Alan Rickman

At 69 years old, Alan Rickman has this physical status:

Patrick Sidney (21 February 1946 – January 14, 2016) was an English actor and director.

Rickman studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), which is a company of actors who have performed in modern and classical theatre performances.

His first big television role came in 1982, but his breakthrough came as the Vicomte de Valmont in 1985, and he was nominated for a Tony Award in 1987. In Die Hard (1988), Rickman's first cinematic role was as the German terrorist leader Hans Gruber.

In Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), he appeared as the Sheriff of Nottingham, for which he received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Support Role; Elliott Marston in Quigley Down Under (1990); P.L. 79. O'Hara in An Awfully Big Adventure (1995); Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995); and Judge Alan Watt in The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy (2005); and Judge Turpin in Stephen Sondheim's musical adaptation of The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

Rickman earned more recognition for his film appearances as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. Rickman made his television debut in Romeo and Juliet (1978) as part of the BBC's Shakespeare series.

In Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), where he received a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, Dr. Byron appeared in television films, later in his career as the title character in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), which earned him a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award, and a Screen Actor Guild Award.

Alfred Blalock starred in Something the Lord Made (2004), one of Emmy Award-winning Things the Lord Made.

Rickman died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 69 on January 14, 2016.

Lieutenant General Frank Benson in Eye in the Sky (2015) and Absolem, the caterpillar in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) were two of his final film roles.

Early life and education

Patrick Rickman was born in London's Acton neighborhood on February 21, 1946, the son of housewife Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett) and factory worker, house painter, and decorator, and former Second World War aircraft fitter Bernard William Rickman. His mother, who was born in Wales, was Irish, and his paternal grandmother, Marie, was Irish. "I was talking to Sharleen Spiteri about being a Celt, how you smell each other out because my mother's family is Welsh," Rickman would say later. In me, there isn't a lot of English blood." His father was Roman Catholic, and his mother was a Methodist. David and Michael had two brothers as well as Sheila, a sister.

Rickman was born with a long jaw, contributing to the deep tone of voice and languid delivery for which he would be well-known. Rickman himself claimed that a vocal coach told him he had a "spastic soft palate." His father died of cancer when he was eight years old, leaving his mother to care for him and his three children largely alone. The family was "rehoused by the council and moved to an Acton estate in Wormwood Scrubs Prison, where his mother fought to bring up four children on her own while working for the Post Office," according to biographer Maurice Paton. Margaret Rickman married again in 1960, but Rickman's stepfather divorced him after three years.

Rima Horton, Rickman's longtime acquaintance, told him that his first crush was a girl named Amanda at his kindergarten's sports day when he was ten years old. He excelled at calligraphy and watercolour painting as an infant. Rickman attended West Acton First School, Derwentwater Primary School in Acton, and then Latymer Upper School in London, where he became involved in drama. Rickman attended Chelsea College of Art and Design from 1965 to 1968. He went back to the Royal College of Art from 1968 to 1970. His education led him to work as a graphic designer for the Royal College of Art's in-house journal, ARK, and the Notting Hill Herald, a more stable career than acting; later, he said that drama school "wasn't considered the appropriate thing to do at 18."

Following graduation, Rickman and a group of friends formed Graphiti, a graphic design studio, but after three years of success, he decided to pursue acting professionally. He wrote to request an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), which he attended from 1972 to 1974. He benefited himself by working as a dresser for Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Ralph Richardson while he was here.

Personal life

Rickman met Rima Horton, an 18-year-old Rima Horton, who became his partner in the early 1970s and would later be a Labour Party councillor on Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council (1986-2006), as an economics lecturer at Kingston University in London, at age 19. Rickman announced in 2015 that they had married in a private ceremony in New York City in 2012. From 1977 to Rickman's death, they lived together. There were no children in the household.

Rickman was the godfather of fellow actor Tom Burke. Michael Rickman's brother is a Leicestershire Conservative Party district councillor.

Rickman was a regular supporter of the National Artists' Aid Trust, a charity that helps people live in poverty amongst performing artists from around the world.

Rickman said he was "born a card-carrying member of the Labour Party" when debating politics. His last recorded work before his death was for a short video to help Oxford University students raise money and alert of the refugee crisis, which Save the Children and Refugee Council reports. Rickman declined to be a CBE in 2008, according to his diaries.

