Just so all are aware, there are alot more blogs posted than what there seems. Please feel free to look at them because you might find some interesting trivia, remarks, or silly things that a fan may be interested in. Also there is a monthly movie listing posted.
Hello, all you darling people who have stumbled onto my page. I am most delighted to meet you...quite charmed. You may know me as Claude Rains but I was born William Claude Rains. However, I do prefer to be called Mr. Rains...I have just a bit of a formal heart, you see. Even though I became an American citizen in 1939, I was British born and raised. I came into this world by way of London, England on November 10th, 1889. "Born on the wrong side of the Thames," I grew up in poor family with twelve siblings in which nine of them died from poverty-related ailments.
As a young child, I was a very silent sort of boy and besides a very strong Cockney accent, I had some serious speech impediments such as stuttering and dropping my aitches (substituting W for R). Only later in life would I correct this problem out of sheer necessity in order to become an actor. Sir Herbert Beerbohm-Tree advised me on the importance of elocution and gave me money in order to by books. I practiced very hard and for quite a long time until I was able to speak properly and continue on with my trade. As for the voice that fans today seem to know and love, it came about from a gas-attack when I was serving my duty in World War One. However, it wasn't much of a blessing in the first place when considering that my vocal cords has been paralyzed. Little by little my capacity for speech returned.
And of course, my greatest role in life was being a father to my darling Jennifer born in 1938--a simply wonderful girl!
I found myself in theatre in my early days (see theatre lisitng below) and finally got my big Hollywood debut in 1933 as the invisible man. Isn't that ironic? The studios tried to typecast me as a new Karloff but I broke away from that and became a character actor which gave me much more interesting roles and opportunities. After almost a decade of hits and misses like everybody else, I was nominated for my first academy award for supporting actor in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," in which I portrayed the corrupt senator Joseph Payne. Three more nominations followed for my roles in "Casablanca" as police captian Renault , "Mr. Skeffington" as well...Mr. Skeffinton, and "Notorious" as the Nazi Alexander Sebastian. Throughout the 50's and 60's, as my age caught up with me especially in the world of Tinseltown, my roles became less and less. My final film role was as King Herod in "The Greatest Story Ever Told".
In late May 1967, I collapsed outside my New Hampshire home while in my garden and died of a severe intestinal hemorhage. The epitaph on my headstone reads: "All things once are things forever. Soul once living, lives forever."
However, before the movies I was a slave to the stage as early as a 11 years old which I worked various jobs at "His Majesty's Theatre." While being involved in bit acting roles on the London stage, I was a stage manager for some tours in Australia and the US during my early twenties. Most of my serious stage acting career took place during the 1920's until my movie career took off. After that, I only acted in stage productions every now and then. I recieved a Tony Award in 1951 for best actor in "Darkness at Noon." My other stage roles include:
1900
Sweet Nell of Old Drury: unbilled, I was only a voice in the crowd at ten years of age.
1901-1910
The Last of the Dandies:Playing one of my first feature roles as the character named Wrinkles.
1911
The God of the Mountain: I appeared as the character named Slag, a begger. I also served as Assistant stage manager here as well.
1911-1912
The Blue Bird: I was the stage manager for this productions.
You Never Can Tell: I played a character named Bohun.
1912
The Younger Generation: I was this time assistant stage manager for this production.
The Golden Doom: this was my next documented appearance, a mute role however, as a spy.
1913
The Green Cockatoo: I appeared in this one act play as a philosopher named Grasset and served as stage manager as well.
The Pretenders: A translation of the Ibsen play called Kongsemnerne in which I was assistant stage manager for. The star was Montagu Love, someone I would be associated with at Warner Brothers on many occassions.
Typhoon: I played a member of a Japanese colony in Paris named Omayi. Again, in this play, I was assistant stage manager.
1914-1915
Androcles and the Lion: the character I played was Spintho.
Iphigenia in Taurus: the character I played was as the Herdsman.
1919: post-war productions
Uncle Ned: I played the character named Mears in this comedy.
Reparation: the character I played was named Ivan Petrovich.
1920
Julius Caesar: Serving as stage manager, I also appeared as Casca in this Shakespeare play.
Uncle Ned: I reprised my role as Mears but also served as stage manager.
The Government Inspector: I could be seen as the character named Ivan Alexandrovich Klestakoff.
The Jest: My characters name was Giannetto.
Julius Caesar: I was promoted to the character named Cassius.
1921
Daniel: here I was the title character.
Polly with a Past: I was billed as "The Stranger".
A Bill of Divorcement: I appeared as the character named Hilary Fairfield.
Legion of Honour: I played the character named Laurent, le Marquis de Mortain.
Will Shakespeare: Here I played the character named Kit Marlowe.
1922
The Bat: In this three act melodrama, I was cast as Billy the Butler.
The Rumour: In December of that year, I played the character named La Rubia.
1923
The Love Habit: My character Max Quantro was the dancing partner of Rozanna Pom Pom.
The Doctor's Dilemma: I played the character named Louis Dubedat and was highly acclaimed for the portayal.
The Insect Play: I tripled as the Lepidopterist, the Chief Engineer, and the Parasite.
Robert E. Lee: The character I played was named David Peel.
1924
The Man of Destiny: I was hailed for my portrayal of Napoleon, a role I would later be recommended for in the film "Hearts Divided".
Getting Married: My character was named St. John Hotchkiss.
Low Tide: My character was a bully named Pat Donovan.
The Devil's Desciple: I was featured as Richard Dudgeon.
Misalliance: I was featured as Joey Percival.
The Philanderer: My final perfomance of 1924 was as Leonard Charteris.
1925
Home Affairs: I played Lionel D'Avencourt in this smash comedy
The Madras House: I played Eustace Perrin State in this other comedy
1926-1927
From Morn to Midnight: I was featured as the Bank Cashier
The Government Inspector: my role as Khlestakov was reprised.
The Constant Nymph: I portrayed Roberto the Butler in company my ex-wife Beatrix Thompson. However, I quit after two months but then eventually came back to play the lead role as Lewis Dodd.
1928-1929
And So To Bed: I played Samuel Pepys in this historical comedy
Marco Millions: I played Chu-Yin and first met my future wife Frances Propper who was cast as a chinese extra. (It wouldn't be for six years until I asked her to marry me though)
Camel Through the Needle's Eye: In this play I portrayed Joseph Vilim.
1930
The Apple Cart: I played Prime Minister Proteus.
1931
Miracle at Verdun: I played three roles as Heydner, a Messenger, and Belgian Prime Minister Lamparenne.
He: Here I played the Elevator Man who thought himself to be Napoleon.
1932
The Moon in the Yellow River: My part was as Dobelle
The Good Earth: I topped the billing as Wang Lung. I costarred with Sydney Greenstreet as my uncle and future director Vincent Sherman doubling as "A Stranger" and a "Young Speaker".
Peace Palace: I played Georges Clemenceau and heavily in make-up to age me.
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head: Like in my film version, I played Paul Verin. Jean Arthur played my wife Adele. However in this version, I was an asthmatic, deformed cripple, and adorned make-up...something the movie producers would ultimately leave out.
1933
American Dream: I played Ezekial Bell
1934
They Shall Not Die: Again I topped the billing as Nathan G. Rubin.
At this time, my movie career was taking off because of the "Invisible Man" that was released the previous year.
1948-1949
under constructionThe women in my life
Rosemary Clark Schrode (1960 - 31 December 1964) (her death)
Agi Jambor (4 November 1959 - 1960) (divorced)
Frances Propper (9 April 1935 - 1956) (divorced) 1 child
Beatriz Thomas (1924 - 8 April 1935) (divorced)
Marie Hemingway (1920 - 1920) (divorced)
Isabel Jeans (1913 - 1915) (divorced)
Frances Propper and Rosemary Clark Schrode were both two fine women that I loved so dearly.
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