Claude Rains was born in England in 1889 and became a stage actor. In 1912 he toured Australia and can be seen here as a twenty three year old playing a mature and senior lawyer. He was already a successful Broadway actor when he moved to Hollywood for a long run of stardom in major films from 1933 on. Most of the portraits of him seen on the web are of the middle aged Hollywood star of films like "Now, voyager" opposite Bette Davis. The panel still has the pinholes from when the photograph was displayed in the theatre foyers.