Background

Claude Rains was born on November 10, 1889, in London, United Kingdom. He was one of twelve children of Frederick William Rains, a stage actor, and Emily Eliza (Cox) Rains. All, but two of Claude's siblings died of malnutrition when still infants.

Education

It was after the second grade, that Claude left school to sell papers so that he could bring the pennies and halfpennies home for his mother to make both ends meet. As a boy, he also sang in the Palm Street Church choir to earn a little money.

As Claude's father was an actor, he spent time in theatres, where he was surrounded by actors and stagehands. There, in theatres, he had an opportunity to see actors up close, as well as the day-to-day running of a theatre.

Career

It was at the age of ten, that Claude made his stage debut in the play "Sweet Nell of Old Drury" at the Haymarket Theatre in London. Some time later, he was made a call boy at His Majesty's Theatre. His self-discipline and responsible attitude were noticed by theatre owners and, in an unprecedented manner, Rains eventually became a stage manager. In this way, he learned every aspect of theatrical production, including effective acting.

In 1915, Rains served with the British Army in France, where he suffered the ill-effects of the German's use of mustard gas. Although his vocal cords were damaged, he astonished the doctors, when ironically he recovered with a much deeper and unusual voice. It's worth mentioning, that, by the end of the war, Claude had risen to the rank of captain.

In 1919, Rains returned to the London stage as an actor and performed in diverse plays, penned by talents, ranging from George Bernard Shaw to Pirandello, and was noticed by critics for his exceptional ability. His talent was recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the founder of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Tree told Rains, that in order to succeed as an actor he would have to get rid of his Cockney accent and speech impediment. With this in mind, Tree paid for the elocution books and lessons, that Rains needed to help him change his voice. Rains eventually shed his accent and speech impediment after practicing every day. Jessica Rains, Claude's daughter, spoke in an interview, that soon after changing his accent Claude became recognised as one of the leading stage actors in London.

It's also worth saying, that, during his early years, Rains taught at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where John Gielgud and Charles Laughton were among his students.

It was in 1925, that Rains arrived in the United States with a touring company and decided to remain in this country, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1938. By the early 1930's, he was one of the leading actors with the Theatre Guild. Initially, Rains avoided films, and he especially refrained from making silent movies. The Great Depression, however, forced him, and many other actors, to leave the theatre for Hollywood. In 1933, he accepted the lead role in Universal's "The Invisible Man", a film, directed by his old theatre friend, James Whale, who insisted on Rains for the part. Whale recognized the power of the actor's extraordinary voice, which was essential since the actor's face was completely covered during the entire film. He made three movies in 1934 and 1935, impressing studio heads, and by 1936, Jack Warner had offered the actor a contract, recognizing he had the ability "to do anything and do it well". It was a relationship, that lasted ten years.

While most film admirers saw Rains as a reflection of the characters he portrayed - self-assured, cunning, devious, well-educated, polished and urbane - in reality he was none of these things. He was an extremely honest, entirely self-taught, shy, reserved man, who lived quite simply, but who always felt very insecure and frightened. Rains' persona of sophistication was self-created and in his acting he never used his own personality, as did so many film stars, like Cary Grant and Gary Cooper. Above all, he rarely duplicated his characters and with equal aplomb could be a heavenly messenger ("Here Comes Mr. Jordan", 1937) or the devil himself ("Angel on My Shoulder", 1946), a wise and shrewd Caesar ("Caesar and Cleopatra", 1945) or a naive cuckold to Bette Davis ("Mr. Skeffington", 1944). Davis considered Claude Rains the greatest actor she ever worked with and they were friends for 20 years. He made two other popular films with her; as the kindly and understanding psychiatrist in "Now, Voyager" (1943) and as an egotistical, brilliant, but mean-spirited composer in "Deception" (1946).

Rains displayed an inherent intelligence in his characterizations, that enabled him to overcome a shallow script or trite dialogue in many films. Producers and directors knew his broad range and his box-office popularity and they frequently enlarged or built in roles for him. But even when his part was small Rains' presence was commanding, and he made a powerful impression, such as his portrayal of the mysterious Dr. Tower in "Kings Row" (1942).

