines" as he drove me to school every morning, 10 miles. Claude Rains (n. 10 noiembrie 1889 – d. 30 mai 1967) a fost un actor englez, care a turnat filme și la Hollywood Biografie Filmografie. William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was an English film and stage actor whose career spanned several decades. By the end of the war, he had risen to the rank of captain.[10]. Reminiscing about his work with Rains, Chamberlain said: He was in his seventies then and in failing health, yet he was charming and totally professional on the set. Rains portrayed Faulkland in Richard Brinsley Sheridan's The Rivals, presented at London's Lyric Theatre in 1925. Of course in the finished film he played the scene flawlessly, as he always did. He sang in the Palm Street Church choir, which also brought him a few pence to take home. Back in Britain, he appeared in David Lean's The Passionate Friends (1949). I didn't know he was playing the character. I was always trying to copy him in my first years as an actor, until I decided to imitate Noël Coward instead. The NBC colour special, broadcast as a film rather than a live or videotaped programme, was highly successful with the public. Herbert Beerbohm Tree recognized Rains' acting talent and paid for the elocution books and lessons he needed due to his poor diction. On 30 May 1967, he died due to an abdominal hemorrhage, at the age of 77. / Died: 30 May 1967: How many years did Claude Rains live? A seemingly corrupt man, Alex finally discovers, like so many Rains … Being around the theatre so much, young Claude … And the striking virtuosity that I witnessed as a young actor is now there for audiences everywhere to see for all time. 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, … But by the time I first met him in the 1920s he was already much in demand as a character actor in London. Actor 74 Credits. Notorious is a 1946 American spy film noir directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, and Claude Rains as three people whose lives become intimately entangled during an espionage operation.. [5][12] His agent, Harold Freedman, was a family friend of Carl Laemmle, who controlled Universal Pictures at the time, and had been acquainted with Rains in London and was keen to cast him in the role. Born in London, England on November 10, 1889, he was doomed to follow in his father’s footsteps. William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was a British-American film and stage actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. She also praised his performances: "He was marvelous in Deception and was worth the whole thing as the picture wasn't terribly good, but he was so marvelous and the restaurant scene where he's talking about all the food...brilliant, and of course in Mr. Skeffington he was absolutely brilliant as the husband, just brilliant.". And that scornful right eyebrow which could freeze an adversary faster than and more effectively than any physical threat. Birth Name: William Claude Rains. His mother took in boarders in order to support the family. This was Rains' last appearance on the London Stage. Claude Rains died on May 30, 1967 at the age of 77. William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was a … Generation also known as The Greatest Generation. "The Jeffersonian Heritage," Broadcasting-Telecasting, 8 September 1952, 36 (trade advertisement). I found him enormously helpful and encouraging to work with. Rains became a United States citizen in 1938. A short man, around 5’6 by most accounts, his character loomed over every production he took part in, and certain tics, like his way of raising the right eyebrow to make a point, became calling cards in his … Davis later went on to describe him: "Claude was witty, amusing and beautiful, really beautiful, thoroughly enchanting to be with and brilliant." This page was last edited on 17 February 2021, at 05:12. As his film career began to flourish, he found less time to perform in the theatre in both England and America. His only child, Jennifer, was born on 24 January 1938, the daughter of Frances Propper. His films included The Invisible Man (1933), Casablanca (1942), and Notorious (1946). William Claude Rains was born on November 10, 1889 in Clapham, London, England and grew up around his acting father. In London theatre, he achieved success in the title role of John Drinkwater's play Ulysses S. Grant, the follow-up to the same playwright's Abraham Lincoln. The Pied Piper of Hamelin. These talents were recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the founder of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He had piercing dark eyes and a beautifully throaty voice, although he had, like Marlene Dietrich, some trouble with the letter 'R'. Stocky but handsome, Rains had broad shoulders and a mop of thick brown hair which he brushed over one eye. He loved acting. He additionally made several audio recordings, narrating some Bible stories for children on Capitol Records, and reciting Richard Strauss's setting for narrator and piano of Tennyson's poem Enoch Arden, with the piano solos performed by Glenn Gould. And finally he paused and said with a sheepish look "Alibi Ike, good old Alibi Ike" ("Alibi Ike" being an expression based on a 1935 film of the same name, in which the lead character has a penchant for making up excuses). During his early years, Rains taught at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). He was a Tony Award winning actor and was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Top Answer. Claude Rains and Fay Bainter in Vier Töchter räumen auf … A number of clips from many of her most successful films were shown and I was particularly delighted, when, as soon as Claude Rains appeared in the close-up of one of the clips, the whole audience burst into a great wave of applause. After the war Rains … Claude Rains est un acteur britannique, né le 10 novembre 1889 à Camberwell, Londres (Royaume-Uni), et mort le 30 mai 1967 à Laconia, dans le New Hampshire (États-Unis). As all of us "other era people," we don't just run through lines and say "turn the camera", we rehearse beforehand...Anyway Claude and