Alan Rickman
Born: 1946-02-21 in Acton, London, England, UK
Died: 2016-01-14
Known For: Acting
Biography
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (February 21, 1946 – January 14, 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), performing in modern and classical theatre productions. He played the Vicomte de Valmont in the RSC stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985, and after the production transferred to the West End in 1986 and Broadway in 1987, he was nominated for a Tony Award. Rickman's first cinema role came when he was cast as the German terrorist leader Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988). He also appeared as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), for which he received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role; Elliott Marston in Quigley Down Under (1990); Jamie in Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991); Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995); Eamon DeValera in Michael Collins (1997); Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest (1999); Metatron in Dogma (1999); Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series (2001–2011); Harry in Love Actually (2003); Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005); and Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Rickman made his television acting debut playing Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (1978) as part of the BBC's Shakespeare series. His breakthrough role was in the BBC television adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles (1982). He later starred in television films, playing the title character in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), which won him a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, and Alfred Blalock in Something the Lord Made (2004). Rickman died of pancreatic cancer on 14 January 2016 at age 69. His final film roles were as Lieutenant General Frank Benson in the thriller Eye in the Sky (2015), and reprising his role as the voice of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland (2010) in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).
Filmography
2022
- Here We Are Kings: The Making of 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' as Self (archive footage)
2019
- The Movies That Made Us as Hans Gruber (archive footage)
2016
- Alice Through the Looking Glass as Absolem / Caterpillar (voice)
- The Limehouse Golem ... (In Memory Of)
- National Theatre Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses ... (In Memory Of)
2015
- Eye in the Sky as Lieutenant General Frank Benson
- A Little Chaos as King Louis XIV
2014
2013
- The Butler as Ronald Reagan
- A Promise as Karl Hoffmeister
- CBGB as Hilly Kristal
- Muse of Fire as Self
- Dust as Todd
2012
- Gambit as Lionel Shahbandar
- Falls the Shadow: The Life and Times of Athol Fugard as Self
- BAM150 as Self
2011
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 as Severus Snape
- Portraits in Dramatic Time
- The Boy in the Bubble as The Storyteller (voice)
2010
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Severus Snape
- Alice in Wonderland as Absolem / Caterpillar (voice)
- The Wildest Dream as Noel Odell (voice)
- Harold Pinter: A Celebration as Self
- The Song of Lunch as He
2009
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince as Severus Snape
- Sonnet Number 12 as (voice)
2008
- Bottle Shock as Steven Spurrier
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd as Self
2007
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Severus Snape
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Judge Turpin
- Nobel Son as Eli Michaelson
2006
- Perfume: The Story of a Murderer as Richis
- Snow Cake as Alex Hughes
2005
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Severus Snape
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as Marvin (voice)
2004
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban as Severus Snape
- Something the Lord Made as Dr. Alfred Blalock
- Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson as Other Voices (voice)
- The Magic Touch of Harry Potter as Self
2003
- Love Actually as Harry
- Check the Gate: Putting Beckett on Film as Self - M
2002
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as Severus Snape
- Judge Not: In Defense of Dogma as Self
2001
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as Severus Snape
- Blow Dry as Phil Allen
- Play as Man
- The Search for John Gissing as John Gissing
2000
- Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings as Captain George Fallon
- Babitsky's War as Narrator
1999
- The Directors as Self
- Dogma as Metatron
- Galaxy Quest as Alexander Dane
- Dark Harbor as David Weinberg
1998
- Judas Kiss as Detective David Friedman
1997
- King of the Hill as King Philip (voice)
- The Winter Guest as Man in street
1996
- Michael Collins as Eamon de Valera
- Rasputin as Grigori Rasputin
1995
- Sense and Sensibility as Colonel Christopher Brandon
- Die Hard: With a Vengeance as Hans Gruber (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Lumière & Company as (segment "John Boorman")
- An Awfully Big Adventure as P.L. O'Hara
1994
- Mesmer as Franz Anton Mesmer
1993
- Late Night with Conan O'Brien as Self - Guest
- Fallen Angels as Dwight Billings
1992
- Bob Roberts as Lukas Hart III
- Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast
1991
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as Sheriff of Nottingham
- Close My Eyes as Sinclair
- Truly Madly Deeply as Jamie
- Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie as Self
- Closet Land as Interrogator
1990
- Quigley Down Under as Elliott Marston
1989
- The January Man as Ed
- 7 Deadly Sins: Stage Acting as Narrator (voice)
- The Spirit of Man as Israel Yates
- Benefactors
- Revolutionary Witness as Jacques Roux
1988
- Die Hard as Hans Gruber
1985
- Girls On Top as Dimitri / Voice of RADA(voice)
- Wetherby as TV Commentator (archival footage)
- Pity in History as Croop
1983
- Busted as Simon
1982
- Smiley's People as Mr Brownlow
- The Barchester Chronicles as Obadiah Slope
1980
- Therese Raquin as Vidal
1979
1978
- Romeo and Juliet as Tybalt
1977
1956
- Tony Awards as Self - Nominee / Performer
1944
- Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter