Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman
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Alan Rickman debuted on film as the villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard 1988, a role that redefined screen villains. He went on to play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series from 2001 to 2011. Rickman won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Something the Lord Made and a Golden Globe for Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny. He died of pancreatic cancer on January 14, 2016, at age 69.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Alan Rickman — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Alan Rickman by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Alan Rickman — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Alan Rickman spent his childhood on a council estate in Acton, West London, born in 1946 to Margaret Doreen Rose Bartlett and Bernard Rickman. His father died when he was eight, and he earned a scholarship to Latymer Upper School. He studied graphic design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, meeting his future partner Rima Horton there, later earning a graduate degree from the Royal College of Art. Before acting, he ran a successful design business, Graphiti, with friends.
Die Hard 1988 marked Rickman’s film debut as Hans Gruber, a villain whose urbane menace redefined screen antagonists. He followed this with a romantic lead as the ghost Jamie in Truly Madly Deeply 1990 and as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility 1995. In 2001, he introduced a younger generation to his talent as Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, a role he reprised in seven sequels. He took on comedy in Dogma 1999 and Galaxy Quest 1999, sang as Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2007, and won an Emmy for his portrayal of Dr. Alfred Blalock in Something the Lord Made 2004.
Rickman met Rima Horton in 1965 while studying at Chelsea College of Art and Design; they were together for over 50 years before marrying in a private ceremony in New York City in 2012. He had an older brother David, a younger brother Michael, and a younger sister Sheila. He remained close friends with Ruby Wax since the 1970s and kept a career in the theatre, which he called his first love.
His portrayal of Hans Gruber earned him 46th place on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 best villains in film history. As Severus Snape, he was one of the few entrusted with the character’s secrets from J.K. Rowling before the final book. The film Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016 was dedicated to his memory. His distinctive voice and villain roles define his legacy, and his work in the Harry Potter films continues to reach new audiences.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Alan Rickman — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Alan Rickman — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Do Take My Work Seriously and the Way to Do That Is Not to Take Yourself Too Seriously.
Actors Are Agents of Change. a Film, a Piece of Theater, a Piece of Music, or a Book Can Make a Difference. It Can Change the World.
I Do Feel More Myself in America. I Can Regress There, and They Have Roller-coaster Parks.
If You Spend Any Time in Los Angeles, There’s Only One Topic of Conversation.
Los Angeles Is Not a Town Full of Airheads. There’s a Great Deal of Wonderful Energy There.
I Love America Because Whenever I Go Home – There’s Something About England and Coming from England – but as Soon as You Walk Down the Steps of the Plane, You Shrink. and You Have to Start Saying Sorry and Being Polite and Curtsying and Things Like That… America Just Lets Me Be the Klutz I Really Am.
I Approach Every Part I’m Asked to Do and Decide to Do from Exactly the Same Angle: Who Is This Person, What Does He Want, How Does He Attempt to Get It, and What Happens to Him When He Doesn’t Get It, or If He Does?
Vincent Price Also Did Comedy Tremendously Well, and Is a Tremendously Versatile Actor. and We All Know Where His Gift for Villainy Landed Him: Typed for Life. but I Do Appreciate the Likening to Him.
Not Having Had Children Has Given Me More Space to Work, I’m Sure That’s True, and When I Work, I’m Very Driven, but Otherwise I Don’t Sit Around Missing Acting.
I Love Not Knowing What I’m Going to Be Doing. I Just Enjoy Any Kind of Mad Scheme That Comes Up. I’ll Happily Spend a Day Going Round and Round on Roller Coaster Rides, the More Dangerous the Better.
I’ve Never Been Able to Plan My Life. I Just Lurch from Indecision to Indecision.
Little-known facts about Alan Rickman — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
J.K. Rowling’s first choice to play Severus Snape was Alan Rickman, as she envisioned him when writing the character, but he only landed the role after Tim Roth declined to star in Planet of the Apes 2001.
Not long after he started as Snape, Rowling told Rickman character secrets that would not be revealed until the last book, including that Snape had loved Lily Evans, which informed his performance for over seven years.
For Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1991, he twice turned down the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham before being given carte blanche to interpret the character.
His portrayal of Hans Gruber in Die Hard 1988 earned him a spot on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 best villains in film history as number 46.
For his death plunge in Die Hard, he actually dropped 20 feet onto an airbag against a green screen; director John McTiernan had to jump first to convince him.
Although a highly successful film actor, he frequently passed up film offers to return to the theater, which he called magical and his first love.
For the shot where Hans Gruber falls from the building, he was dropped by a stuntman from a 20-foot high model onto an air bag; to get a genuine surprised look, the stuntman dropped him on the count of two instead of three.
Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art RADA in London, he later became Vice-Chairman of the Academy and a member of its Artistic Advisory and Training committees.
Kevin Smith cast him in Dogma 1999 after Rickman said Chasing Amy 1997 was one of his favorite movies; his presence caused Jason Mewes to behave well, and Rickman memorized the entire screenplay.
Featured twice in Times Online’s The 50 Best Movie Villains chart: 41st for the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1991 and 10th for Hans Gruber in Die Hard 1988.
Researchers found the perfect male voice to be a combination of Rickman’s and Jeremy Irons’ voices; they played villain brothers in the Die Hard franchise.
When reading the Snow Cake 2006 screenplay, he suggested Sigourney Weaver for the role of Linda Freeman and even telephoned her to insist she read it.
He was considered for the role of Bennett in Last Action Hero 1993 but deemed too expensive; the role went to Charles Dance. Rickman later wore a T-shirt saying I’m cheaper than Alan Rickman.
During his time at RADA, he worked as a dresser for actors and was told by his acting coach that his voice sounded like it came from a drainpipe.
Had cello lessons for his role in Truly Madly Deeply 1990; while he handled the bowing hand, the left hand was provided by a real cellist behind him.
The sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016 was dedicated to his memory.
Richard Curtis’s choice to play Charles in Four Weddings and a Funeral 1994 was Rickman, but Curtis was hesitant and eventually cast Hugh Grant.
In Galaxy Quest 1999, he asked that mentions of his character being knighted be removed because he felt it was inconsistent; despite this, the character is credited as Sir Alexander Dane.
He was 11 years older than Timothy Spall, 12 years older than Adrian Rawlins and Gary Oldman, 17 years older than David Thewlis, and 21 years older than Geraldine Somerville, yet their Harry Potter characters were meant to be contemporaries.
He turned down the role of Alec Treveylan in GoldenEye 1995 because he was bored with playing villains; the role went to Sean Bean.
In summer 2015, he had a stroke which led to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer; he did not disclose it publicly until after his death.
The first film he saw was Swiss Family Robinson 1960; the film that changed his life was Robert Altman’s Nashville 1975.
Before acting, he studied graphic design and formed a successful design company, Graphiti; he also worked for the Notting Hill Herald newspaper.
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy 2005, he voiced Marvin the Paranoid Android while Warwick Davis wore the robotic suit.
He had been in a relationship with Rima Horton since 1965; they married in a private ceremony in New York in 2012.
While filming Die Hard 1988, he mimicked American accents so proficiently that a scene where Hans Gruber meets John McClane was added; his accent was generic, leading to the in-joke that he should be on television.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history at number 34 in 1995 and number 83 in 2007.
In Die Hard, he is seen firing a gun only three times because he flinched from the recoil; he also blinks just before the camera cuts in one scene.
Angela Pell wrote the role of Alex Hughes in Snow Cake 2006 with him in mind; the character was originally named Alan.
He disliked science fiction but agreed to Galaxy Quest 1999 because he loved the script.
Rickman died on January 14, 2016, one day before the second anniversary of the death of Roger Lloyd Pack, who also died from pancreatic cancer and appeared with Rickman in the Harry Potter films.
He was considered to play Captain Hook in Peter Pan 2003, but the role went to Jason Isaacs, who co-starred with him in Harry Potter.
He was voted number 19 in Empire magazine’s Greatest Living Movie Stars over 50 and number 8 on Empire Online’s list of 50 Sexiest Movie Men.
Nominated for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2002 for his performance in Private Lives.
His marriage to Rima Horton in 2012 was so secret that no one knew about it until he admitted it in 2015.
Although he played the Vicomte de Valmont on stage, he chose Die Hard over the film version Dangerous Liaisons 1988, allowing John Malkovich to take the role.
Worked with director Alfonso Cuarón twice: on Murder, Obliquely 1993 and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004.
He was named Best Stage Actor for his role in the revival of Noel Coward’s Private Lives at the Variety Club Show Business Awards in 2002.
He was an active patron of Saving Faces and honorary chairman of the International Performers’ Aid Trust, and raised funds for the Labour Party.
He auditioned for the role of Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi 1983, which went to Michael Pennington.
He was offered the role of Leonardo Leonardo in a Clerks cartoon, but declined; the role went to Alec Baldwin.
Twice nominated for Broadway’s Tony Award: for Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1987 and Private Lives 2002.
Ranked number 59 in Empire magazine’s The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Alan Rickman.
Celebrities similar to Alan Rickman — same craft, ranked by reach.
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