Claude Rains

Claude Rains

Birth : 1889-11-10, Clapham, London, England, UK

Death : 1967-05-30

History

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. 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, perhaps his most famous performance, Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942). Rains was born William Claude Rains in Camberwell, London on November 10, 1889. He grew up, according to his daughter, with "a very serious cockney accent and a speech impediment". His father was British stage actor Frederick Rains, and the young Rains made his stage debut at 11 in Nell of Old Drury. His acting talents were recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, founder of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Tree paid for the elocution lessons Rains needed in order to succeed as an actor. Later, Rains taught at the institution, teaching John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, among others. Rains served in the First World War in the London Scottish Regiment, with fellow actors Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Herbert Marshall. Rains was involved in a gas attack that left him nearly blind in one eye for the rest of his life. However, the war did aid his social advancement and, by its end, he had risen from the rank of Private to Captain. Rains began his career in the London theatre, having a success in the title role of John Drinkwater's play Ulysses S. Grant, the follow-up to the playwright's major hit Abraham Lincoln, and traveled to Broadway in the late 1920s to act in leading roles in such plays as Shaw's The Apple Cart and in the dramatizations of The Constant Nymph, and Pearl S. Buck's novel The Good Earth, as a Chinese farmer. Rains came relatively late to film acting and his first screen test was a failure, but his distinctive voice won him the title role in James Whale's The Invisible Man (1933) when someone accidentally overheard his screen test being played in the next room. Rains later credited director Michael Curtiz with teaching him the more understated requirements of film acting, or "what not to do in front of a camera".

