Alan Rickman was born in London in 1946 and grew up in a working-class family

He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his acting career on stage in the 1970s

[{"selector":"#anim-e973542d-c10e-49da-94a1-98864a197f58","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3fdaeebf-8753-40c8-9528-6cd4af18c094","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 45.65303%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-eaa2052c-8ad0-4a59-a5bd-3eebfe0cd369","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-102.29592%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e96f9b8a-152a-4c04-8a34-a266b3773af8","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f6e2d362-7e5c-40e3-b0d7-6cf54414a498","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Before becoming an actor, Rickman worked as a graphic designer and also ran his own graphic design business

[{"selector":"#anim-22711af2-8362-4493-b95a-d62dfbb9b533","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4b680281-2e05-485a-9671-c72e4c281af3","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 57.40741%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e6bb3f00-20e4-473c-8f45-a359d7f59f36","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-102.29592%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9745b1fb-1ba9-4fb6-9389-95658f35fbb6","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4cc8d0b1-6686-46f5-9899-4d7aea9fb087","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

He made his film debut in 1988 with a supporting role in the action thriller "Die Hard," playing the villainous Hans Gruber

[{"selector":"#anim-0cf6bc89-bc09-441b-866d-402c9a72c039","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-48dc2d0e-e70c-4923-b828-aa2e4f1be517","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 60.03898%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-832c04c8-0c0f-40c0-9684-313a7ad2bd43","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-140f8a88-e972-445c-aaae-6097feffef4b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-101.50376%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

Rickman received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

[{"selector":"#anim-c036178c-28a2-4cc1-8ecf-475b1aceba1b","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d2d8642d-cf71-4faa-8a39-bba6fde3df52","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 52.49513%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e6036a44-144e-40d0-a4d6-2fc3e2151653","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(102.80612%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b511cc7c-3288-416d-b4ad-db83b170e77d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-901320d8-b912-4938-93e1-caae3c8f4255","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Rickman directed two films during his career, "The Winter Guest" in 1997 and "A Little Chaos" in 2014

[{"selector":"#anim-08706ce4-4fb4-4c1e-81d3-8c8c1fdf7369","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-319387d5-caef-4aca-9805-026b0c5cb384","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 55.12671%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4cfc9e0b-05ae-4c68-a802-661743c21c54","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(107.75401%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-73dbea25-477c-4a9e-b361-e5344be522cb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-87c04747-8a2b-4ebb-a302-dd10c2d96d59","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Rickman was married to his partner of over 50 years, Rima Horton, until his death in 2016

[{"selector":"#anim-694775c8-c888-41dd-9020-9f43bfb077e0","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d6440ffa-bb80-49ef-934c-f3e337079ad6","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 60.38986%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bfa653e6-43c2-4ee0-959d-3cab62299883","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(105.10204%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-04ff73f9-391a-429c-b68e-358efa936e9c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-41dfbd44-71ef-4fe8-8e02-73119a4c05ce","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Rickman was offered the role of Severus Snape in the "Harry Potter" films without having read the books, but became a fan of the series after accepting the role

[{"selector":"#anim-e506a9f0-fe58-4d4b-a557-6a256570a5e9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e22374f7-509b-4aba-9397-2a62a35cc82c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 60.74074%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-172925ae-5e9c-49ba-bbe2-9398e1261755","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(102.55103%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-84429303-7384-47c0-a90d-a84f796eafa2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-60f52e34-6686-46c4-896c-19f540d9e39a","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

He was a vocal critic of the film industry's obsession with youth and beauty, and spoke out against ageism in Hollywood

[{"selector":"#anim-c9b7db94-96f9-4f90-8013-20021fcb7aec","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-db993fa3-3851-4280-957b-095baf841984","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 54.77583%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-25d0c3cf-2f74-47c1-97ae-d8aa4a53c56e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(102.80612%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ee442dd7-9a2b-4ee0-9513-68add15ba7ca","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9cbe4488-e25c-4410-8970-d6769884c9ce","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Rickman passed away in January 2016 at the age of 69, from pancreatic cancer

[{"selector":"#anim-50586e65-1f0d-4260-a1e9-266ae036b126","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a9652cb8-b058-409b-a87d-4d9fcb597c8c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 58.10916%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0956cbf5-9248-41c4-81bf-9c36d1d597da","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(100.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-546acd04-19f5-4dbc-94e6-98d21e748dfc","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-356ea25a-aeb1-418a-a255-8cb131f6f3e1","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]