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Photo of Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman

Actor, Director, Writer, Producer
Born February 21, 1946Died January 14, 2016 (69 years)
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman 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).

Movies & Shows on Plex

  • Bottle Shock
  • CBGB
  • Nobel Son
  • A Promise
  • Wetherby

Known For

  • Die Hard
  • Love Actually
  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  • Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
  • Galaxy Quest
  • Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Sense and Sensibility
  • The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
  • Eye in the Sky
  • Something the Lord Made
  • Bottle Shock
  • Snow Cake
  • A Little Chaos
  • CBGB
  • Michael Collins
  • Blow Dry
  • Gambit
  • Quigley Down Under
  • The Winter Guest
  • Rasputin
  • Nobel Son
  • Truly Madly Deeply

Featured Videos

    Filmography

    2022
    Butterfly in the Sky · as Alexander Dane
    2016
    Alice Through the Looking Glass · as Absolem / Caterpillar (voice)
    2015
    Eye in the Sky · as Lieutenant General Frank Benson
    2015
    A Little Chaos: Deleted Scenes · as King Louis Xiv
    2014
    A Little Chaos · as King Louis Xiv
    2014
    2013
    Dust · as Todd
    2013
    CBGB · as Hilly Kristal
    2013
    A Promise · as Karl Hoffmeister
    2013
    The Butler · as Ronald Reagan
    2012
    Gambit · as Lionel Shahbandar
    2012
    Honest Trailers (TV Series) · as Severus Snape (archive Footage)
    2011
    2011
    The Boy in the Bubble · as The Storyteller (voice)
    2011
    2010
    2010
    2010
    The Wildest Dream · as Noel Odell (voice)
    2010
    Alice in Wonderland · as Absolem / Caterpillar (voice)
    2010
    2009
    2008
    Bottle Shock · as Steven Spurrier
    2007
    2007
    2007
    Nobel Son · as Eli Michaelson
    2006
    2006
    Snow Cake · as Alex Hughes
    2006
    Harry vs. the Horntail: The First Task · as Prof. Severus Snape
    2005
    2005
    2004
    Creating the Vision · as Prof. Severus Snape
    2004
    2004
    2004
    Something the Lord Made · as Dr. Alfred Blalock
    2003
    Love Actually · as Harry
    2002
    2002
    2001
    2001
    The Search for John Gissing · as John Gissing
    2001
    Play · as Man
    2001
    We Know Where You Live. Live! · as Second Yorkshireman
    2001
    Blow Dry · as Phil Allen
    2000
    Victoria Wood: With All the Trimmings · as Captain George Fallon
    2000
    A Fish Tale · as Joe
    2000
    1999
    Galaxy Quest · as Alexander Dane
    1999
    Dogma · as Metatron
    1998
    Dark Harbor · as David Weinberg
    1998
    Judas Kiss · as Detective David Friedman
    1997
    The Winter Guest · as Man In Street
    1997
    King of the Hill (TV Series) · as King Philip (voice)
    1996
    Michael Collins · as Eamon De Valera
    1996
    Rasputin · as Grigori Rasputin
    1995
    Lumière and Company · as (segment "john Boorman")
    1995
    Sense and Sensibility · as Colonel Christopher Brandon
    1995
    An Awfully Big Adventure · as P.l. O'hara
    1994
    Mesmer · as Franz Anton Mesmer
    1993
    Fallen Angels (TV Series) · as Dwight Billings
    1992
    1992
    Bob Roberts · as Lukas Hart Iii
    1991
    Close My Eyes · as Sinclair
    1991
    Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves · as Sheriff Of Nottingham
    1991
    Closet Land · as Interrogator
    1990
    Truly Madly Deeply · as Jamie
    1990
    Quigley Down Under · as Elliott Marston
    1989
    1988
    Die Hard · as Hans Gruber
    1986
    Screenplay (1986) (TV Series) · as Israel Yates (segment "from Sleep And Shadow")
    1985
    Girls on Top (TV Series) · as Dimitri / Voice Of Rada(voice)
    1985
    Theatre Night (TV Series) · as Colin
    1985
    Wetherby · as Tv Commentator (archival Footage)
    1983
    Busted · as Simon
    1982
    The Barchester Chronicles (TV Series) · as Obadiah Slope
    1982
    Smiley's People (TV Series) · as Mr. Brownlow
    1980
    Therese Raquin (TV Series) · as Vidal
    1979
    Shelley (TV Series)
    1978
    Romeo and Juliet · as Tybalt
    1978
    BBC Television Shakespeare (TV Series) · as Tybalt
    1977
    1975
    Arena (1975) (TV Series) · as Various

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