Often Claude's characters seemed to border between being scrupulous and unscrupulous, and while scheming, not necessarily evil. This is most evident in his performance as the wily police captain in "Casablanca" (1942).

At age 60, and after a 16 year absence, Rains returned to the New York stage in 1951 in Sidney Kingsley's "Darkness at Noon", playing an old Bolshevik during the Stalinist purge trials. For his remarkable and astonishing portrayal, he won every award the theatre world bestows. During the 1950's, Claude attempted a few plays, but only found critical success in T.S. Eliot's "The Confidential Clerk" (1954). He also acted in many early prominent television shows, such as "Judgement at Nuremburg" and appeared in a musical version of "The Pied Piper", along with several Alfred Hitchcock episodes.

Sadly, by 1960, Claude's voice had begun to fail, along with his health, which was very apparent in his portrayal of the devious British official in David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962). Rains' last film role was as King Herrod in "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965), of which one reviewer wrote: "After you've seen Rains in the first twenty minutes of the film, you can leave the theatre."

In addition, during his career, Claude 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. He also 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 basis.

Achievements

• Claude Rains was a well-known stage, screen and television actor. He acted in many notable films, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938), "The Wolf Man" (1941), "Kings Row" (1942), "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" (1957) and "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962), among others. However, Claude is most remembered for his unforgettable performances as the mad chemist in "The Invisible Man" (1933), the smoothly corrupt senator, foiled by Jimmy Stewart, in Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), the sympathetic and pitiful betrayed husband of Ingrid Bergman in Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious" (1946) and the charmingly corrupt Vichy police official in "Casablanca" (1942).
  
  Claude gained prominence for his smooth distinguished voice, polished ironic style and intelligent portrayal of a variety of roles, ranging from villains to sympathetic gentlemen. Rains was admired by many of his acting colleagues, including Bette Davis, his good friend, Vincent Sherman, Ronald Neame, Albert Dekker, John Gielgud, Charles Laughton and Richard Chamberlain.
  
  The words "unique actor" and "consummate professional" are overused in the entertainment industry, but they describe Rains perfectly, the man, who was an exceptional character actor of the Golden Age of Hollywood during the 1930's and 1940's.
  
  During his lifetime, Claude received such prestigious awards, as the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Delia Austrian Medal. Besides, on February 8, 1960, Rains was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with one star.
  
  It's also worth noting, that Claude was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor four different times - for "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939), "Casablanca" (1943), "Mr. Skeffington" (1944) and "Notorious" (1946).

Works

More photos

• movie

  • The Man Who Watched Trains Go By

    (A Dutch company's owner bankrupts his own company, burns ...)

    1952
  • Mr. Skeffington

    (Popular and beautiful Fanny Trellis is forced into a love...)

    1944
  • The Lost World

    (Professor Challenger leads an expedition of scientists an...)

    1960
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood

    (When Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing th...)

    1938
  • Juarez

    (The story of three men - Benito Juarez, Napoleon III and ...)

    1939
  • Caesar and Cleopatra

    (At the height of the Roman Civil War, a young Cleopatra (...)

    1945
  • Where Danger Lives

    (A young doctor falls in love with a disturbed young woman...)

    1950
  • Casablanca

    (A cynical American expatriate struggles to decide whether...)

    1942
  • The Prince and the Pauper

    (A poor boy, named Tom Canty, and the Prince of Wales exch...)

    1937
  • Mystery of Edwin Drood

    (An opium-addicted choirmaster develops an obsession for a...)

    1935
  • Here Comes Mr. Jordan

    (Boxer Joe Pendleton dies 50 years ahead of time due to a ...)

    1941
  • Angel On My Shoulder

    (The Devil arranges for a deceased gangster to return to E...)

    1946
  • The Clairvoyant

    (A fake music-hall clairvoyant meets a woman and suddenly ...)

    1935
  • The Greatest Story Ever Told

    (An all-star, large scale epic movie, that chronicles the ...)

