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Alan Rickman
Actor

Alan Rickman

21 Feb 1946Born
14 Jan 2016Died
69Age at death
79Credits

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).

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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).

Known for

Filmography

  1. TBA'89 San Francisco Earthquake.Series: Doodland
  2. 2019The Movies That Made UsSeries: Hans Gruber (archive footage) (1 episode)
  3. 2016Alice Through the Looking GlassFilm: Absolem / Caterpillar (voice)
  4. 2015Eye in the SkyFilm: Lieutenant General Frank Benson
  5. 2015Behind the Scenes of AudacityFilm: Zombies
  6. 2015A Little ChaosFilm: King Louis XIV, Director, Writer
  7. 2013DustFilm: Todd
  8. 2013CBGBFilm: Hilly Kristal
  9. 2013A PromiseFilm: Karl Hoffmeister
  10. 2013The ButlerFilm: Ronald Reagan
  11. 2012GambitFilm: Lionel Shahbandar
  12. 2011Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2Film: Severus Snape
  13. 2011The Boy in the BubbleFilm: The Storyteller (voice)
  14. 2011Portraits in Dramatic TimeFilm
  15. 2010Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1Film: Severus Snape
  16. 2010The Song of LunchFilm: He
  17. 2010The Wildest DreamFilm: Noel Odell (voice)
  18. 2010Alice in WonderlandFilm: Absolem / Caterpillar (voice)
  19. 2009Sonnet Number 12Film: (voice)
  20. 2009Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceFilm: Severus Snape
  21. 2008Bottle ShockFilm: Steven Spurrier
  22. 2007Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet StreetFilm: Judge Turpin
  23. 2007Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixFilm: Severus Snape
  24. 2007Nobel SonFilm: Eli Michaelson
  25. 2006Perfume: The Story of a MurdererFilm: Richis
  26. 2006Snow CakeFilm: Alex Hughes
  27. 2005Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireFilm: Severus Snape
  28. 2005The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyFilm: Marvin (voice)
  29. 2004Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack JohnsonFilm: Other Voices (voice)
  30. 2004Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanFilm: Severus Snape
  31. 2004Something the Lord MadeFilm: Dr. Alfred Blalock
  32. 2003Love ActuallyFilm: Harry
  33. 2002Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsFilm: Severus Snape
  34. 2001Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneFilm: Severus Snape
  35. 2001The Search for John GissingFilm: John Gissing
  36. 2001PlayFilm: Man
  37. 2001Blow DryFilm: Phil Allen
  38. 2000Victoria Wood with All the TrimmingsFilm: Captain George Fallon
  39. 2000Babitsky's WarFilm: Narrator
  40. 1999Dark HarborFilm: David Weinberg
  41. 1999Galaxy QuestFilm: Alexander Dane
  42. 1999DogmaFilm: Metatron
  43. 1998Judas KissFilm: Detective David Friedman
  44. 1997The Winter GuestFilm: Man in street, Director, Writer
  45. 1997King of the HillSeries: King Philip (voice) (1 episode)
  46. 1996Michael CollinsFilm: Eamon de Valera
  47. 1996RasputinFilm: Grigori Rasputin
  48. 1995Lumière & CompanyFilm: (segment "John Boorman")
  49. 1995Sense and SensibilityFilm: Colonel Christopher Brandon
  50. 1995Bowling AlleyFilm: Bowling Pin #1
  51. 1995Die Hard: With a VengeanceFilm: Hans Gruber (archive footage) (uncredited)
  52. 1995An Awfully Big AdventureFilm: P.L. O'Hara
  53. 1994MesmerFilm: Franz Anton Mesmer
  54. 1993Fallen AngelsSeries: Dwight Billings (1 episode)
  55. 1992Victoria Wood's All Day BreakfastFilm
  56. 1992Bob RobertsFilm: Lukas Hart III
  57. 1991Close My EyesFilm: Sinclair
  58. 1991Robin Hood: Prince of ThievesFilm: Sheriff of Nottingham
  59. 1991Truly Madly DeeplyFilm: Jamie
  60. 1991Closet LandFilm: Interrogator
  61. 1990Quigley Down UnderFilm: Elliott Marston
  62. 1989Revolutionary WitnessFilm: Jacques Roux
  63. 1989The Spirit of ManFilm: Israel Yates
  64. 19897 Deadly Sins: Stage ActingFilm: Narrator (voice), Writer
  65. 1989The January ManFilm: Ed
  66. 1989BenefactorsFilm
  67. 1988Die HardFilm: Hans Gruber
  68. 1986ScreenPlaySeries: Israel Yates (1 episode)
  69. 1985Girls On TopSeries: Dimitri / Voice of RADA(voice) (2 episodes)
  70. 1985Pity in HistoryFilm: Croop
  71. 1985WetherbyFilm: TV Commentator (archival footage)
  72. 1983BustedFilm: Simon
  73. 1982The Barchester ChroniclesSeries: Obadiah Slope (5 episodes)
  74. 1982Smiley's PeopleSeries: Mr Brownlow (1 episode)
  75. 1980Therese RaquinSeries: Vidal (3 episodes)
  76. 1979ShelleySeries (1 episode)
  77. 1978Romeo and JulietFilm: Tybalt
  78. 1978The BBC Television ShakespeareSeries: Tybalt (1 episode)
  79. 1977The Hollywood GreatsSeries (1 episode)

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.