Screen Legends Codexery

Claude Rains

One of the screen's great character stars who played cultured villains during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

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He received four Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor and is regarded as a great character star of Hollywood's Golden Age.[1] Born on 10 November 1889, William Claude Rains performed as a character actor for both British and American cinema over a span of roughly seven decades.[1] For his film industry contributions, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was awarded to him in 1960.[2]

Key facts and history

Rains was born on 10 November 1889 in Clapham, London, to stage actor Frederick William Rains and Emily Eliza Cox.[3] He moved to the United States in 1912 for New York theatre opportunities.[4] Returning to England at the outbreak of World War I, he was commissioned into the London Scottish regiment.[4] He continued serving, rising to temporary captain in the Bedfordshire Regiment.[4]

He signed a long-term contract with Warner Bros. on 27 November 1935.[5] Out of twelve siblings born to his parents, only four lived past infancy.[3] During November 1916 at Vimy, a gas attack caused Rains to permanently lose 90% of his right eye's vision and also harmed his vocal cords.[4][6] At age 77, on 30 May 1967, he passed away due to cirrhosis of the liver.[7]

What the cited sources add

A British Film Institute account notes that Rains was the son of actor Fred Rains and married six times, with Isabel Jeans as the first wife.[8] The same source states his first film appearance was in the British silent Build Thy House (1920).[8] A 2018 British Film Institute article reports that the gas at Vimy Ridge created the distinctive huskiness in his voice that helped him become a cultured Hollywood villain.[6] That article also confirms he served alongside fellow actors Ronald Colman, Cedric Hardwicke, Herbert Marshall, and Basil Rathbone in the London Scottish Regiment.[6]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Claude Rains" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Erickson, "Claude Rains", The New York Times, 5 March 2016; McFarlane, "Rains, Claude (1889-1967)", British Film Institute (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Claude Rains" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Chad, "Claude Rains", Hollywood Walk of Fame, 2019-10-25 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Claude Rains" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rains, (William) Claude (1889–1967)"; Wise, "International Stars at War", Naval Institute Press, 2002; Soister, p. 1 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Claude Rains" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Welcome to The London Scottish Regiment Website", London Scottish Regt; Hastings, "Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914", William Collins, 2013, p. 486; Parkinson, "Roll of honour: 15 movie legends who served in the First World War", British Film Institute, 7 November 2018; The London Gazette, Supplement 30074, 15 May 1917, p. 4783; The London Gazette, Supplement 30685, 14 May 1918, p. 5831; Parkinson, "Roll of honour: 15 movie legends who served in the First World War", British Film Institute, 7 November 2018; The London Gazette, Supplem en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Claude Rains" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: David J. Skal, with Jessica Rains Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice, Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2008, pp. 61-62 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Parkinson, "Roll of honour: 15 movie legends who served in the First World War", British Film Institute, 7 November 2018. facts only, no text reused. bfi.org.uk
  7. Wikipedia, "Claude Rains" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Claude Rains, Film Star, Dead; Began Career on London Stage; 'Caesar and Cleopatra' and the Invisible Man' Were Among Actor's Hits", The New York Times, 31 May 1967; "Rains was never a minor character", Los Angeles Times, 20 November 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. McFarlane, "Rains, Claude (1889-1967)", British Film Institute. facts only, no text reused. screenonline.org.uk

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Claude Rains (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Test yourself

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1. In what year was Claude Rains born?

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Not quite. The answer is 1889.

2. In what year did Claude Rains die?

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Not quite. The answer is 1967.

3. In which place was Claude Rains born?

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Not quite. The answer is London, England.

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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