    1965
  • Crime Without Passion

    (Prominent lawyer shoots unfaithful girlfriend during quar...)

    1934
  • Saturday's Children

    (Pretty Bobby Halevy loves Rims Rosson, a dreamer and inve...)

    1940
  • The Sea Hawk

    (Geoffrey Thorpe, a buccaneer, is hired by Queen Elizabeth...)

    1940
  • Now, Voyager

    (A frumpy spinster blossoms under therapy and becomes an e...)

    1942
  • Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

    (A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the United ...)

    1939
  • Phantom of the Opera

    (A disfigured violinist haunts the Paris Opera House.)

    1943
  • Gold Is Where You Find It

    (Hydraulic Mining versus Sacramento Valley Farming.)

    1938

Views

Quotations: "Take part. Contribute. Be interested in everything and everybody."

"Often we'd secretly like to do the very things we discipline ourselves against. Isn't that true? Well, here in the movies I can be as mean, as wicked as I want to - and all without hurting anybody. Look at that lovely girl I've just shot!"

"God felt sorry for actors, so he gave them a place in the sun and a lot of money. All they had to sacrifice was their talent."

"I learn the lines and pray to God."

"I'm only a poor corrupt official."

"Hollywood to me is a place to work. Home is Chester County."

Membership

Claude was a member of the Players club, located in New York City.

Personality

Claude was an honest, entirely self-taught, shy and reserved man, who lived quite simply, but who always felt very insecure and frightened.

Rains could suggest thoughts without words, but when he did speak, his tone revealed, without affectation, the complexity of his character or set the mood for the scene. He was often labeled a "villain" simply because in some parts he implied intrigue and exuded an element of cunning. He used his unique voice to intimidate, suggest or seduce an audience by controlling the pitch, volume and innuendo; and his timing was impeccable. Perhaps, Rains' uniqueness was that he could "put on" a complex personality as easily as other actors use make-up or costumes. This is especially apparent in his suggestive "effete" portrayal of Prince John in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938).

Claude was the owner of the 380-acre Stock Grange Farm, built in 1747 in West Bradford Township, Pennsylvania. He bought the farm in 1941 and it was one of the "great prides" of his life. There, he became a "gentleman farmer" and could relax and enjoy farming life with his then-wife, Frances Propper and their daughter, churning the butter, collecting the eggs, with Rains himself, ploughing the fields and cultivating the vegetable garden. The actor spent much of his time between film takes, reading up on agricultural techniques to try, when he got home. He sold the farm, when his marriage to Propper ended in 1956. The building now, as then, is still referred to by locals as "Rains' Place".

Physical Characteristics: Even though Rains was an ordinary-looking man, he possessed a commanding air, a seemingly inbred impeccable manner and a sly humor, all of which resulted in a presence more imposing, than his slight physical build implied. His acting suggested suaveness with just a hint of wickedness, but it was his elocution and husky-toned velvety voice, that became his trademark. His speech and style were all the more remarkable, given, that he was born into abject poverty in London's slums during the latter part of the Victorian Era and lived a rather Dickensian childhood on the streets.

According to Claude's daughter, Jessica Rains, Claude had a very serious Cockney accent and a speech impediment, which took the form of a stutter, causing him to call himself "Willie Wains". His accent was so strong, that his daughter could not understand a word he said, when he used it to sing old Cockney songs to her or purposely used it to playfully annoy her. Claude got rid of his accent and a speech impediment with the help of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who paid for the elocution books and lessons, that Rains needed to change his voice.

Abdominal hemorrhage was the cause of Rains' death.

