Claude Rains was an English actor.
Biography[]
Born in Camberwell, London, Rains studied at RADA and was mentored by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree before serving in the First World War and later acting on stage in both London and Broadway, playing roles in such productions as Ulysses S. Grant and The Apple Cart. After a brief screen debut in 1920 Rains made his first notable screen role in The Invisible Man as Dr. Jack Griffin.
Rains played a number of notable screen roles, often as villains (such as in The Adventures of Robin Hood and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), though he also played charming rogues such as Captain Renault in Casablanca and benevolent roles in Now, Voyager. He was the first actor to receive a million dollar salary, as Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra.
Rains passed away in 1967.
Singing[]
Rains made his first singing appearance in his famous (and second) role, as The Invisible Man, briefly singing "Here We Go Gathering Nuts in May" and "Pop Goes the Weasel." His second (and more prominent) came with The Pied Piper of Hamelin in which he played the devious Mayor.
Film[]
The Invisible Man (1933)[]
- Here We Go Gathering Nuts in May (solo)
- Pop Goes the Weasel (solo)
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957)[]
- Prestige (contains solo lines)
Gallery[]
