Overview (4)

Mini Bio (1)

Spouse (1)

Trade Mark (2)

Rich smooth voice



Often played intimidating personalities



Trivia (56)

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#34) (1995).



Ranked #59 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]



Had been in a relationship with Rima Horton since 1965. The couple married in a private ceremony in New York City (2012). She retired from her lecturing position and later lost her council seat in the May 2006 local elections.



Although a highly successful film actor, he had frequently passed up film offers to return to the theater. The theater was a place and activity which he called "magical" and his "first love".





He was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play: for "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" (1987), and for a revival of Noël Coward 's "Private Lives" (2002).



He became well-known to the American public with his performance as Hans Gruber in the action classic Stirb langsam (1988).

Before turning to acting, he studied graphic design at Chelsea College of Art and Design and at the Royal College of Art, forming a successful graphic design company, Graphiti, with several friends. He also worked for the Notting Hill Herald, a small London newspaper, which he considered a stable occupation compared to acting.





Named Best Stage Actor for his role in the acclaimed revival of Noël Coward 's "Private Lives" at the Variety Club Show Business Awards (2002).

Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, England. Became Vice-Chairman of the Academy and a member of its Artistic Advisory and Training committees and Development Board.





While filming Stirb langsam (1988), he was found proficient at mimicking American accents; a scene in which Hans Gruber and John McClane finally meet was then added to the screenplay.



He was offered the role of Leonardo Leonardo in the 2000 cartoon based on Kevin Smith 's film Clerks - Die Ladenhüter (1994). Originally, the character was modeled after Hans Gruber, but the design was changed upon Rickman's request. The studio decided not to go with Rickman, and the role went to Alec Baldwin



He was nominated for the 2002 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award (2001 season) for Best Actor for his performance in "Private Lives" at the Albery Theatre, London.

He was nominated for a 2001 London Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actor for his performance in "Private Lives" at the Albery Theatre.





For the shot where Hans Gruber falls from the top of the building in Stirb langsam (1988), he was actually dropped by a stuntman from a 20-foot high model onto an air bag. To get a genuine surprised look, the stuntman dropped him on the count of two instead of three.



In Stirb langsam (1988), he is seen firing a gun three times (in the scene where Gruber shoots Joseph Takagi in the head; in the atrium when Gruber realizes Holly is John's wife and the "shoot the glass" scene), on account of his uncontrollable habit of flinching when the gun recoiled. In that scene, he blinks just before the camera cuts.

Was voted #19 in Empire magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50.



Was an active patron of the research foundation Saving Faces; and honorary chairman of the International Performers' Aid Trust, a charity that works to fight poverty amongst performers all over the world. Was also active in raising funds for the Labour Party.





Two of the Harry Potter films (so far) also feature Warwick Davis as Professor Flitwick. In Per Anhalter durch die Galaxis (2005), Rickman and Warwick Davis play the same role. Warwick Davis wore the robotic suit for Marvin, while Rickman provides the voice.



His portrayal of Hans Gruber in Stirb langsam (1988) earned him a spot on the American Film Institute's list of the "100 Best Heroes/Villains" as the 46th best villain in film history.



Good friends with Adrienne Clarkson , Canada's former Governor General. Rickman visited Clarkson's Ottawa, Ontario home in May 2005.



Good friends with Sharman Macdonald



Read the screenplay of Snow Cake (2006) and suggested Sigourney Weaver for the role of Linda Freeman, having worked with her on Galaxy Quest - Planlos durchs Weltall (1999). He even telephoned Weaver, and told her she had to read the screenplay, as there was a role he felt she could play perfectly in the role.



Angela Pell stated at the Berlinale Press Conference, that she wrote the role of Alex Hughes in Snow Cake (2006) with him in mind. The character's name in the screenplay was "Alan", and it was Rickman who suggested the change to Alex.



The screenplay of Galaxy Quest - Planlos durchs Weltall (1999) originally contained a mention of Alexander Dane having been knighted by Queen Elizabeth. He asked that this be changed because he believed this was inconsistent with the character, and all mentions of the knighting were removed. However, the character is still listed in the credits as Sir Alexander Dane.



For Robin Hood - König der Diebe (1991), he turned down the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham twice before he was told he could more or less have carte-blanche with his interpretation of the character.



Had cello lessons for his role in Wie verrückt und aus tiefstem Herzen (1990), and while he handles the right (bowing) hand, the left hand is provided by a real cellist standing behind him with his arm through Alan Rickman's armpit.



For his death plunge down the side of the skyscraper in Stirb langsam (1988), he actually dropped 20 feet onto an airbag against a green screen. Director John McTiernan had to jump first to convince Rickman to do the jump.

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#83) (2007).





Shared a house with Ruby Wax in London, England in the early 1980s.



Featured twice in Times Online's "The 50 Best Movie Villains" chart: had the 41st position for his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood - König der Diebe (1991) and the 10th as Hans Gruber in Stirb langsam (1988).



Not long after he started to play Severus Snape in Harry Potter und der Stein der Weisen (2001), J.K. Rowling told Rickman some character secrets about Snape that would not be otherwise revealed until the last book. Most significantly, for over seven years, Rickman was one of the very few people other than Rowling to know that Snape had been in love with Lily Evans (later Potter) when they were students at Hogwarts, and both Snape's protection of and antagonism toward Harry came from that. Rowling said that she shared this information with Rickman because "he needed to understand, I think, and does completely understand and did completely understand where this bitterness towards this boy, who's living proof of [Lily's] preference for another man, came from." When the directors of the films would ask him why he was playing a scene a certain way, or delivering a line in a particular manner, Rickman would simply reply that he knew something they did not.

