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Alan Rickman

Acting 69 (deceased) years old Acton, London, England, UK ★ 3.4
Born: February 21, 1946
Died: January 14, 2016

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

Acting Credits (88)

Here We Are Kings: The Making of 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'
Here We Are Kings: The Making of 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' Self (archive footage) 2022
The Movies That Made Us
The Movies That Made Us Hans Gruber (archive footage) 2019
Alice Through the Looking Glass
Alice Through the Looking Glass Absolem / Caterpillar (voice) 2016
Eye in the Sky
Eye in the Sky Lieutenant General Frank Benson 2015
A Little Chaos
A Little Chaos King Louis XIV 2015
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film
Richard Attenborough: A Life in Film Self 2014
Dust
Dust Todd 2013
CBGB
CBGB Hilly Kristal 2013
Muse of Fire
Muse of Fire Self 2013
A Promise
A Promise Karl Hoffmeister 2013
The Butler
The Butler Ronald Reagan 2013
Falls the Shadow:  The Life and Times of Athol Fugard
Falls the Shadow: The Life and Times of Athol Fugard Self 2012
BAM150
BAM150 Self 2012
Gambit
Gambit Lionel Shahbandar 2012
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Severus Snape 2011
The Boy in the Bubble
The Boy in the Bubble The Storyteller (voice) 2011
Portraits in Dramatic Time
Portraits in Dramatic Time 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Severus Snape 2010
The Song of Lunch
The Song of Lunch He 2010
The Wildest Dream
The Wildest Dream Noel Odell (voice) 2010
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland Absolem / Caterpillar (voice) 2010
Harold Pinter:  A Celebration
Harold Pinter: A Celebration Self 2010
Sonnet Number 12
Sonnet Number 12 (voice) 2009
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Severus Snape 2009
Bottle Shock
Bottle Shock Steven Spurrier 2008
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Burton + Carter + Depp = Todd Self 2008
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Judge Turpin 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Severus Snape 2007
Nobel Son
Nobel Son Eli Michaelson 2007
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Richis 2006
Snow Cake
Snow Cake Alex Hughes 2006
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Severus Snape 2005
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Marvin (voice) 2005
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson Other Voices (voice) 2004
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter
The Magic Touch of Harry Potter Self 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Severus Snape 2004
Something the Lord Made
Something the Lord Made Dr. Alfred Blalock 2004
Love Actually
Love Actually Harry 2003
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Severus Snape 2002
Judge Not: In Defense of Dogma
Judge Not: In Defense of Dogma Self 2002
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Severus Snape 2001
The Search for John Gissing
The Search for John Gissing John Gissing 2001
Play
Play Man 2001
Blow Dry
Blow Dry Phil Allen 2001
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings
Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings Captain George Fallon 2000
Babitsky's War
Babitsky's War Narrator 2000
Dark Harbor
Dark Harbor David Weinberg 1999
Galaxy Quest
Galaxy Quest Alexander Dane 1999
Dogma
Dogma Metatron 1999
The Directors
The Directors Self 1999
Judas Kiss
Judas Kiss Detective David Friedman 1998
The Winter Guest
The Winter Guest Man in street 1997
King of the Hill
King of the Hill King Philip (voice) 1997
Michael Collins
Michael Collins Eamon de Valera 1996
Rasputin
Rasputin Grigori Rasputin 1996
Lumière & Company
Lumière & Company (segment "John Boorman") 1995
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility Colonel Christopher Brandon 1995
Die Hard: With a Vengeance
Die Hard: With a Vengeance Hans Gruber (archive footage) (uncredited) 1995
An Awfully Big Adventure
An Awfully Big Adventure P.L. O'Hara 1995
Mesmer
Mesmer Franz Anton Mesmer 1994
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien Self - Guest 1993
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels Dwight Billings 1993
Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast
Victoria Wood's All Day Breakfast 1992
Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts Lukas Hart III 1992
Close My Eyes
Close My Eyes Sinclair 1991
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves Sheriff of Nottingham 1991
Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie
Robin Hood: The Myth, the Man, the Movie Self 1991
Truly Madly Deeply
Truly Madly Deeply Jamie 1991
Closet Land
Closet Land Interrogator 1991
Quigley Down Under
Quigley Down Under Elliott Marston 1990
Revolutionary Witness
Revolutionary Witness Jacques Roux 1989
The Spirit of Man
The Spirit of Man Israel Yates 1989
7 Deadly Sins: Stage Acting
7 Deadly Sins: Stage Acting Narrator (voice) 1989
The January Man
The January Man Ed 1989
Benefactors
Benefactors 1989
Die Hard
Die Hard Hans Gruber 1988
Girls On Top
Girls On Top Dimitri / Voice of RADA(voice) 1985
Pity in History
Pity in History Croop 1985
Wetherby
Wetherby TV Commentator (archival footage) 1985
Busted
Busted Simon 1983
The Barchester Chronicles
The Barchester Chronicles Obadiah Slope 1982
Smiley's People
Smiley's People Mr Brownlow 1982
Therese Raquin
Therese Raquin Vidal 1980
Shelley
Shelley 1979
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet Tybalt 1978
The Hollywood Greats
The Hollywood Greats 1977
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards Self - Presenter 1944
Golden Globe Awards
Golden Globe Awards Self - Winner 1944

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