Alan Rickman, giant of British screen and stage, dies at 69 Much-loved star of stage, TV and films including Harry Potter and Die Hard – and owner of one of the most singular voices in acting *– has died in London Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors of the past 30 years, has died in London aged 69. His death was confirmed on Thursday by his family who said that he died “surrounded by family and friends”. Rickman had been suffering from cancer. A star whose arch features and languid diction were recognisable across the generations, Rickman found a fresh legion of fans with his role as Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films. Cast and crew on those movies were among the first to pay tribute to the actor. In a lengthy post, Daniel Radcliffe wrote that Rickman was “one of the greatest actors I will ever work with” as well as “one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry”. JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter books, said: “There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man”, while Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore, said: “Everybody loved Alan. He was always happy and fun and creative and very, very funny.” The actor had been a big-screen staple since first shooting to global acclaim in 1988, when he starred as Hans Gruber, Bruce Willis’s sardonic, dastardly adversary in Die Hard – a part he was offered two days after arriving in Los Angeles, aged 41. Gruber was the first of three memorable baddies played by Rickman: he was an outrageous sheriff of Nottingham in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as well as a terrifying Rasputin in an acclaimed 1995 HBO film. But Rickman was also a singular leading man: in 1991, he starred as a cellist opposite Juliet Stevenson in Anthony Minghella’s affecting supernatural romance Truly, Madly, Deeply; four years later he was the honourable and modest Col Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, starring and scripted by Emma Thompson. He was to reunite with Thompson many times: they played husband and wife in 2003’s Love, Actually and former lovers in 2010 BBC drama The Song of Lunch. I have always liked Alan Rickman and loved Truly Madly Deeply and defo had a soft spot when he did the Texas Video, very much the sexy older man type. A brilliant actor who will be sadly missed. [YOUTUBE]X4-gNN8WRHo[/YOUTUBE]
I have mad respect and admiration for Alan Rickman. He didn't just act, he was the characters he portrayed. I loved him as Hans Gruber in Die Hard. The Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, Marvin, the paranoid android. His role in the HBO film Something The Lord Made, with a surprising performance by Mos Def was excellent. He will be missed. May he Rest In Peace.
That is one of movie that always makes me smile. Hans Gruber is dead. Wow. RIP Mr Alan Rickman, one of my favorite actors.
Ah..so someone else did create an Alan Rickman thread prior to the one I put up last night. I was too tired to look here and check last night.