Profile

Claude Rains
Claude Rains
Claude Rains
Claude Rains
Claude Rains
Claude Rains

Movies

Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
Self (archive footage)
Uncensored. Laugh along with Hollywood's brightest stars in this hilarious compilation of bloopers from some of the biggest movies in history . You'll see stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Ronald Reagan, Marlene Dietrich, Boris Karloff, Edward G. Robinson, Errol Flynn and more. They're not so perfect after all when these flubbed moments are caught on film!
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
Self (archive footage)
Famous Monster takes a fast-paced, colorful look at the life of science fiction's greatest fan - Forrest J. Ackerman, whose 85 year love affair with the genre helped bring it into the mainstream and shape the way we view science fiction today.
The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked
Erique Claudin (archive footage)
A documentary from Universal about their Phantom of the Opera movies.
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
Self (archive footage)
Starting with "The Wolf Man" (in 1941), Universal Studios made five movies featuring The Wolf Man, a character portrayed by Lon Chaney, Jr. Monster by Moonlight! explores these movies. Rick Baker explains how the make-up was done on Chaney's character. Screenwriter Curtis Siodmak took very little from earlier werewolf legends, providing his own story for some of the films. This documentary displays clips from several other movies, including "Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and "House of Dracula" (1945).
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
Self (archive footage)
Her name conjures up beauty, grace, talent and style. One of the greatest actresses of her time, she is best remembered for a natural and vulnerable persona which was so genuine and alluring. Her cinematic contributions produced such classics as Casablanca, Gaslight, and Anastasia. But Ingrid's story goes deeper than the triumphs of her movie career. Ingrid Bergman Remembered is a loving retrospective of a woman who lived a remarkable life. Ingrid's daughters Pia Lindström and Isabella Rossellini take a personal look back at the life of their mother. Seen from their perspective, this profile of Ingrid goes beyond the acting career and tells the story of her life from her childhood in Sweden to her premature death at age 67 from breast cancer.
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
Documentary about James Stewart's long career as an actor and positive personal life.
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
Himself (archive footage)
Out-takes (mostly from Warner Bros.), promotional shorts, movie premieres, public service pleas, wardrobe tests, documentary material, and archival footage make up this star-studded voyeuristic look at the Golden age of Hollywood during the 30s, 40, and 50.
The Wolf Man
Sir John Talbot
An abbreviated 8 minute version of the 1941 Universal Monsters classic, released on 8mm film in the 1960s.
The Greatest Story Ever Told
King Herod
From his birth in Bethlehem to his death and eventual resurrection, the life of Jesus Christ is given the all-star treatment in this epic retelling. Major aspects of Christ's life are touched upon, including the execution of all the newborn males in Egypt by King Herod; Christ's baptism by John the Baptist; and the betrayal by Judas after the Last Supper that eventually leads to Christ's crucifixion and miraculous return.
Twilight of Honor
Art Harper
A young lawyer defends a drifter accused of murder that he has already confessed to. He asks a retired, legendary lawyer for help.
Lawrence of Arabia
Mr. Dryden
The story of British officer T.E. Lawrence's mission to aid the Arab tribes in their revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. Lawrence becomes a flamboyant, messianic figure in the cause of Arab unity but his psychological instability threatens to undermine his achievements.
Battle of the Worlds
Professor Benson
Dr. Fred Steele (Umberto Orsini) and Eve Barnett (Maya Brent) work together at an astronomical station on a bucolic island. The station's scientists learn they must deal with a rogue planet -- "The Outsider" -- that has entered the solar system. which must be controlled by an alien intelligence… Professor Benson's(Claude Rains) expedition discovers a race of humanoid creatures dead...
The Lost World
Prof. George Edward Challenger
Professor Challenger leads an expedition of scientists and adventurers to a remote plateau deep in the Amazonian jungle to verify his claim that dinosaurs still live there.
This Earth Is Mine
Philippe Rambeau
Set during the Prohibition era, when wine makers were financially challenged and had to decide whether or not they wanted to cooperate with bootleggers to survive.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Mayor of Hamelin
The singing, rhyming citizens of Hamelin hope to win a competition with rival towns for royal recognition. To this end, the mayor outlaws play (which is a bit hard on the children) and refuses to help a rival town when it's flooded. But rats (seen only as shadows), fleeing the flood, invade Hamelin in droves; a magical piper, whose music only children (and rats) can hear, strikes a bargain...which, once the rats are gone, the Mayor and council renege on, to their subsequent regret.
On Borrowed Time
Mr. Brink
Mr. Brink seems to bring death with him wherever he goes. But can a young boy and his grandfather change this dire situation?
Lisbon
Aristides Mavros
For Capt. Robert John Evans, smuggling black-market goods is nothing out of the ordinary. But one day he's hired by Aristides Mavros for a more involved assignment -- sneaking an imprisoned American out of communist-controlled territory. The job seems challenging enough, but when he meets the prisoner's sultry wife, Sylvia, he realizes his mission comes with a startling catch: Not only must he rescue this man, he must bring him back from the dead.
The Man Who Watched Trains Go By
Kees Popinga
A meek teller thinks he's killed his boss. He flees with a box of cash hoping for a new life with his younger mistress.
Sealed Cargo
Capt. Henrik Skalder
A Newfoundland fishingboat comes to the aid of a wrecked Danish sailing ship and tows it to a small village, but eventually the captain of the fishingboat realises that it's a U-boat supply ship in disguise, loaded with torpedoes. So, together with his crew and a group of villagers he sets about a plan to blow the ship as well as any U-boats that approach it. Based on the novel "The Gaunt Woman" by Edmund Gilligan.