I couldn't, and he was the King of France who loathed Carlotta, and I was a kid and petrified of Mr. He spent much of his time between film takes reading up on agricultural techniques to try when he got home. During a stage and film career that spanned six decades, Rains encompassed some of the most memorable and exciting characters ever created by an actor. Claude found this ramp business a bit embarrassing and very funny. Died from an intestinal hemorrhage at Lakes Region Hospital near his home in Sandwich, New Hampshire at age 77. ", Rains became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1939. See more ideas about claude rains, rains, claude. Rains later credited the film's co-director Michael Curtiz with teaching him the more understated requirements of film acting, or "what not to do in front of a camera. Villains were a Rains specialty, particularly those of a suave and sarcastic nature; and yet when the role called for it, Rains could be remarkably moving and even add a touch of pathos without losing any of his effectiveness. [4] Rains was one of twelve children, all but three dying of malnutrition when still infants. It was clear to us that he loved practicing his craft; he dazzled us all. He went to the United States, in 1913, to act, believing that there was more opportunity for him. Tree told Rains that in order to succeed as an actor, he would have to get rid of his Cockney accent and speech impediment. His only singing and dancing role was in a 1957 television musical version of Robert Browning's The Pied Piper of Hamelin, with Van Johnson as the Piper. and the Bear," died Jan. 27 of cancer. [15] He played the villainous role of Prince John in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Well, here in the movies I can be as mean, as wicked as I want to – and all without hurting anybody.” (Claude Rains), “Hollywood to me is a place to work. He married six times; his only child, Jessica Rains, was the product of his marriage to fourth wife Frances Propper. 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 … William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 30 May 1967) was an English actor of stage and screen whose career spanned 46 years. As soon as you hear that marvelous, unmistakable voice of honey mixed with gravel, he becomes instantly recognizable. [23] Rains spent his final years in Sandwich, New Hampshire.[24]. [25] A chronic alcoholic, Rains died from cirrhosis of the liver. Jessica Rains remembered her father's work ethic: He was interested in the process (of film). Claude was an extremely private man—he never discussed his humble beginnings, his six marriages. Claude Rains. In an interview for Turner Classic Movies, Gielgud fondly remembered Rains: I learnt a great deal about acting from this gentleman. William Claude Rains, born in the Clapham area of London, was the son of the British stage actor ... Born: November 10, 1889 ... Did You Know Trivia. I don't know what happened to him. Often we'd secretly like … Many years after Rains had gone to Hollywood and become a well-known film actor, John Gielgud is reputed to have commented, "He was a great influence on me. The England and Wales Census of 1891 shows infant William C Rains living with parents Frederick Wm Rains and Emily E Rains at 26 Tregothnan Rd, … “Often we’d secretly like to do the very things we discipline ourselves against. Rains made his stage debut at age ten in the play Sweet Nell of Old Drury[7] at the Haymarket Theatre, so that he could run around onstage as part of the production. Claude returned to England and became a Captain in the all volunteer "London Scottish Regiment". In his final years, Rains decided to write his memoirs and engaged the help of journalist Jonathan Root to assist him. Profession Actor. Two of his late screen roles were as Dryden, a cynical British diplomat in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and King Herod in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), his last film. Sold into syndication after its first telecast, it was repeated annually by many local US TV stations. He starred in The Jeffersonian Heritage, a 1952 series of 13 half-hour radio programmes recorded by the National Association of Educational Broadcasters and syndicated for commercial broadcast on a sustaining (i.e., commercial-free) basis.[19]. In her 1987 memoir, This 'N That, Bette Davis revealed that Rains (with whom she shared the screen four times in Juarez; Now, Voyager; Mr. Skeffington; and Deception) was her favorite co-star. In Twilight of Honor Rains played a retired lawyer acting as a mentor to Chamberlain's character. The film follows U.S. government agent T.R. [21], He acquired the 380-acre (1.5 km2) Stock Grange Farm, built in 1747 in West Bradford Township, Pennsylvania (just outside Coatesville), in 1941. Dad was Frederick Rains, a great stage actor. Bette Davis in an interview with Dick Cavett said about Rains: Well, of course he petrified me. At age 29, he played the role of Clarkis in his one (and only) silent film, the British film Build Thy House (1920). Bette Davis often cited Rains as one of her favorite actors and colleagues. In CBS's Rawhide, he portrayed Alexander Langford, an attorney in a ghost town, in the episode "Incident of Judgement Day" (1963). British-American actor – Claude Rains was born in Clapham (district within London Borough of Lambeth, London, England and some areas in the London Borough of Wandsworth) on November 10th, 1889 and died in Laconia (city in New Hampshire, United States) on May 30th, 1967 at the age of 77. Tout sur CLAUDE RAINS : sa tombe, des infos sur sa vie, des photos de Claude Rains, des vidéos, des citations, la biographie de Claude Rains... Participez à l'amélioration des infos sur Claude Rains et discutez avec d'autres passionnés et contributeurs autours de + de 10 000 célébrités disparues, aimées ou detestées, … When did Claude Rains die? clauderains @ 11 months ago. Jul 22, 2019 - Claude Rains Born: November 10, 1889, Camberwell, United Kingdom Died: May 30, 1967, Laconia, NH. Claude Rains was born in England on Sunday, November 10, 1889 (G.I. 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