Claude Rains

William Claude Rains was an English actor of stage and screen whose career spanned 46 years. After his American film debut with The Invisible Man he played in classic films like The Adventures of Robin Hood , Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , The Wolf Man , Casablanca , Notorious , and Lawrence of Arabia . He was a fourtime nominee for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award, but never won. Rains was considered to be one of the screens great character stars with an extraordinary voice who was, according to the AllMovie Guide, at his best when playing cultured villains.

Rains was born in Camberwell, London. According to his daughter, he grew up with a very serious Cockney accent and a speech impediment. His parents were Emily Eliza and the actor Frederick William Rains. Rains made his stage debut at the age ofin the play Nell of Old Drury.

Source: Wikipedia