[2] As a teenager, he saw the film Rebel Without a Cause, which motivated him to pursue acting as a way to channel the loneliness and grief he felt over his home life.

[1] In 1972, Rachins put his acting career on hold when he was accepted as a fellow in the writing and directing programs at the American Film Institute.

[8] Despite these successes as a writer and director, Rachins returned to his acting career with a leading role in Henry Jaglom's independent film, Always.

His later theatre appearances included the world premiere of Arthur Laurents' Attacks of the Heart at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

He took the role of "Albin" in La Cage Aux Folles at the Jupiter Theater,[3] was seen in Love Letters with Swoosie Kurtz at Beverly Hills' Coronet Theatre, and starred in a revival of Promises, Promises with Jason Alexander, Jean Smart, and Alan Thicke at the Freud Theatre in Los Angeles.