William Claude Rains (Clapham, Londres, 10 de novembre de 1889 - Laconia, Nou Hampshire, 30 de maig de 1967) va ser un actor anglès. Se'l pot considerar com el clar exemple dels anomenats "actors secundaris", dels que sovint es recorda el rostre però no el nom, i que són part imprescindible de qualsevol pel·lícula, sovint eclipsant els actors protagonistes. Com va succeir amb altres actors de caràcter (el cas paradigmàtic seria Thelma Ritter), va ser proposat quatre vegades a l'Oscar però mai no el va guanyar.

Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 47 years; he later held American citizenship. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man (1933), a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and, perhaps his most famous performance, Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942).

Rains was born William Claude Rains in Camberwell, London on November 10, 1889. He grew up, according to his daughter, with "a very serious cockney accent and a speech impediment". His father was British stage actor Frederick Rains, and the young Rains made his stage debut at 11 in Nell of Old Drury.

His acting talents were recognised by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, founder of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Tree paid for the elocution lessons Rains needed in order to succeed as an actor. Later, Rains taught at the institution, teaching John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, among others.

Rains served in the First World War in the London Scottish Regiment, with fellow actors Basil Rathbone, Ronald Colman and Herbert Marshall. Rains was involved in a gas attack that left him nearly blind in one eye for the rest of his life. However, the war did aid his social advancement and, by its end, he had risen from the rank of Private to Captain.

Rains began his career in the London theatre, having a success in the title role of John Drinkwater's play Ulysses S. Grant, the follow-up to the playwright's major hit Abraham Lincoln, and traveled to Broadway in the late 1920s to act in leading roles in such plays as Shaw's The Apple Cart and in the dramatizations of The Constant Nymph, and Pearl S. Buck's novel The Good Earth, as a Chinese farmer.

Rains came relatively late to film acting and his first screen test was a failure, but his distinctive voice won him the title role in James Whale's The Invisible Man (1933) when someone accidentally overheard his screen test being played in the next room. Rains later credited director Michael Curtiz with teaching him the more understated requirements of film acting, or "what not to do in front of a camera".

William Claude Rains (* 10. November 1889 in London, England; † 30. Mai 1967 in Laconia, New Hampshire) war ein britischer Theater- und Filmschauspieler. Nach der Titelrolle in dem Horrorfilm Der Unsichtbare (1933) zählte er in den nächsten Jahrzehnten zu Hollywoods anerkanntesten Nebendarstellern. Häufig in intelligenten und charmanten Schurkenrollen eingesetzt, war er insgesamt viermal für einen Oscar nominiert. Weltberühmt wurde er als Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942), daneben spielte Rains in weiteren Klassikern wie Die Abenteuer des Robin Hood, Mr. Smith geht nach Washington, Berüchtigt und Lawrence von Arabien.

William Claude Rains (Londres, 10 de novembro de 1889 - Laconia, New Hampshire, 30 de maio de 1967) foi um ator britânico nascido na Inglaterra e naturalizado estadunidense. Sua carreira é vista como uma das mais brilhantes do cinema anglófono, interpretando papéis essenciais em alguns dos maiores e mais importantes filmes da indústria cinematográfica. Foi vencedor de um prêmio Tony, nomeado a quatro Oscars e selecionado pelo The Daily Telegraph como um dos 50 maiores atores da Era de Ouro de Hollywood. Seu primeiro papel em Hollywood foi em 1933, no filme O Homem Invisível, onde apenas sua voz marcante era ouvida e a sua face foi vista apenas ao final do filme.