Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersIndependent Spirit AwardsWomen's History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Alan Rickman(1946-2016)

  • Actor
  • Writer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000255
Alan Rickman
Take a closer look at the various roles Alan Rickman has played throughout his acting career.
Play video1:37
Alan Rickman | IMDb Supercut
99+ Videos
99+ Photos
Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London, to Margaret Doreen Rose (Bartlett), of English and Welsh descent, and Bernard Rickman, of Irish descent, who worked at a factory. Alan Rickman had an older brother (David), a younger brother (Michael), and a younger sister (Sheila). When Alan was 8 years old, his father died. He attended Latymer Upper School on a scholarship. He studied Graphic Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, where he met Rima Horton, who would later become his longtime partner.

After three years at Chelsea College, Rickman did graduate studies at the Royal College of Art. He opened a successful graphic design business, Graphiti, with friends and managed it for several years before his love of theatre led him to seek an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). At the relatively late age of 26, Rickman received a scholarship to RADA, which started a professional acting career that has lasted nearly 40 years, a career which has spanned stage, screen and television, and overlapped into directing, as well. In 1987, he first came to the attention of American audiences as the Vicomte de Valmont in "Les Liaisons Dangereuses" on Broadway (he was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the role). Denied the role in the film version of the show, Rickman instead made his first film appearance opposite Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988) as the villainous Hans Gruber. His take on the urbane villain set the standard for screen villains for decades to come.

Although often cited as being a master of playing villains, Rickman actually played a wide variety of characters, such as the romantic cello-playing ghost Jamie in Anthony Minghella's Truly Madly Deeply (1990) and the noble Colonel Brandon of Sense and Sensibility (1995). He treated audiences to his comedic abilities in such films as Dogma (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and roles like Dr. Alfred Blalock in Something the Lord Made (2004), and as Alex Hughes in Snow Cake (2006), showcased his ability to play ordinary men in extraordinary situations. Rickman even conquered the daunting task of singing a role in a Stephen Sondheim musical as he took on the role of Judge Turpin in the movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). In 2001, Rickman introduced himself to a whole new, younger generation of fans by taking on the role of Severus Snape in the film versions of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He continued to play the role through the eighth and last movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011).

Alan Rickman died of pancreatic cancer on 14 January 2016. He was 69 years old.
BornFebruary 21, 1946
DiedJanuary 14, 2016(69)
BornFebruary 21, 1946
DiedJanuary 14, 2016(69)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000255
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 19 wins & 37 nominations total

Photos292

Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Jeremy Northam, Alan Rickman, Monica Dolan, Richard McCabe, and Francis Chouler in Eye in the Sky (2015)
Alan Rickman and Monica Dolan in Eye in the Sky (2015)
Alan Rickman in Eye in the Sky (2015)
Jeremy Northam, Alan Rickman, Monica Dolan, Richard McCabe, and Francis Chouler in Eye in the Sky (2015)
Alan Rickman in Eye in the Sky (2015)
Alan Rickman, Reese Witherspoon, Adam Sandler, Jack Black, and Lindsay Lohan in "The IMDb Show" On Location Goes Back to School (2019)
Alan Rickman and Bonnie Bedelia in Die Hard (1988)
Alan Rickman, Tom Selleck, Tony Bonner, and Ben Mendelsohn in Quigley Down Under (1990)
Alan Rickman and Tom Selleck in Quigley Down Under (1990)
Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Known for

Bruce Willis and Hart Bochner in Die Hard (1988)
Die Hard
8.2
  • Hans Gruber
  • 1988
Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
6.9
  • Sheriff of Nottingham
  • 1991
Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tim Allen in Galaxy Quest (1999)
Galaxy Quest
7.4
  • Alexander Dane
  • 1999
Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
7.3
  • Judge Turpin
  • 2007