Where Danger Lives
Frederick Lannington
A young doctor falls in love with a disturbed young woman and apparently becomes involved in the death of her husband. They head for Mexico trying to outrun the law.
The White Tower
Paul Delambre
Mountain climbers in the Swiss Alps mull over past problems while trying to conquer a perilous peak.
Song of Surrender
Elisha Hunt
In 1906 in Connecticut, Elisha Hunt, the 55-year-old curator of a small government museum, marries Abigail, the 19-year-old daughter of a local farmer. In addition to the differences in their ages in this May-to-December union, Elizha is a man of culture while Abigail is uneducated. Bruce Edridge, young, handsome and wealthy, comes into her life, and they fall in love. Abigail is now faced with two choices; the chance of wealth versus her present mediocre circumstances, or her love for Bruce versus her loyalty to Elisha.
Rope of Sand
Arthur 'Fred' Martingale
Story of a South African diamond mine watched over by a sadistic policeman tasked with looking out for smugglers.
The Passionate Friends
Howard Justin
A woman is torn between the love of her life, who is married to someone else, and her older husband.
The Unsuspected
Victor Grandison
The secretary of an affably suave radio mystery host mysteriously commits suicide after his wealthy young niece disappears.
Deception
Alexander Hollenius
After marrying her long lost love, a pianist finds the relationship threatened by a wealthy composer who is besotted with her.
Angel on My Shoulder
Nick
The Devil arranges for a deceased gangster to return to Earth as a well-respected judge to make up for his previous life.
Notorious
Alexander Sebastian
In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.
Blow-Ups of 1946
Self
Warner Brothers bloopers of 1946
Caesar and Cleopatra
Julius Caesar
The aging Caesar finds himself intrigued by the young Egyptian queen. Adapted by George Bernard Shaw from his own play.
This Love of Ours
Joseph Targel
At a convention, medical researcher Michel Touzac goes with colleagues to see stage caricaturist Targel, whose assistant Florence recognizes him...and attempts suicide. Saved by Touzac's new technique, Florence is revealed in a flashback as Michel's abandoned wife Karin, whom their daughter Susette thinks is dead. Can Susette cope if they now re-unite?
Strange Holiday
John Stevenson
An American businessman returns from a hunting trip to find fascists have overrun the country in this propaganda film.
Mr. Skeffington
Job Skeffington
A beautiful but vain woman who rejects the love of her older husband must face the loss of her youth and beauty.
Passage to Marseille
Captain Freycinet
A freedom-loving French journalist sacrifices his happiness and security to battle Nazi tyranny.
Phantom of the Opera
Erique Claudin
Pit violinist Claudin hopelessly loves rising operatic soprano Christine Dubois (as do baritone Anatole and police inspector Raoul) and secretly aids her career. But Claudin loses both his touch and his job, murders a rascally music publisher in a fit of madness, and has his face etched with acid. Soon, mysterious crimes plague the Paris Opera House, blamed on a legendary "phantom".
Forever and a Day
Ambrose Pomfret
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.
Casablanca
Captain Louis Renault
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
Now, Voyager
Dr. Jaquith
A woman suffers a nervous breakdown and an oppressive mother before being freed by the love of a man she meets on a cruise.
Moontide
Nutsy
After a drunken night out, a longshoreman thinks he may have killed a man.
Kings Row
Alexander Tower
Five young adults in a small American town face the revelations of secrets that threaten to ruin their hopes and dreams.
Breakdowns of 1942
Self
This is a collection of bloopers and film manipulation by The Warner Studio Club for an annual dinner for the staff at Warner Brothers.
The Wolf Man
Sir John Talbot
After his brother's death, Larry Talbot returns home to his father and the family estate. Events soon take a turn for the worse when Larry is bitten by a werewolf.
Breakdowns of 1941
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Blooper out-takes from Torrid Zone, Four Mothers, The Wagons Roll at Night, The Sea Wolf, No Time for Comedy, The Bride Came C.O.D., and Affectionately Yours, among other Warner Brother productions of 1940 and 1941.
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Mr. Jordan
Boxer Joe Pendleton, flying to his next fight, crashes...because a Heavenly Messenger, new on the job, snatched Joe's spirit prematurely from his body. Before the matter can be rectified, Joe's body is cremated; so the celestial Mr. Jordan grants him the use of the body of wealthy Bruce Farnsworth, who's just been murdered by his wife. Joe tries to remake Farnsworth's unworthy life in his own clean-cut image, but then falls in love; and what about that murderous wife?
Four Mothers
Adam Lemp
Four married sisters face motherhood, financial, marital and family issues together.
Lady with Red Hair
David Belasco
An actress hopes to regain her lost son by making it to the top.
The Sea Hawk
Don José Alvarez de Cordoba
Dashing pirate Geoffrey Thorpe plunders Spanish ships for Queen Elizabeth I and falls in love with Dona Maria, a beautiful Spanish royal he captures.
Saturday's Children
Mr. Henry Halevy
An inventor and his bride get testy in the city as they try to make ends meet.
Four Wives
Adam Lemp
In this sequel to Four Daughters, Ann struggles to move on after the death of her husband as she falls in love with Felix, but on the day of her engagement discovers that she carries Mickey's child.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Joseph Paine
Naive and idealistic Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers, is appointed to the United States Senate by the puppet governor of his state. He soon discovers, upon going to Washington, many shortcomings of the political process as his earnest goal of a national boys' camp leads to a conflict with the state political boss.
Daughters Courageous
Jim Masters
Nan Masters, a single mother living with her four marriageable daughters, plans to marry Sam Sloane, businessman. Out of the blue her 1st husband Jim returns after deserting the family 20 years earlier. The worldly wanderer Jim gets a cool family reception at first but his warm personality gradually wins the affections of his four daughters. In fact, youngest daughter Buff, who has her eye on a maverick of her own in Gabriel Lopez, is pleased when Jim grants his stamp of approval on her relationship. Buff plans to elope with Gabriel on her mother's wedding day, but 'unpredictable' is Gabriel's middle name.
