Claude Rains
Known for Acting · 86 credits
- Born
- 1889-11-10
- Died
- 1967-05-30
- Place of birth
- Clapham, London, England, UK
- Also known as
- William Claude Rains
Biography
Claude Rains 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.
Known For
TV Shows (8)
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Edward Fredericks
Naked City
1958
as John Winfield Weston
Rawhide
1959
as Alexander Longford
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948
as Self
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1955
as John Fabian / Charles Gresham / Andrew Thurgood / Father Amion / Leonard Eldridge
Playhouse 90
1956
as Judge Dan Haywood
Sam Benedict
1962
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Mr. Brink / The High Lama
Movies (78)
Casablanca
1943
as Captain Louis Renault
Lawrence of Arabia
1962
as Mr. Dryden
The Adventures of Robin Hood
1938
as Prince John
Notorious
1946
as Alexander Sebastian
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939
as Joseph Paine
The Invisible Man
1933
as Dr. Jack Griffin
The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965
as King Herod
Now, Voyager
1942
as Dr. Jaquith
The Wolf Man
1941
as Sir John Talbot
Lisbon
1956
as Aristides Mavros
Phantom of the Opera
1943
as Erique Claudin
Scrooge
1935
as Jacob Marley (voice) (uncredited)
Mr. Skeffington
1944
as Job Skeffington
The Lost World
1960
as Prof. George Edward Challenger
Moontide
1942
as Nutsy
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987
as Self (archive footage)
Juarez
1939
as Emperor Louis Napoleon III
The Sea Hawk
1940
as Don José Alvarez de Cordoba
Angel on My Shoulder
1946
as "Nick"
Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1941
as Mr. Jordan
The Horror Show
1979
as (archive footage)
The Unsuspected
1947
as Victor Grandison
Four Daughters
1938
as Adam Lemp
Caesar and Cleopatra
1945
as Julius Caesar
Passage to Marseille
1944
as Captain Freycinet
Twilight of Honor
1963
as Art Harper
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
1935
as John Jasper
Deception
1946
as Alexander Hollenius
Battle of the Worlds
1961
as Professor Benson
Sealed Cargo
1951
as Capt. Henrik Skalder
The Prince and the Pauper
1937
as Earl of Hertford
Kings Row
1942
as Alexander Tower
The Man Who Watched Trains Go By
1952
as Kees Popinga
The Passionate Friends
1949
as Howard Justin
Four Wives
1939
as Adam Lemp
The White Tower
1950
as Paul Delambre
Anthony Adverse
1936
as Marquis Don Luis
Breakdowns of 1938
1938
as Claude Rains (archive footage) (uncredited)
Breakdowns of 1942
1942
as Self
Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man'
1999
as Self (archive footage)
Rope of Sand
1949
as Arthur 'Fred' Martingale
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head
1934
as Paul Verin
Breakdowns of 1941
1941
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Four Mothers
1941
as Adam Lemp
They Made Me a Criminal
1939
as Det. Monty Phelan
Forever and a Day
1943
as Ambrose Pomfret
Blow-Ups of 1946
1946
as Self
Breakdowns of 1937
1937
as Self
Song of Surrender
1949
as Elisha Hunt
Where Danger Lives
1950
as Mr. Lannington
This Earth Is Mine
1959
as Philippe Rambeau
Stolen Holiday
1937
as Stefan Orloff
Ingrid Bergman Remembered
1996
as Self (archive footage)
Classic Movie Bloopers: Uncensored
2013
as Self (archive footage)
They Won't Forget
1937
as District Attorney Andrew J. Griffin
Gold Is Where You Find It
1938
as Colonel Ferris
Saturday's Children
1940
as Mr. Henry Halevy
Hearts Divided
1936
as Napoleon Bonaparte
Sons of Liberty
1939
as Haym Salomon
The Last Outpost
1935
as John Stevenson
The Clairvoyant
1935
as Maximus
The Opera Ghost: A Phantom Unmasked
2000
as Erique Claudin (archive footage)
Daughters Courageous
1939
as Jim Masters
Breakdowns of 1936
1936
as Self
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
1957
as Mayor of Hamelin
This Love of Ours
1945
as Joseph Targel
Halloween Monster Bash
1991
as Maximus (archive footage)
Crime Without Passion
1934
as Lee Gentry
Lady with Red Hair
1940
as David Belasco
Strange Holiday
1945
as John Stevenson
Famous Monster: Forrest J Ackerman
2007
as Self (archive footage)
White Banners
1938
as Paul Ward
Judgment at Nuremberg
1959
as Judge Dan Haywood
On Borrowed Time
1957
as Mr. Brink
The Wolfman
1966
as Sir John Talbot
Build Thy House
1920
as Clarkis
The Making of a Great Motion Picture
1936
About Claude Rains
Claude Rains 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… With 86 credits spanning from 1920 to 2013, Claude Rains has appeared in 78 films and 8 TV shows.
Fans searching for Claude Rains movies, Claude Rains filmography, or the latest projects starring Claude Rains can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Claude Rains Movies
- Casablanca (1943) — as Captain Louis Renault
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — as Mr. Dryden
- The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) — as Prince John
- Notorious (1946) — as Alexander Sebastian
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) — as Joseph Paine
Where to Watch Claude Rains Films
Most Claude Rains movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Claude Rains, check our movies catalogue and browse page.