Rickman was conservative until his last days. Helen Mirren's last on-screen appearance was in the drama Eye in the Sky, which he had described as "a film about the moral issues governments face when using drones." After reading published emails by Rachel Corrie, a US activist who was smashed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza, he was inspired to create My Name Is Rachel Corrie, which was well-received and popular in London in 2003.

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Career

Rickman spent time with British repertory and experimental theatre companies, including Chekhov's The Seagull and Snoo Wilson's The Grass Widow at the Royal Court Theatre, and appeared three times at the Edinburgh International Festival. He appeared in Romeo and Juliet, A View from the Bridge, and other productions in 1978. He appeared in As You Like It while working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). As the Reverend Obadiah Slope, he made his breakthrough role in The Barchester Chronicles (1982), the BBC's reprint of Trollope's first two Barchester books.

In Christopher Hampton's version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by Howard Davies, Rickman was given the male lead, the Vicomte de Valmont. Rickman's role was recognized both at a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award nomination in 1986 and 1989, respectively, after the RSC moved to the West End in 1986 and 1989.

In 1988, Rickman played Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the action thriller, which was his first feature film. Bruce Willis, Rickman's portrayal as the country's 46th best villain in film history, earned him critical acclaim and a spot on the AFI's 100 Years & Villains list as the 46th best villain in film history. Rickman later admitted that he almost did not take the role because he didn't think Die Hard was the kind of film he wanted to make.

In 1990, he appeared in Quigley Down Under against Tom Selleck. In Kevin Reynolds' film adaptation of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Rickman was cast as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Rickman appeared opposite Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman in the film. Although Robin Hood "left analysts and moviegoers disappointed," Rickman's gleefully wicked villain had the summer's most talked-about appearance, according to Entertainment Weekly. He was rewarded by the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Support Role for his contribution. "This will be a good reminder to me that subtlety isn't everything," Rickman said after winning the award. Despite earning acclaim in film for his ability to play villainous characters, Rickman had a problem with being portrayed as a villain. He will be portraying a variety of characters that will defy popular myths during the decade.

Rickman began to appear in leading roles such as Jamie's romantic lead in the independent romance film Truly, Madly (1991). The film starring Rickman and Juliet Stevenson was a critical success. Rickman was nominated for yet another BAFTA Award, as well as the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor and Actor of the Year. Rickman was able to break out of the movie villain mold, as follows: "The man is Rickman, who you will see on the screen, know you have seen somewhere, and shake your memory all throughout the film without mentioning that he was the villain in "Die Hard": critic Roger Ebert said.

In Ang Lee's adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility (1995), he was cast as Colonel Brandon a few years later. Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Kate Winslet appeared in the film. Rickman had "extraordinary sweetness [of] his appearance in other films, according to Thompson, who had played "Machiavellian types so well" in other films. Rickman received his third BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination and his first Screen Actor Guild Award nomination for his role. In the Neil Jordan period drama, Michael Collins starred Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts, and Stephen Rea. Rickman received his second BAFTA Award nomination. In the HBO television biopic Rasputin: The Dark Servant of Destiny, Rickman appeared as the "mad monk" Rasputin in 1996. He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Film, a Screen Actor Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, as well as a coveted Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.

The Winter Guest at the Almeida Theatre in 1995 and the theatrical version of the same play, starring Emma Thompson and her real-life mother Phyllida Law, were directed by Rickman. Antony and Cleopatra in 1998 as Mark Antony, with Helen Mirren as Cleopatra in the Royal National Theatre's production in London, which ran from October to December 1998. Rickman appeared in Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings (2000), a BBC One Christmas special with Victoria Wood, portraying an elderly colonel in the Battle of Waterloo, where he is forced to abandon his dedication to Honeysuckle Week's character.

Rickman performed comedies, including Sir Alexander Dane/Dr. During his career, including as Sir Alexander Dane/Dr. Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell, and Tony Shalhoub appear in the cult classic sci-fi parody Galaxy Quest (1999) with Lazarus. Rickman, according to Rockwell, was "very instrumental in making sure the script hit the right note" and that everything had a solid logic and reason behind it." In Kevin Smith's Dogma (also 1999), he appeared as the angel Metatron, the voice of God.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Severus Snape, the potions master, appeared for the first time in 2001. His portrayal of the Harry Potter series (2001-2011) was sombre, but the character's motivations were not clear early on.

