Actor

Claude Rains

November 10, 1889 · Clapham, London, England, UK

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.

Notable work

8.1
Casablanca (1943)
as Captain Louis Renault
8
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
as Mr. Dryden
7.7
Notorious (1946)
as Alexander Sebastian
7.8
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
as Joseph Paine
7.5
The Invisible Man (1933)
as Dr. Jack Griffin
7.5
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
as Prince John
7
The Wolf Man (1941)
as Sir John Talbot

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