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sacha Baron Cohen, Matt Lucas, and Mia Wasikowska in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
    Alice Through the Looking Glass
    • Absolem (voice)
    • 2016
  • Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky (2015)
    Eye in the Sky
    • Lieutenant General Frank Benson
    • 2015
  • Texas: Start A Family (2015)
    Texas: Start A Family
    • Alan Rickman
    • Music Video
    • 2015
  • Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts in A Little Chaos (2014)
    A Little Chaos
    • King Louis XIV
    • 2014
  • Dust (2013)
    Dust
    • Todd
    • Short
    • 2013
  • Alan Rickman, Malin Akerman, Rupert Grint, and Ashley Greene in CBGB (2013)
    CBGB
    • Hilly Kristal
    • 2013
  • Rebecca Hall in A Promise (2013)
    A Promise
    • Karl Hoffmeister
    • 2013
  • Forest Whitaker in The Butler (2013)
    The Butler
    • Ronald Reagan
    • 2013
  • Cameron Diaz, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Florian Ballhaus, Sidney Carroll, Stuart Craig, Rolfe Kent, Mike Lobell, Adam Ripp, Paul Tothill, and Rob Paris in Gambit (2012)
    Gambit
    • Lionel Shabandar
    • 2012
  • The Boy in the Bubble (2011)
    The Boy in the Bubble
    • The Storyteller (voice)
    • Short
    • 2011
  • Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
    • Professor Severus Snape
    • 2011
  • Portraits in Dramatic Time (2011)
    Portraits in Dramatic Time
    • Alan Rickman
    • 2011
  • Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
    • Professor Severus Snape
    • 2010
  • Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson in The Song of Lunch (2010)
    The Song of Lunch
    • He
    • TV Movie
    • 2010
  • Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman in Alice in Wonderland (2010)
    Alice in Wonderland
    • Blue Caterpillar (voice)
    • 2010

Writer

  • Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts in A Little Chaos (2014)
    A Little Chaos
    • screenplay
    • 2014
  • The Winter Guest (1997)
    The Winter Guest
    • screenplay
    • 1997
  • Don't Miss Wax
    • Writer (1987)
    • TV Series
    • 1987

Director

  • Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts in A Little Chaos (2014)
    A Little Chaos
    • Director
    • 2014
  • The Winter Guest (1997)
    The Winter Guest
    • Director
    • 1997

Videos122

"Drop Your Wands"
Clip 1:22
"Drop Your Wands"
"Cafe Attack"
Clip 1:07
"Cafe Attack"
Alice in Wonderland: "Progression Reel"
Clip 1:37
Alice in Wonderland: "Progression Reel"
"Curiouser and Curiouser" from Alice in Wonderland
Clip 0:54
"Curiouser and Curiouser" from Alice in Wonderland
"Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland
Clip 0:54
"Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland
"Potion Making" from Alice in Wonderland
Clip 0:55
"Potion Making" from Alice in Wonderland
"Off with His Head" from Alice in Wonderland
Clip 0:45
"Off with His Head" from Alice in Wonderland
"Clothe This Girl" from Alice in Wonderland
Clip 1:00
"Clothe This Girl" from Alice in Wonderland
"I Killed Sirius Black"
Clip 1:16
"I Killed Sirius Black"
"Who Is the Half-Blood Prince?"
Clip 0:44
"Who Is the Half-Blood Prince?"
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- MTV Movie Awards Clip
Clip 1:33
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- MTV Movie Awards Clip
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- "I'm in Love with Her"
Clip 1:09
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -- "I'm in Love with Her"

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Official Site
  • Alternative name
    • Texas
  • Height
    • 6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
  • Born
    • February 21, 1946
    • Hammersmith, London, England, UK
  • Died
    • January 14, 2016
    • London, England, UK(pancreatic cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Rima HortonAugust 31, 2012 - January 14, 2016 (his death)
  • Children
    • No Children
  • Parents
      Margaret Doreen Rose Bartlett
  • Relatives
      Sheila Rickman(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Performed on Mike Oldfield's CD "Tubular Bells II", credited as the Master of Ceremonies under the pseudonym "A Strolling Player". Rickman announces the various instruments which Oldfield introduces on track 7, "The Bell".
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Interviews
    • 7 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Despite being author J.K. Rowling's first choice to play Snape in the Harry Potter films (she actually envisioned him when writing the character), he was only given the role in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) after Tim Roth (the studio's preferred choice) backed out to star in Planet of the Apes (2001).
  • Quotes
    I do take my work seriously and the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously.
  • Trademarks
      Deep baritone voice

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.