Alan Rickman

For over 30 years, Alan Rickman has been entertaining audiences on the stage and in film. From villain extraordinaire to tortured romantic hero, his range is endless. It all began 60 years ago, when one Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born on a February day in London.
His early life held the tinge of tragedy, with his father, a factory worker, being struck down, when Alan was only eight years old. Raised by his mother, a Welsh Methodist, Alan won a scholarship to Latymer School, where he developed a love and skill for drama. Though Alan’s love for drama was great, his natural artistic talent led him to graphic design and he attended the Chelsea College of Art and Design. While at the Chelsea College of Art, he met his long-time partner, Rima Horton. Together, they formed an acting troop, the Brook Green Players. Rima later became a successful politician and was a councillor for many years in Kensington and Chelsea. However at the age of 26, he asked for and received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and left the graphic design business far behind. While there, he won many honours including the Emilie Littler Prize. After leaving the Academy, he played many different roles over the next four years, from pantomime villains to musical stars. In 1976, he met Ruby Wax and they became close friends, travelling the country doing a double act. In 1977, Alan was invited to the Royal Shakespeare Company and starred with many other upcoming stars such as Patrick Stewart and Zoë Wanamaker. However, he found the Company too traditionalist for his age and only stuck at it for a year. He starred in many plays over the next four years, until a sudden rise in fame, when he played Brownlow in John Le Carre’s spy series Smiley’s People. His role as Reverend Obadiah Slope in The Barchester Chronicles caused him to receive his first of many streams of fan mail. In 1985, he returned to the Royal Shakespeare Company, but his recent work allowed him to have the glory of larger parts including Vicomte de Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses. This show was taken to London and then on to Broadway, rewarding Alan with his first Tony-nomination.
At this time, Hollywood began to notice Rickman’s talents and was asked to star in Die Hard as the villainous Hans Gruber. His successful acting led to the unfortunate prejudice that Hollywood now has, believing all major villains should be played by Brits. He continued to play the bad guy, with his amazing portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, transforming a mediocre movie with his fantastic acting and ideas for his part. This performance earned him a BAFTA. After the failure of Mesmer, he persevered and played Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, followed by a captivating performance as Rasputin. Rasputin produced Alan with two more awards for his shelf, an Emmy and a Golden Globe. This was followed by many more roles including Metatron.
Rickman has remained committed to the theatre and in 2003 was given the great honour of being made Vice-Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He also stuck to his values and showed his support for the Labour party and various charities. In 2005, he directed a film dictating the story of a protester killed by a bulldozer in Gaza.
His acting triumphs continued and among other roles he played Professor Snape, with a perfected sneer and tone. While he continued filming the Harry Potter series, he featured in many other films e.g. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
His work is always continuing, with many more films on the way and more chances to direct. The future holds much for this Muggle actor and hopefully he will delight our screens for many years to come.

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/entertainment/film/biographies/alan_rickman_biog/7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Rickman