Rickman appeared onstage in No.l Coward's romantic comedy Private Lives in 2002. After the success of the Albery Theatre in the West End, it rehearssed to Broadway and ended in September 2002; he reunited with his Les Liaisons Dangereuses co-star Lindsay Duncan and director Howard Davies in the Olivier and Tony Award-winning production.

My Name Is Rachel Corrie and Is Director My Name Is Rachel Corrie produced the play, which opened in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. Katharine Viner, Rickman, compiled the script My Name Is Rachel Corrie and directed the premiere performance. He was nominated for Best Director at the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards. Rickman befriended the Corrie family and earned their respect, and the show was warmly accepted. However, the original New York production was "postponed" next year due to the possibility of boycotts and protests from those who saw it as "anti-Israeli agit-prop." "censorship born out of fear," Rickman said. Among others, Tony Kushner, Harold Pinter, and Vanessa Redgrave condemned the show's decision to indefinitely postpone. The one-woman performance was performed at another theater to mixed reviews later this year, and it has since been staged at venues around the world. Despite the critical reaction from pro-Israel groups, the film, especially in London, was extremely popular. "I never thought that the play would result in such controversies," Rickman said. "Many Jews endorse it," he said. After every performance, the New York producer was Jewish and we held a chat. Both Israelis and Palestinians attended the conference, although there was no screaming in the theater. People simply listened to each other."

Rickman appeared in Love Actually (2003) as Emma Thompson's eccentric husband Harry. The film, written and directed by Richard Curtis, has been dubbed "a modern masterpiece" by The Independent. In 2005, he lent his voice to Marvin the Paranoid Android in a science fiction film The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) starring Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, and Zooey Deschanel. In the black comedy Nobel Son (2007), he played the egotistic, Nobel Prize-winning father.

My Name is Rachel Corrie, a play created from Corrie's journals and emails gathered by Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner, was introduced in London in early 2005 and later revived in October 2005. The production was supposed to be transferred to the New York Theatre Workshop, but when it was postponed indefinitely, the British producers protested the decision as censorship and drew the performance. On October 15, 2006, Off-Broadway Theatre Company opened for a limited run of 48 performances.

In HBO's Something the Lord Made (2004), Rickman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Dr. Alfred Blalock. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), directed by Tom Tykwer, he appeared in the independent film Snow Cake (2006) starring Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss. In the critically acclaimed Tim Burton film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), he appeared as Judge Turpin, as well as Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall.

The James Joyce Award was given to Rickman by the University College Dublin Literary and Historical Society in 2009. Rickman appeared in Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman's eponymous role in Dublin's Abbey Theatre, alongside Lindsay Duncan and Fiona Shaw in October and November 2010. Rickman's performance was described by the Irish Independent as "extraordinary."

He appeared in The Song of Lunch, a BBC television series starring Emma Thompson in 2010. In Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland (2010), he appeared in Absolem the Caterpillar.

In the last instalment of the Harry Potter series, Severus Snape, Rickman appeared as Severus Snape, Part 2 (2011). Snape's portrayal of the series gained acclaim throughout the series. The Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan said Rickman "as always makes the best first impression," while Rolling Stone magazine's Peter Travers said, "sublime in giving us a glimpse at the uncovered nurturing heart that... Snape masks with a sneer." Rickman's performance was praised for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, according to media reports. In 2011, Snape's last appearance as Snape, he received award nominations, including at the Saturn Awards and the Scream Awards.

Rickman opened in Seminar, a new play by Theresa Rebeck, at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway in November 2011. Rickman, who left the theater in April, received the Best Actor in a Play Award from Broadway.com Audience Choice Award and was nominated for a Drama League Award. In Gambit (2012) by Michael Hoffman, a remake of the 1966 film, Rickman starred Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz. In the CBGB film with Rupert Grint, Hilly Kristal, the founder of the East Village punk-rock band CBGB, appeared in Hilly Kristal in 2013.

He produced and appeared in A Little Chaos, starring Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, and Stanley Tucci in 2014. At the Toronto International Film Festival, the film premiered. "Stylish and well-acted without ever living up to its potential," the film's critics consensus reading said, "A Little Chaos is shouldered by a talented cast." Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, and Barkhad Abdi appeared in Gavin Hood's Eye in the Sky (2015), the following year. This will be Rickman's last onscreen role. The film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival to fawning praise, receiving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%, based on 175 observers, with the consensus being, "As taut as it is timely, Eye in the Sky provides a provocative – and oddly cerebral – twist on the modern wartime political thriller."

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