Although he had played the single supporting role in the silent, Build Thy House (1920),[1] Rains came relatively late to film acting. With his smooth distinguished voice he could portray a wide variety of roles, ranging from villains to sympathetic gentlemen. This was acting as it should be: flexible, self-effacing, yet so often, at the movies end, enigmatic in ways that abide in memory. "He grew up in the slums of London," his daughter Jessica told the audience at a special screening of one of his films in 2012. Rains filmed some 21 movies in the 1930s, 24 in the 1940s, seven in the 1950s and six in the 1960s, an amazing cadre of performances in celluloid cinematography. British Actor Claude Rains was born William Claude Rains on 10th November, 1889 in Camberwell, London, England, UK and passed away on 30th May 1967 Laconia, New Hampshire, USA aged 77. Claude Rains may have played the Invisible Man but he was anything but invisible in Hollywood. 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. His fifth wife, Agi, was a widow who had lost her husband in 1949. "I remember going to my local libraries to see if there was anything written about my dad," she said of her father, Hollywood legend Claude Rains. Born January 24, 1938 Showcase yourself on IMDbPro Add to list More at IMDbPro Contact info Agent info Photos Known for Sleeper 7.1 Woman in the Mirror 1973 [3] She is the younger of two daughters of farmer Allan Lloyd (descended from the Lloyd family of Baynham Hall, who were well known for generations as bonesetters alongside their farming activities),[4][5] and his wife Sue, who trained as a dancer and then worked as a nurse. Claude Rains Net Worth Claude Rains Net Worth 2023, Age, Height, Relationships, Married, Dating, Family, Wiki Biography . Three Things to Know About Heritage Live! His acting was superb, and his eyes could say as much as his voice. That year he became an American citizen. Given his childhood speech impediments and his origins in a destitute London neighborhood, the ascent of Claude Rains to the stage and screen was remarkable. After the war, the parts got larger and he became a teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Rains was a very small man and Bergman was quite tall, so in order to shoot them in close-up together (in the key scene) the resourceful Alfred Hitchcock had a ramp installed, so as Rains approaches Bergman on camera he appears taller than his co-star. That's okay, I suppose, because a viewer learns just about everything about various aspects of his . When he finished a picture, he would quietly retreat to one of several country places he owned over his American career, which began in 1920s theater. [4] He lived in the slums of London, and, in his own words, on "the wrong side of the River Thames". Though I've been a member of discussion groups devoted to Claude Rains, read both John Soister's bio-bibliography, and Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice by David Skal and Jessica Rains (the actor's daughter), the man remains somewhat unknowable. He starred in Richard B. Sheridan's "The Rivals" on stage in 1925. He was a Tony Award-winning actor and was a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He stood at a mere 56, yet his enormous talent and immense stage presence made him a giant among his colleagues. Claude Rains starred in numerous . As of 2013, Redgrave is the only one to win. She is an actress and producer, known for Sleeper (1973), Honky Tonk Freeway (1981) and Kotch (1971). He played opposite the challenging Bette Davis in three movies through the decade and came out her equal in acting virtuosity. Many actors, blessed with such vocal facility, rely too heavily on their voices musicality (it was often Gielguds problem) to capture (overawe) our attention but give the impression that theyre acting in a movie all their own, not fully relating to fellow players. by David J. Skal and Jessica Rains. Rains invested these roles with a slight but palpable air of mystery. I've seen the location given as the Vimy Ridge and also have a recollection that Messines might be an alternative. He took her to see The Invisible Man (1933) in a small theater in Pennsylvania. Frequently Asked Questions, Ethnographic Art: American Indian, Pre-Columbian & Tribal, Modern & Contemporary, Prints & Multiples, and Urban Art, Jewelry, Timepieces and Luxury Accessories, All Jewelry, Timepieces & Luxury Accessories. We have estimated Raine portrayed Catherine Parr in Becoming Elizabeth, a historical drama featuring Elizabeth I as a teenager. Rains died of an abdominal hemorrhage . Claude found this ramp business a bit embarrassing and very funny. Claude Rains has to be considered one of the finest actors of the 20th century. I was to be one of the reps at the Sisters In Crime booth at NELA in Burlington, Vt., so the day before we went north and visited the resting place of my favorite actor, Claude Rains. Sales Date: 02/05/2010. He additionally 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. In 2011, the ivory military uniform (complete with medals) he wore as Captain Renault in Casablanca was put up for auction when noted actress and film historian Debbie Reynolds sold her collection of Hollywood costumes and memorabilia which she had amassed as a result of the 1970 MGM auction.