Movie lovers awoke to tragic news this morning, when we all discovered that Alan Rickman – the beloved star of Harry Potter and Die Hard – had passed away at the age of 69. His representatives confirmed to Hollywood Reporter that Rickman died last Thursday from cancer, surrounded by family and friends.
But thanks to his impressive and iconic career, Alan Rickman has legions of friends in the world who today mourn his passing. The silken-voiced thespian was one of the most reliable and enjoyable cinematic stars of the last 30 years, bringing wit and class to even the most mainstream of roles and knocking his serious dramatic performances out of the park every single time.
Younger film fans know Rickman best from his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies (and to be fair, he gives a marvelous performance in all eight of those blockbuster movies), but they may not be aware of his incredible stage career. His performance in Les Liaisons Dangereuses earned him a Tony Award nomination in 1987, and he was nominated again in 2002 for Noel Coward’s Private Lives. Rickman was also voted one of the sexiest movie stars in history by Empire magazine, and was mathematically determined to have one of the “perfect voices,” at least when combined with actor Jeremy Irons (who played Rickman’s brother in the Die Hard franchise).
The world mourns the loss of Alan Rickman, but as always we find ourselves turning to a great artist’s art for solace. In honor of the late actor, Crave now presents our choices for Alan Rickman’s most enduring motion picture performances. Rest in peace, Alan Rickman.
The Unforgettable Film Roles of Alan Rickman:
Top Photo: Warner Bros.
William Bibbiani (everyone calls him ‘Bibbs’) is Crave’s film content editor and critic. You can hear him every week on The B-Movies Podcast and watch him on the weekly YouTube series Most Craved and What the Flick. Follow his rantings on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
The Unforgettable Film Roles of Alan Rickman
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Die Hard (1988)
Alan Rickman's first feature film role (after appearing in numerous TV movies and shows) blew everyone away, kind of literally. As the charismatic thief Hans Gruber, Rickman kickstarted the Die Hard franchise and crafted one of the most iconic movie villains ever.
Photo: 20th Century Fox
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Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991)
In the debut film of Anthony Minghella (who went on to direct the Oscar-winning The English Patient), a young woman mourns the death of her husband. She mourns so deeply, in fact, that he decides to come back to keep her company. What follows is a remarkable and bittersweet romance about a wonderful couple who gradually learn that they both need to move on.
Photo: The Samuel Goldwyn Company
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Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
The story goes that Alan Rickman turned down the role of The Sheriff of Nottingham in the blockbuster Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves until the producers told him he could do whatever he wanted with the role. And thus, one of the most entertaining bad guys in movie history was born. Rickman is an explosion of smarmy evil in Kevin Reynolds' revisionist adventure, acting circles around everyone else and chewing on all the scenery he can find.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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Sense & Sensibility (1995)
Alan Rickman embraced his inner sweetheart in Ang Lee's lovely Jane Austen adaptation Sense & Sensibility. As the soft-spoken Colonel Brandon, he admires the free-spirited Marianne Dashwood (Kate Winslet) from afar. Alas, Marianne's heart belongs for another, and we waited with bated breath for her to finally notice how wonderful her other suitor really is.
Photo: Columbia Pictures
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Dogma (1999)
If you're going to cast somebody as the voice of God, you'd better get somebody who sounds like Alan Rickman. Fortunately, Rickman himself agreed to play the role of The Metatron in Kevin Smith's bawdy but insightful satire of the Catholic Church. He expertly blended condescension and sympathy in every witty scene.
Photo: Lionsgate Films
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Galaxy Quest (1999)
A parody of Star Trek that's better than most of the actual Star Trek movies, Galaxy Quest stars Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell and Sam Rockwell as the cast of a sci-fi TV series who wind up on a real-life space adventure. Rickman steals the film as the serious actor who resents his b-movie stardom, but who gradually comes to realize the impact he's had on fanboys has a deeper meaning. "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged."
Photo: DreamWorks Pictures
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Harry Potter (2001-2011)
An entire generation of children grew up with the blockbuster Harry Potter movies, watching intently as Alan Rickman quietly stole the show. As the tragic anti-villain Severus Snape, it fell to Rickman to put our hero repeatedly in his place, but also to make unthinkable sacrifices that drive J.K. Rowling's fantasy epic at every turn.
Photo: Warner Bros.
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Love Actually (2003)
Richard Curtis's weepy, wonderful Christmas classic stars a host of impressive actors as they navigate complicated their love lives during the holidays. Alan Rickman plays a businessman tempted to infidelity by a comely co-worker, and his Sense & Sensibility co-star Emma Thompson plays the wonderful wife he might leave behind. Rickman's segment is one of the biggest tearjerkers in a film that jerks all of the tears.
Photo: Universal Pictures
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Fans of Douglas Adams' hilarious Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy novels have mixed feelings about the motion picture adaptation, but they can all agree on one thing: Alan Rickman was perfectly cast as Marvin the Paranoid Android. An unfortunate and failed experiment to give robots real emotions, Rickman plays an automaton who is only capable of severe depression. "Life? Don't talk to me about life."
Photo: Buena Vista Pictures