During his time at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he worked as a dresser for actors. He was told by his acting coach at RADA that his voice sounded like this was coming out of the back end of a drainpipe.





Attended the funeral of Natasha Richardson at St. Peter's Episcopal Church near Millbrook, New York on April 22, 2009.

Voted #8 on Empire Online's list of 50 Sexiest Movie Men. 52% of the readers voted that he should have been higher on the list. [October 2009]





He turned down the role of Alec Treveylan in James Bond 007: GoldenEye (1995), because he was bored with playing villains. The role went to Sean Bean



Kevin Smith cast him in Dogma (1999) after he stated in an interview that Smith's Chasing Amy (1997) was one of his favourite movies of the year. Rickman's presence onset caused Jason Mewes , who was going through a drug problem at the time, to be on his best behaviour. He memorised not only his lines, but the entire screenplay. In his own words, "I didn't want to piss off that Rickman dude".



He was considered to play Captain Hook in Peter Pan (2003), which went to Jason Isaacs . Rickman co-stared with Isaacs in the Harry Potter movies.



He turned down the role of Michael Jennings in Auf brennendem Eis (1994), which went to Michael Caine



He appeared in the music video of the song "In Demand" by the rock band Texas (2000).



He was considered for the role of Bennett in Last Action Hero (1993), but he was deemed too expensive. The role went to Charles Dance . When he found out about this, he wore a T-shirt saying "I'm cheaper than Alan Rickman".



Although he played the Vicomte de Valmont on the West End and Broadway in the West End and Broadway productions of "Dangerous Liaisons", he was unable to reprise his role in Gefährliche Liebschaften (1988), as he chose Stirb langsam (1988) instead. John Malkovich replaced him.



Rickman died on January 14, 2016, one day before the second anniversary of the death of another well-known English actor, Roger Lloyd Pack , who, like Rickman, also died from pancreatic cancer less than a month before his 70th birthday. Rickman passed away four days after the English music legend and actor David Bowie succumbed to liver cancer, also at the age of 69.

Born on exactly the same date as Anthony Daniels (of "Star Wars" fame), and Tyne Daly.



Personal Quotes (20)

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



[on longtime partner Rima Horton] I think every relationship should be allowed to have its own rules. She's tolerant. She's incredibly tolerant. Unbelievably tolerant. Possibly a candidate for sainthood.



Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.



I do feel more myself in America. I can regress there, and they have roller-coaster parks.



[on not being a father] I love to travel and I don't have children, so there is a certain freedom.



If you spend any time in Los Angeles, there's only one topic of conversation.



Los Angeles is not a town full of airheads. There's a great deal of wonderful energy there.



I love America because whenever I go home -- there's something about England and coming from England -- but as soon as you walk down the steps of the plane, you shrink. And you have to start saying "sorry" and being polite and curtsying and things like that... America just lets me be the klutz I really am.



I approach every part I'm asked to do and decide to do from exactly the same angle: who is this person, what does he want, how does he attempt to get it, and what happens to him when he doesn't get it, or if he does?





It's a great pleasure to me to work on film now as well as on the stage. But it is no soft option. It isn't easier. It's in many ways more difficult, and it's a different kind of a challenge. You have to think a lot quicker and be a lot more immediate. And watching Bruce [ Bruce Willis ] and Kevin [ Kevin Costner ] and Tom Selleck deal with that has been an education.



I've learned a lot working with Bruce [ Bruce Willis ] and Kevin [ Kevin Costner ]. I mean, I'm the one that's there to learn, actually, in that situation.



The job of directing it is absolutely terrifying. But you realise you've learned so much down the line... like Anthony [ Anthony Minghella ]'s vulnerability on the set of Wie verrückt und aus tiefstem Herzen (1990). He gathered all the actors together on day one and said: "I have one word: help." Ralph [ Ralph Fiennes ] gave me another piece of advice, which was, "The danger of directing yourself is that you are embarrassed about going for another take." [2015]



Genre is a dangerous word. When I made Eine sachliche Romanze (1995), it was coming hot on the heels of Vier Hochzeiten und ein Todesfall (1994). Because Mike Newell directed it and Hugh Grant was in it, from some reason people thought - I can't think why - that they were going to see Four Weddings and a Funeral again, as if Mike Newell would be interesting in doing it twice. That's another film which has acquired its reputation over the years, but at the time people were disaffected by its darkness.



[on his role as Hans Gruber in Stirb langsam (1988)] As far as I'm concerned, I'm not playing the villain. I'm just playing somebody who wants certain things in life, has made certain choices, and goes after them.



[on his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood - König der Diebe (1991)] I'm not playing a villain, I'm just playing somebody who has a certain checklist of things that he wants in life and he goes after them.



[on Bruce Willis ] He's just the best, he's very good at looking after the atmosphere of the set. He's very funny - kind of what you expect. But he's also very skilled in front of the cameras; he knows exactly what he's doing.



Vincent Price also did comedy tremendously well, and is a tremendously versatile actor. And we all know where his gift for villainy landed him: typed for life. But I do appreciate the likening to him.

Not having had children has given me more space to work, I'm sure that's true, and when I work, I'm very driven, but otherwise I don't sit around missing acting.



I love not knowing what I'm going to be doing. I just enjoy any kind of mad scheme that comes up. I'll happily spend a day going round and round on roller coaster rides, the more dangerous the better.



I've never been able to plan my life. I just lurch from indecision to indecision.

