Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice (Screen Classics) - Tapa dura

0;[Claude Rains] was witty, amusing, and beautiful. And thoroughly enchanting to be with. And brilliant.1;--Bette Davis 0;[Claude Rains] was perfect. There7;s a very small group of actors who seemingly never made a mistake: Walter Huston, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, and Claude Rains.1;--Roddy McDowall "[Claude Rains] was witty, amusing, and beautiful. And thoroughly enchanting to be with. And brilliant."--Bette Davis "[Claude Rains] was perfect. There's a very small group of actors who seemingly never made a mistake: Walter Huston, Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, and Claude Rains."--Roddy McDowall Most movie stars eventually are forgotten, and almost all character actors are, but the reputation of Claude Rains has survived for more than 40 years since his death. David Skal's biography, written with Rains' daughter, probably will provoke even more welcome-and justified-reassessments of his gifts. -- Scott Eyman "Cox News Service" This highly readable biography, written with the help of his daughter, Jessica Rains, reveals the witty, talented man behind this universally respected Hollywood legend. -- Larry Cox "Tucson Citizen"

Born into the English working class, Claude Rains (1889-1967) overcame a severe speech impediment to become a fixture of the London theater scene. Rains' personal life was as dramatic as his work on stage: to end his second marriage while masking his wife's alcoholism, he staged an episode of infidelity, though the ensuing scandal made it difficult for him to find work. In 1926 he immigrated to America where, despite what Rains described as 'the worst screen test of all time', he was hired by director James Whale to play the title role in an adaptation of H. G. Wells' "The Invisible Man", a tour-de-force depending completely on his vocal skills. In "Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice", noted author David J. Skal illustrates how Rains' talents were well suited to Hollywood's studio system, allowing him to become one of cinema's best known character actors. He lent his commanding presence to such landmark films as "Casablanca", "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", "Notorious", and "Lawrence of Arabia" and was nominated for four Academy Awards. Bette Davis considered him her favorite acting partner. Drawing on over thirty hours of newly released audio interviews with Rains and enriched by daughter Jessica Rains' contributions, "Claude Rains" is an intimate portrait and the first full biography of this gifted actor.