ACTOR ALAN RICKMAN MOVIES – Biography, Career Sucess, and Tragic Death
Introduction
Alan Rickman was born on February 21, 1946, in West London, England, and at an early age, he showed a strong interest in the performing arts. When he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1978, he began his career as an actor and began to gain experience. Following his performance as the lead in the 1988 production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, he became well-known in the United States of America in the same year for his role as the terrorist Hans Gruber in the blockbuster film Die Hard.
In addition to the well-known Harry Potter series, he has also appeared in the films Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), both of which were directed by Tim Burton. John Rickman passed away on January 14, 2016, due to cancer.
Quick Facts
| FULL NAME | Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman |
| BORN | February 21, 1946 |
| BIRTHPLACE | London, United Kingdom |
| DEATH | January 14, 2016 |
| SPOUSE | Rima Horton (m. 2012-2016) |
| HEIGHT | 6′ 1″ |
Alan Rickman’s Formative Years
- Birth and Childhood
Actor Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman’s birthplace is West London, England, where he was born on February 21, 1946. His father, Bernard Rickman, was an Irish Catholic factory worker, and his mother, Margaret Doreen Rose Rickman, was a Welsh Methodist housewife. He was one of four children, coming second in line. Up until the time that his father passed away from lung cancer when Alan was only eight years old, Rickman remembers his childhood as being one of extreme poverty but a time of great happiness. After demonstrating an early interest in art, Rickman was awarded a scholarship to attend Latymer Upper School in London.
While there, he participated in a number of school plays. Subsequently, he went on to study graphic design at Chelsea College of Art and Design and the Royal College of Art. Following his graduation, he collaborated with a few of his buddies to launch a graphic design company called Graphiti. Rickman made the decision to submit an application to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art when he was 26 years old.
At a later time, he stated that although it was inevitable that he would become an actor since he was approximately seven years old, there were other paths that needed to be walked before he could pursue acting. There was a voice in his head that kept telling him that it was time to do it, and that there were no excuses allowed. Over the course of his two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), Rickman supported himself by working as a set dresser and taking on freelance design tasks.
- Early Career
Rickman joined the famed Royal Shakespeare Company in 1978, and he went on to perform in a number of plays, including The Tempest and Love’s Labour’s Lost, among others.
However, he did not enjoy his time there because, according to him, it was like working in a factory, and it was all about producing products in an infinite cycle, without paying enough attention to the process. He claimed that they did not take care of the young actors since they were dropping like flies due to the fact that they were performing in too many performances at the same time. The recommendation that Rickman made was that there ought to be someone who assisted them in growing. After leaving the Royal Shakespeare Company, Rickman spent most of the remaining years of the 1980s performing in radio dramas, radio serials, and repertory theater.
ACTOR ALAN RICKMAN MOVIES – A Trajectory of Alan Rickman’s Professional Career
- Breakthrough Role
Rickman’s career took a significant turn in 1985 when he was cast as the lead character of Le Vicomte de Valmont in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses. The playwright Christopher Hampton, who adapted the book from a French novel written in the 18th century, created the role with the actor in mind especially. It was noted by Hampton that Rickman was able to not only captivate the audience but also appeared to have a hypnotic influence on the individuals with whom he was performing his scenes.
Rickman garnered a nomination for a Tony Award for his performance of the unforgettable wicked role, which he initially performed in London and then on Broadway. In 1988, Les Liaisons Dangereuses was adapted for the big screen and given the title Dangerous Liaisons. John Malkovich, an actor, played the iconic role of Vicomte de Valmont in the film adaptation of the film.
- Villainous Roles
It wasn’t long before Rickman was cast in his first Hollywood film part, which was in the 1988 picture Die Hard, in which he played the role of the incomprehensibly nasty terrorist Hans Gruber, who was ultimately stopped by Bruce Willis’s heroic officer John McClane. Later on, Rickman recalled that he was able to acquire the Die Hard role due to the fact that he was inexpensive. He went on to say that they were paying Willis seven million dollars, which meant that they needed to locate people who would not need paying them anything.