Quotes from others about the person

• "I learnt a great deal about acting from this gentleman. Claude Rains was one of my teachers at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. In fact, he was one of the best and most popular teachers there. He was extremely attractive and needless to say, all the girls in my class were hopelessly in love with him. He had piercing dark eyes and a beautifully throaty voice, although he had, like Marlene Dietrich, some trouble with the letter "R". He lacked inches and wore lifts to his shoes to increase his height. Stocky, but handsome, Rains had broad shoulders and a mop of thick brown hair, which he brushed over one eye. But by the time I first met him in the 1920's, he was already much in demand as a character actor in London. I found him enormously helpful and encouraging to work with. I was always trying to copy him in my first years as an actor, until I decided to imitate Noël Coward instead." - John Gielgud, an actor and theatre director
  
  "He was interested in the process (of film). He loved acting. 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. He knew everybody's part. He knew the whole script before he came out (to film). I don't think many people did that." - Jessica Rains, an actress and Claude's daughter
  
  "Well, of course he petrified me. The first time I played with him was in "Carlotta" (Juarez), and I had to make an entrance into the King of France's domain for a rehearsal, and he's playing the King of France (Napoleon III) in rehearsal. 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. Rains, so I thought he hated me. I didn't know he was playing the character. I thought, he thinks I just stink! What am I going to do? Eventually we worked together quite a lot and became really great friends, really great friends." - Bette Davis, an actress and Claude's friend and colleague
  
  "Claude Rains has to be considered one of the finest actors of the 20th century. As soon as you hear that marvelous, unmistakable voice of honey mixed with gravel, he becomes instantly recognizable. And that scornful right eyebrow, which could freeze an adversary faster, than and more effectively, than any physical threat. He stood at a mere 5'6", yet his enormous talent and immense stage presence made him a giant among his colleagues. 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. 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." - Richard Chamberlain, an actor and Claude's colleague

Connections

During his lifetime, Claude was married six times and divorced five of his wives. Between 1913 and 1915, the actor was married to Isabel Jeans. In 1920, Claude married his second wife, Marie Hemingway, whom he divorced the same year.

From 1924 to 1935, Rains was married to Beatrix Thomson. On April 9, 1935, Claude wed his fourth wife, Frances Propper. The couple divorced in 1956. During the period from 1959 to 1960, Rains was married to classical pianist, Agi Jambor, his fifth wife. It was in 1960, that Claude wed Rosemary Clark Schrode, his sixth wife, to whom he was married until her death on December 31, 1964.

Claude was a father of one child - daughter Jennifer, an actress, best known as Jessica Rains. Frances Propper, Claude's fourth wife, was Jennifer's mother.

After Rosemary Clark Schrode's death, Rains' sixth wife, he remained isolated in his home in Sandwich, New Hampshire until his death in May 1967.

Father:

Fred Rains

Fred Rains (born Frederick William Rains) was a British actor and film director.

Mother:

Emily Eliza (Cox) Rains

child:

Jessica Rains

Jessica Rains is an American actress and producer. She was born as Jennifer Rains on January 24, 1938, in Los Angeles, California.

ex-wife:

Frances Propper

Frances and Claude gave birth to their only daughter - Jessica Rains.

ex-wife:

Isabel Jeans

Isabel Jeans was a British stage and film actress, who gained prominence for her roles in several Alfred Hitchcock's films and her portrayal of Aunt Alicia in the 1958 musical film "Gigi".

ex-wife:

Marie Hemingway

Marie Hemingway was a British actress. She died on June 7, 1939, in Kent.

ex-wife:

Beatrix Thomson

Beatrix Thomson was a British actress, airwoman and writer.

ex-wife:

Agi Jambor

Agi Jambor was an American pianist. She was born in 1909 in Budapest, Hungary, the half-Jewish daughter of a wealthy businessman and a prominent piano teacher.

late wife:

Rosemary Clark Schrode

Friend:

Bette Davis

Bette Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Claude was friends with her for 20 years. Davis often cited Rains as one of her favorite actors and colleagues.

Friend:

Helen Westley

Helen Westley was an American character actress.

Student:

John Gielgud

John Gielgud was a British actor and theatre director, whose career spanned eight decades. He studied under Claude's guidance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Student:

Charles Laughton

Charles Laughton was a British stage and film actor. He studied under Claude's guidance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

References

• Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice Drawing on over thirty hours of newly released audio interviews with Rains and enriched by daughter Jessica Rains's contributions, this work is an intimate portrait and the first full biography of Claude Rains.
  2008
• The Life and Times of Claude Rains Book by Carmella Felice.
  2006