Recognise the name but can’t quite place the face?
Im talking aboutCasablanca, Now Voyager, Notorious, The Adventures of Robin Hood, andThe Invisible Man.
The actor who links them all is Claude Rains.
Sometimes he played amoral characters, or downright evil ones.
He was always utterly watchable.
A brief biography
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William Claude Rains was born in London in 1889.
He died in 1967 from an abdominal haemorrhage.
He was 77 years old.
8 of his best roles
1.
The Invisible Man (1933)
1933 was a great year for special effects.
This was Rains first US cinema role, even if you hardly see him.
It is a brilliant vocal performance, from booming hatred to squeaky lunacy.
He played Griffin with a megalomaniacal intensity that still gives me the shivers.
Rains plays Senator Paine, a good man who has had his intentions eroded.
He says so much without speaking in this role.
And its not pretty.
The direction is excellent; director Maurice Elvey is hardly remembered now but he was brilliant.
He made the most of Rains expressive face and penetrating eyes.
Theres so much thats good aboutThe Clairvoyant, but I think my favourite aspect are the personal relationships.
She may have beenKing Kongs muse, but she was better here, without having to scream once.
Notorious (1946)
Hitchcock made so many great films, but right up there at the top isNotorious.
But is his love stronger than his Third Reich sympathies?
Hes not alone in giving a great performance, though.
The Wolf Man (1941)
Poor Larry Talbot.
He returns to his ancestral home and on the first night back gets bitten by gypsy wolfman Bela Lugosi.
You and twenty million other guys, says Costello.
Now, Voyager (1942)
Bette Davis and Claude Rains made four films together.
InNow, Voyagershe plays Charlotte Vale, a dumpy spinster with enormous eyebrows and terrible shoes.
Davis obviously feels confident in the role, and her relationship with Dr Jaquith is very moving.
She returns to him when she needs help, and he grounds her once more with his practical benevolence.
Every time he shins up a rope or shoots an arrow you want to let out a resounding hurrah.
Without much screen time, hes the equal of Flynn and Rathbone.
Casablanca (1942)
World War Two.
At Ricks Bar no distinctions are made.
But then,Casablancais filled with great moments.
His timing is immaculate, and his delight at his ambiguity obvious.
Whatever genre he worked on, whatever role he played, Rains supported his co-stars so well.
He forms the foundations of so many great films.
And yet they would not have shined without him.
And none of the films on this list would be remembered as classics without his presence.
