Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman was a famous English actor and director who was born on 21 February 1946 in London1. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was known for his deep, languid voice and his versatile roles in theatre, film, and television.

Some of his most memorable roles include Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988), the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995), Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series (2001-2011), and Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

He also directed and starred in The Winter Guest (1997) and A Little Chaos (2014). He won several awards for his acting, including a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

He was in a long-term relationship with Rima Horton, whom he married in 20122. He died of pancreatic cancer on 14 January 2016 at age 69.

Here are some quotes by Alan Rickman:

 "And it’s a human need to be told stories. The more we’re governed by idiots and have no control over our destinies, the more we need to tell stories to each other about who we are, why we are, where we come from, and what might be possible."

"I do take my work seriously and the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously."

"I think there should be laughs in everything. Sometimes, it’s a slammed door, a pie in the face or just a recognition of our frailties."

"I don’t play villains, I play very interesting people."

"If only life could be a little more tender and art a little more robust."

"There’s a voice inside you that tells you what you should do."

"I am the character you are not supposed to like."

"Talent is an accident of genes - and a responsibility."

Alan Rickman had a remarkable life as an actor and director. Here are some more facts about his life:

- He was born in a council estate in Acton, West London, to a Welsh mother and an Irish father.

- He lost his father when he was eight years old and helped support his family by working as a dresser for Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Ralph Richardson.

- He studied graphic design at Chelsea College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art, and ran a successful design studio called Graphiti with his friends for several years.

- He met his partner Rima Horton, a former Labour Party councillor, at Chelsea College in 1965. They lived together from 1977 until his death, and secretly married in 2012.

- He decided to pursue acting as a career at the age of 26 and won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where he studied alongside Juliet Stevenson and Kenneth Branagh.

- He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1978 and played a variety of roles, including Jaques in As You Like It, Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, and the lead role in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which earned him a Tony Award nomination when it transferred to Broadway in 1987.

- He made his film debut as the charismatic villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988), opposite Bruce Willis. He was offered the role two days after arriving in Los Angeles, aged 41.

- He became one of the most popular and respected actors of his generation, working with directors such as Ang Lee, Tim Burton, Richard Curtis, Anthony Minghella, and Mike Leigh. He also directed two films: The Winter Guest (1997) and A Little Chaos (2014).

- He won many awards for his performances, including a BAFTA for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), and a Teen Choice Award for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).

- He played Severus Snape, the complex and mysterious potions master, in all eight Harry Potter films (2001-2011). He was one of the few actors who knew the character's fate before the final book was published, as J.K. Rowling had revealed it to him.

- He died of pancreatic cancer on 14 January 2016, aged 69. He had kept his illness private and continued working until his death. His final film roles were as Lieutenant General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky (2015), and as the voice of Absolem the Caterpillar in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016).