Speaking of Claude Rains, I become a bigger fan of his with each & every of his films that I see. One of the greatest character actors of all time.
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I agree about 'Double Indemnity'...one of my absolute all-time favorites.
Combining the two thoughts above, how about Fred MacMurray as an actor? He was peerless as a "heavy", and better than average in comedic roles ("The Egg and I" as an example, not the stupid Disney movies he did later on). He was deliciously ruthless in "Double Indemnity" and quite reprehensible in "The Caine Mutiny" and "The Apartment" (two awesome movies!).