Juarez
Emperor Louis Napoleon III
The newly-named emperor Maximilian and his wife Carlota arrive in Mexico to face popular sentiment favoring Benito Juárez and democracy.
Sons of Liberty
Haym Salomon
Set during the American Revolution, this colorful 2 reel short tells the story of Haym Salomon, American patriot and financier of the American Revolution.
They Made Me a Criminal
Det. Monty Phelan
A boxer flees, believing he has committed a murder while he was drunk.
Four Daughters
Adam Lemp
Musician Adam Lemp and his four equally musical daughters, Emma, Ann, Kay, and Thea, live happily together. Each daughter has an upstanding young man for whom she cares. However, the arrival of a cynical, slovenly young composer named Mickey Borden turns the household upside-down, and romantic and tragic complications ensue.
White Banners
Paul Ward
A homeless woman named Hannah drifts into the lives of the kindly Ward family, in a small Indiana town in 1919. Hannah makes herself useful as a cook and housekeeper and stays with the Wards... but her real interest is in meeting their neighbor, teenager Peter Trimble. It turns out that Peter is the son she bore out of wedlock and gave up for adoption, and now Hannah has returned to town to see what sort of young man her son has become.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Prince John
Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.
Gold Is Where You Find It
Colonel Ferris
Colonel Ferris, a wealthy farmer in northern California, is strongly opposed to hydraulic mining, a new method developed during the gold rush of the 1870's, which is flooding the area's prosperous farmlands. Despite Ferris' political stance, Jared Whitney, a mining engineer from the East, becomes friends with the colonel's son Lance and falls in love with his daughter Serena. Family tensions deepen when the colonel's brother Ralph gives up farming to go to San Francisco to work for his wife Rosanna's father, Harrison McCooey, a leader in the mining venture. When Lance follows Ralph, the colonel, focusing his anger on Jared, forbids him to see Serena.
Breakdowns of 1938
Claude Rains (archive footage) (uncredited)
This was one of the annual "blooper" reels screened by the Warners Club, an organization of Warners actors, crew and executives. It was meant to poke fun at the flubs and bloopers that occurred ont the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1938.
They Won't Forget
District Attorney Andrew J. Griffin
A southern town is rocked by scandal when teenager Mary Clay is murdered on Confederate Decoration Day. Andrew Griffin, a small-time lawyer with political ambitions, sees the crime as his ticket to the Senate if he can find the right victim to finger for the crime. He sets out to convict Robert Hale, a transplanted northerner who was Mary's teacher at the business school where she was killed. Despite the fact that all the evidence against Hale is circumstantial, Griffin works with a ruthless reporter to create a media frenzy of prejudice and hate against the teacher.
The Prince and the Pauper
Earl of Hertford
Two boys – the prince Edward and the pauper Tom – are born on the same day. Years later, when young teenage Tom sneaks into the palace garden, he meets the prince. They change clothes with one another before the guards discover them and throw out the prince thinking he's the urchin. No one believes them when they try to tell the truth about which is which. Soon after, the old king dies and the prince will inherit the throne.
Stolen Holiday
Stefan Orloff
A young model is set up with her own fashion business by a crooked financier, who sells worthless bonds.
Breakdowns of 1937
Himself
Warner Brothers bloopers of 1937.
Breakdowns of 1936
Himself
Time marches on.
Anthony Adverse
Marquis Don Luis
Based on the novel by Hervey Allen, this expansive drama follows the many adventures of the eponymous hero, Anthony Adverse. Abandoned at a convent by his heartless nobleman father, Don Luis, Anthony is later mentored by his kind grandfather, John Bonnyfeather, and falls for the beautiful Angela Giuseppe. When circumstances separate Anthony and Angela and he embarks on a long journey, he must find his way back to her, no matter what the cost.
Hearts Divided
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte's younger brother, visiting the United States, falls madly in love with a young woman he meets in Baltimore.
The Making of a Great Motion Picture
Narrated documentary of the making of Anthony Adverse (1936), featuring many clips from the actual film.
Scrooge
Jacob Marley (voice) (uncredited)
Ebenezer Scrooge, the ultimate Victorian miser, hasn't a good word for Christmas, though his impoverished clerk Cratchit and nephew Fred are full of holiday spirit. In the night, Scrooge is visited by spirits of the past, present, and future.
The Last Outpost
John Stevenson
During WW1, the destinies of British officers Michael Andrews and John Stevenson seem intertwined on the battle front as much as on a more personal level.
The Clairvoyant
Maximus
A fake psychic suddenly turns into the real thing when he meets a young beauty. (TCM)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
John Jasper
A choirmaster addicted to opium and obsessed with a beautiful young woman will stop at nothing to possess her.
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head
Paul Verin
A writer discovers he's being used as a pawn by greedy businessmen.
Crime Without Passion
Lee Gentry
Caddish lawyer Lee Gentry is going out with Katy Costello, but carrying on an affair with dancer Carmen Brown. When he wants to end the dalliance with Carmen, she is so distraught that she becomes suicidal. Seizing the gun from Carmen, he accidentally shoots her, and thinking she's dead, concocts a series of increasingly outlandish alibis to cover his tracks under the guidance of a ghostly apparition that is his alter ego.
The Invisible Man
Dr. Jack Griffin
Working in Dr. Cranley's laboratory, scientist Jack Griffin was always given the latitude to conduct some of his own experiments. His sudden departure, however, has Cranley's daughter Flora worried about him. Griffin has taken a room at the nearby Lion's Head Inn, hoping to reverse an experiment he conducted on himself that made him invisible. But the experimental drug has also warped his mind, making him aggressive and dangerous. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to restore his appearance.
Build Thy House
Clarkis
A padre, acting for a dying soldier, poses as the heir to a slum property and becomes a Labour MP.