Late in Claude Rains's distinguished career, a reverent film journalist wrote that Rains "was as much a cinematic institution as the medium itself." In Claude Rains: An Actor's Voice, noted Hollywood historian David J. Skal draws on more than thirty hours of newly-released Rains interviews to create the first full-length biography of the actor nominated multiple times for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. This portrait of a universally respected Hollywood legend also benefits from the insights of his daughter, Jessica Rains, who provides firsthand accounts of the enigmatic man behind her father's refined screen presence and genteel public persona. With unprecedented access to episodes from Rains's private life, Skal tells the full story of the consummate character actor of his generation.

About the Author
David J. Skal is the author of numerous books about film and popular culture, including Hollywood Gothic and The Monster Show. He is a frequent lecturer and talk-show guest and has produced several documentaries about Hollywood history, including documentaries about Claude Rains's The Invisible Man and Phantom of the Opera. Jessica Rains, the only child of Claude Rains, is a producer and actress whose performance credits include The Sting, Pete and Tillie, Islands in the Stream, and Portnoy's Complaint.

Reviews
"Claude Rains was a consummate actor whose remarkable life and career has been covered in fascinating detail in this book." - Kevin Brownlow, filmmaker "Most movie stars eventually are forgotten, and almost all character actors are, but the reputation of Claude Rains has survived for more than forty years since his death. David Skal's biography, written with Rains's daughter, probably will provoke even more welcome - and justified - reassessments of his gifts." - Scott Eyman, Cox News Service"



Book Information
ISBN 9780813192611
Author David J. Skal
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint The University Press of Kentucky
Publisher The University Press of Kentucky