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William Claude Rains, the first film actor to earn a million dollars for a part, was born on November 10, 1889, in London, England, to Frederick and Emily Eliza Cox Rains and was referred to by his family as "Willie." During Rains' youth, his father transitioned from one temporary job to the next, requiring the family to move often and live on a tight budget. At times, Rains' mother would even host boarders to make ends meet. In 1898, a local minstrel solicited parental permission for their children playing in the streets to appear in the background of his music hall act. This provided Rains his first experience on stage, which he found thrilling and would always remember.

Rains struggled with his speech in his youth, hardly talking at home, teased by classmates, and even scolded by his father, who was also a physically abusive man. With daydreams of escaping to a better life, Rains began cutting school to work as a news vendor at a W. H. Smith store. From there he took notice of a passerby that was his age own yet dressed in fine clothes. Rains soon discovered that the boy was a member of the Farm Street Church choir and literally walked away from his vending job to join the group. Despite having to return to school regularly after his playing hooky was discovered, Rains continued to be a choir member, which led to his participation in the play "Sweet Nell of Old Drury" at the Haymarket Theatre in 1900. Rains was 11 years-old at the time, and his choirmaster, Alfred Bellew, continued to book Rains for performances.

With money troubles weighing on them, Rains' parents soon agreed to Bellew's suggestion that their son give up his formal education to pursue a lucrative career in theatre. Rains worked at the Duke of York's Theatre performing in plays, and then as a call and page boy at His Majesty's Theatre, where he was mentored by one of England's leading actor-manager's, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, and Tree's associate, Walter Crichton. By 1910, at age 21, Rains had

British actor (1889–1967)

For the Heroes character, see Claude (Heroes).

William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was a British and American actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. He was the recipient of numerous accolades, including four Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actor, and is considered one of the screen's great character stars who played cultured villains during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

The son of a stage actor, Rains began acting on stage in his native London in the 1900s. He became a leading thespian on the West End, and an acting teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. He moved to the United States in the late 1920s and became a successful Broadway star, before making his American film debut in Dr. Jack Griffin in The Invisible Man (1933). He went on to play prominent roles in such big screen production as The Adventures of Rob