William Claude Rains (10 November 1889 – 30 May 1967) was a highly revered British-American actor boasting a career that extended almost seven decades. He made an unforgettable American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in The Invisible Man (1933). His subsequent works included acting roles in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Wolf Man (1941), Casablanca (1942), Kings Row (1942), Notorious (1946), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Rains particularly excelled in portraying cultured villains and won a Tony Award while also being a four-time nominee for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

As a young boy growing up in the slums of London, Rains was surrounded by actors and stagehands due to his father's profession as a stage actor, which heavily influenced his early obsession with theatres. When he turned 10, he made his stage debut in the play Sweet Nell of Old Drury at the Haymarket Theatre. He slowly climbed the ladder in the theatre industry, progressing from smaller parts with good reviews to larger roles. During World War 1, he served the London Scottish Regiment, which led to suffering vocal cord damage and major vision loss in his right eye due to a gas attack. Despite his injuries, Claude Rains' passion for acting never faded. Instead, his acting talents were recognized by Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the founder of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, who assisted him in eliminating his Cockney accent and speech impediment. Owing to these improvements in his speech, Rains quickly gained recognition as one of the leading stage actors in London.