Claude Rains was a London-born stage and screen actor who was married six times.
With a whispery baritone speaking voice and fine diction, he specialized in characterizations that were suave and sometimes sinister.
Perhaps his best remembered Hollywood role was his debut as "The Invisible Man" in 1933. He was little seen in the picture, but through movie trickery his presence was manifested, as in the appearance of his footprints progressing across the snow.
In "Mr. Skeffington," Rains portrayed Bette Davis' lover. His 30-odd films also included "Anthony Adverse," "Juarez," "King's Row," "Casablanca," "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," "Now Voyager," "Rope of Sand" and "The Lost World."
After a stage appearance at 11, Rains worked as call boy and later as stage prompter and assistant stage manager, chiefly at His Majesty's Theater.
As an actor, he went to Australia with Maeterlinck's "The Bluebird." In Sydney he scored his first hit in "You Never Can Tell."
Rains made his first U.S. appearance in "Androcles and the Lion" in Hartford, Conn.
His post World War I London stage career included appearances in "Reparation," "Julius Caesar" and "Man of Destiny," in which he played Napoleon.
Returning to America, he scored on the stage in "The Constant Nymph." Succeeding plays included "The Devil's Disciple," "Darkness at Noon" and "Confidential Clerk."
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Year | Category | Work | |
---|---|---|---|
1939 | Best Supporting Actor | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Nomination |
1943 | Best Supporting Actor | Casablanca | Nomination |
1944 | Best Supporting Actor | Mr. Skeffington | Nomination |
1946 | Best Supporting Actor | Notorious | Nomination |
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