[30]. She also praised his performances: "He was marvelous in Deception and was worth the whole thing as the picture wasn't terribly good, but he was so marvelous and the restaurant scene where he's talking about all the foodbrilliant, and of course in Mr. Skeffington he was absolutely brilliant as the husband, just brilliant. In an interview for Turner Classic Movies, Gielgud fondly remembered Rains: I learnt a great deal about acting from this gentleman. "[22] Gielgud later went on to recollect a time when he was in New York and in the audience during an event that included a focus on Bette Davis. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He had piercing dark eyes and a beautifully throaty voice, although he had, like Marlene Dietrich, some trouble with the letter 'R'. When Fanny sobs that she only married Job to help Trippy, he looks so devastated. Rains' personal life was as dramatic as his work on stage: to end his second marriage while masking his wife's alcoholism, he staged an episode of infidelity, though the ensuing scandal made it difficult for him to find work. Rains did return to New York in 1927 to begin what would be nearly 20 Broadway roles. He returned to New York City in 1927 and appeared in nearly 20 Broadway roles, in plays which included George Bernard Shaw's The Apple Cart and dramatisations of The Constant Nymph and Pearl S. Buck's novel The Good Earth (as a Chinese farmer). When the householder opened the door, the Phantom threw open his cloak and the children, dressed as gremlins, jumped out, squealing "Trick or treat!". [10] In November 1916, Rains was involved in a gas attack at Vimy, which resulted in his permanently losing 90 percent of the vision in his right eye as well as suffering vocal cord damage. He was kept very busy through the remainder of the 1930s with a mix of benign and devious historical, literary, and contemporary characters always adapting a different nuance -- from murmur to growl -- of that voice to become the person. I thought, he thinks I just stink! In her 1987 memoir, This 'N That, Bette Davis revealed that Rains (with whom she shared the screen four times in Juarez; Now, Voyager; Mr. Skeffington; and Deception) was her favorite co-star. Publicity still for Caesar and Cleopatra (1945). Jessica never went back! Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He possessed an air of nobility and became an emblem of sophistication, but he never shed the insecurities that traced back to his upbringing in an abusive and poverty-stricken family. woodlands juvenile justice centre; how are snoop dogg and brandy cousins. In Hollywood he was a supporting actor who achieved A-list stardom. Rains starred in multiple plays and productions over the course of his career, playing a variety of leading and supporting parts. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, including the title role in The Invisible Man (1933), scientists, corrupt kings,and senators in The Wolf Man (1941),The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Mr. Dryden in . Learn About Selling & Valuing Your Collection. He became a callboy, latterly a stage manager, in London theaters, where the legendary Herbert Beerbohm Tree took an interest in him -- particularly in reforming his voice. He was the firm but thoroughly sympathetic Dr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). "Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice" by David J. Skal and Jessica Rains was published in 2008. William Claude Rains was born on 10 November 1889 at 26 Tregothnan Road in Clapham, London. [2] During his lengthy career, he was greatly admired by many of his acting colleagues, such as Bette Davis, Vincent Sherman, Ronald Neame, Albert Dekker, Peter O'Toole, John Gielgud, Charles Laughton and Richard Chamberlain. That was outrageous to me. On the way up, we stopped in Concord for lunch then proceeded to the small, country cemetery . Skeffington. That says nothing of the many sympathetic father figures he played. His some 40 films during that period ranged from subtle comedy to psychological drama with a bit of horror revisited; many would be golden era classics. She is a member of famous Actress with the age 84 years old group. Discover Claude Rains's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. 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. Like most horror fans, I knew the name of Claude Rains because of his starring role in The Invisible Man (1933), as well his performances in The Wolf Man (1941), and Phantom of the Opera (1943). His longest marriage, to Frances Propper, lasted 20 years and produced his daughter. Terry Pace, an adjunct English professor at UNA who coordinated the donation, said the addition adds "so much to the study of the Golden Age of the horror genre from the 1930s and 1940s.