Actor claude rains biography

Claude Rains was not capable of giving a bad performance – nor even a mediocre one. Born in London, England on November 10, 1889, he was doomed to follow in his father’s footsteps. Dad was Frederick Rains, a great stage actor. Being around the theatre so much, young Claude made his stage debut at age 11. When he was around 23, he made a trip to New York to get involved in the theatre. He only stayed one year at that time because he needed to return to England to defend his country when World War I broke out in 1914.

While back in London, he was befriended by Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the founder of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Rains refined his acting talents and became one of the leading actors of the British stage. He also began teaching acting and had taught Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud, both of whom became acting greats in future years.

By 1927, Rains was ready to return to New York, and he did just that. He managed to star in 20 Broadway roles before he was d