| November 10, 1889 | William Claude Rains is born in London, England |
| August 31, 1900 | Stage debut as choir boy Sweet Nell Of Old Drury |
| 1900-c.1907 | worked at various jobs at "His Majesty's Theatre" |
| June 28, 1911 | first adult acting experience as Slag in Gods Of The Mountain |
| Late 1911 | toured Australia as stage manager for The Blue Bird |
| 1912 | returned to London; bit acting roles |
| 1913 | married Isabel Jeans |
| c.1914 | toured US with Harley Granville Barker's repertory company as stage manager |
| c.1914-1915 | American stage debut as Spintho in Androcles And The Lion |
| 1915 | divorces Isabel Jeans |
| 1915 | returns to England because of WWI; enlists in Scottish regiment |
| c. 1915-18 | gassed at Vimy Ridge; transferred to Bedford regiment |
| c. 1918-19 | in Henry Ainley's play companies |
| c. 1919-20 | Everyman company in Hampstead, England |
| 1919 | achieves rank of captain |
| 1920 | marries Marie Hemingway; divorces her later in the year |
| 192? | play The Man Of Destiny |
| 192? | play The Doctor's Dilemma |
| 1920 | play The Government Inspector |
| 1920 | movie Build Thy House |
| c.1922 | instructor at the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art |
| 192? | play (as director) The Living Corpse |
| 192? | play Reparation |
| 192? | play Julius Caesar |
| 192? | play The Jest |
| 192? | play The Inspector General |
| 192? | play A Bill Of Divorcement |
| 192? | play The Rivals |
| 1923 | play The Insect Play |
| 1923 | play Robert E. Lee |
| 1924 | marries Beatrix Thomson |
| 1926 | tours America with Beatrix in play The Constant Nymph |
| 1927? | Beatrix returns to England, Claude stays in America. Marriage ends in divorce in 1935 |
| c. 1927 | Claude has season in Hartford, Connecticut and some Broadway roles |
| July, 1928 | CR chosen for title role by Theatre Guild in Volpone |
| 1928-1933 | five year contract with Theatre Guild; plays Marco Millions, The Good Earth, The Apple Cart, The Moon In The Yellow River, Too True To Be Good |
| 1933 | puts down payment on NJ farm when Theatre Guild has no suitable role |
| 1933 | first movie screen test A Bill Of Divorcement |
| 1933 | movie The Invisible Man |
| 1934 | play They Shall Not Die |
| 1934 | movie Crime Without Passion |
| 1934 | movie The Clairvoyant |
| April, 1935 | marries Frances Propper |
| 1934 | movie The Man Who Reclaimed His Head |
| 1935 | movie The Last Outpost |
| 1935 | movie The Mystery Of Edwin Drood |
| 1936 | movie Stolen Holiday |
| 1935 | movie Hearts Divided |
| 1936 | movie Anthony Adverse |
| 1937 | movie They Won't Forget |
| 1937 | movie The Prince And The Pauper |
| 1938 | daughter Jessica (nee Jennifer) born |
| 1938 | Claude becomes U.S. citizen |
| 1938 | movie White Banners |
| 1938 | movie Gold Is Where You Find It |
| 1938 | movie The Adventures Of Robin Hood |
| 1938 | movie Four Daughters |
| 1939 | movie Sons Of Liberty |
| 1939 | movie They Made Me A Criminal |
| 1939 | movie Juarez |
| 1939 | movie Daughters Courageous |
| 1939 | movie Mr. Smith Goes To Washington |
| 1939 | movie Four Wives |
| 1940 | movie The Sea Hawk |
| 1940 | movie Saturday's Children |
| 1940 | movie The Lady With Red Hair |
| 1941 | movie Four Mothers |
| 1941 | movie Here Comes Mr. Jordan |
| 1941 | movie The Wolf Man |
| 1942 | movie Moontide |
| 1942 | movie Kings Row |
| 1942 | movie Now, Voyager |
| June 4, 1942 | CR reports on set of Casablanca |
| 1942 | movie Casablanca |
| 1943 | movie Phantom Of The Opera |
| 1943 | movie Forever And A Day |
| 1944 | movie Passage To Marseilles |
| 1944 | movie Mr. Skeffington |
| 1945 | movie This Love Of Ours |
| 1946 | movie Notorious |
| 1946 | movie Caesar And Cleopatra |
| 1946 | movie Angel On My Shoulder |
| 1946 | movie Deception |
| 1946 | movie Strange Holiday |
| 1947 | movie The Unsuspected |
| 1949 | movie The Passionate Friends |
| 1949 | movie Rope Of Sand |
| 1949 | movie Song Of Surrender |
| April 19, 1949 | concert (spoken lines) A Lincoln Portrait |
| 1950 | movie The White Tower |
| 1950 | movie Where Danger Lives |
| 1951 | movie Sealed Cargo |
| 1951 | play Darness At Noon |
| 1951 | NY Drama Critics' Circle Award Darkness At Noon best play |
| 1951 | Tony Award Darkness At Noon best actor, best play |
| 1952 | play Jezebel's Husband |
| 1953 | movie The Man Who Watched Trains Go By |
| August 1, 1953 | TV Medallion Theatre "The Man Who Liked Dickens" (1953) |
| 1954 | play The Confidential Clerk |
| 1955 | TV Kraft Theatre "A Night To Remember" |
| 1956 | divorces Frances Propper |
| 1956 | movie Lisbon |
| 1956 | TV The Kaiser Aluminum Hour |
| February 12, 1956 | TV Alfred Hitchcock Presents "And So Died Riabouchinska" |
| May 13, 1956 | TV The Alcoa Hour "The President" |
| 1957 | TV/movie The Pied Piper Of Hamelin |
| March 10, 1957 | TV Alfred Hitchcock Presents "The Cream Of The Jest" |
| 1959 | marries Agi Jambor; divorces her later that year |
| 1959 | movie This Earth Is Mine |
| February 22, 1959 | TV Alfred Hitchcock Presents "The Diamond Necklace" |
| 1960 | movie The Lost World |
| November 9, 1960 | TV Naked CIty "To Walk In Silence |
| c. 1960-61 | marries Rosemary McGroarty Clark |
| 1961 | movie Battle Of The Worlds |
| March 14, 1961 | TV Alfred Hitchcock Presents "The Horseplayer" |
| 1962 | movie Lawrence Of Arabia |
| January 16, 1962 | TV Alfred Hitchcock Presents "The Door Without A Key" |
| January 21, 1962 | TV Wagon Train "The Daniel Clay Story" |
| 1963 | movie Twilight Of Honor |
| February 8, 1963 | TV Rawhide "Incident of Judgment Day" |
| 1964 | TV Dr. Kildare "Why Won't Anybody Listen?" |
| 1965 | movie The Greatest Story Ever Told |
| 1965 | play So Much Of Earth, So Much Of Heaven |
| May 30, 1967 | Claude Rains dies at age 77 |
| Please email me if you have any information to contribute to CR's time line; especially dates or corrections |
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