After making an appearance alongside Tom Selleck in the film Quigley Down Under (1990), Hugh Jackman went on to star in three critically acclaimed films in the year 1991.
These films were Close My Eyes, Truly, Madly, Deeply, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in which he portrayed an unforgettably arch Inspector of the Sheriff of Nottingham. This character, which accentuated the initial impression that was formed in Die Hard, solidified Rickman’s image as a “villain” actor. This was a moniker that Rickman did not like. He stated that he did not consider any of his roles to be a single word and that it did not matter what he was portraying; however, it was not a single word.
- Harry Potter Films Series
After his productive year in 1991, Rickman’s work began to slow down. However, he made well-received appearances in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and in the title character of Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), for which he got both the Golden Globe Award and the Emmy Award. The film The Winter Guest, which he co-wrote and directed, was his debut feature picture, and it was released in 1997. It featured his co-star from Sense and Sensibility, Emma Thompson, as well as Phyllida Law, who played Thompson’s mother in real life.
In addition, Rickman had humorous roles that were well-received in the films Dogma and Galaxy Quest from 1999. The next high-profile role that Rickman played was in the 2000s when he was cast in the character of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series. Author J.K. Rowling had a strong desire for Rickman to play the role, and she provided him with information about the character’s background that had not been published in order to assist him in preparing for the role. Jo Rowling said that the actor had told her that he couldn’t play him until he had a personal connection to her.
Then, she proceeded to provide Rickman with a piece of knowledge that was elliptical and that he initially could not fully comprehend. Despite the fact that it was the knowledge that she had not shared with anybody else, not even her sister, it provided Rickman with the necessary information to confront Snape. It was then revealed that Rickman had played the character in each of the eight Harry Potter films.
- Later Career
Love Actually (2003), Snow Cake (2006), Nobel Son (2007), and Bottle Shock (2008) are some of the other films that Rickman has written and directed during the 2000s. In the films Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010), he worked with Tim Burton on two separate occasions. My Name is Rachel Corrie, a one-woman play that he wrote and directed, received positive reviews in both New York City and London. Rickman responded with a response of “no” when he was asked if he ever became tired of his life on the center stage. He also stated that life had shifting vistas, so he might as well keep swimming.
Following the release of the Harry Potter films, Rickman went on to star in a variety of other films, including Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013) and Karl Hoffmeister in A Promise (2013), in which he played the character of Ronald Reagan. He also played the part of Hilly Kristal, the proprietor of the well-known punk music club in New York City, in the film CBGB, which was released in the same year. In A Little Chaos (2014), Rickman played the role of King Louis XIV, from the owner of a Bowery bar to a member of the royal family.
Prior to his retirement, Rickman served as the Honorary President of the International Performers Aid Trust (IPAT). This organization provides assistance to artists and entertainers all around the world who are struggling to make ends meet. It does this by assisting them in honing their trade in order to have a better future. In addition to that, he was a generous supporter of the organization Saving Faces.
- Net Worth
Throughout the course of his remarkable career, Alan Rickman amassed a significant amount of wealth. He was the owner of a number of properties, one of which was a lavish home located in West London. Additionally, Rickman was known to have a collection of old automobiles and had a reputation for having a love for exquisite automobiles. The estimated amount of Alan Rickman’s net worth in United States dollars is sixteen million dollars. Both Rickman’s excellent acting career and his widespread popularity have contributed to the significant net worth that he possesses.
The Personal Life of Alan Rickman
Alan Rickman married his lifetime partner Rima Horton in 2012, keeping their union a secret. Rickman encountered Rima Horton in 1965 during their time in the amateur Group Court Drama Club. He found it particularly delightful as the club was sparsely attended. During an interview, he enthusiastically shared that following the ceremony in New York, they strolled across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and enjoyed a delightful lunch.
Actor Alan Rickman Dies – The Tragic Demise
Rickman passed away on January 14, 2016, in London, due to the effects of cancer. His passing affected his collaborators as well as a large number of fans, as he was widely regarded as one of the most admired British performers of the last three decades. Rowling expressed his sorrow and devastation at the news of Alan Rickman’s passing in a tweet, stating that there were no words to adequately express his feelings. He went on to say that Rickman was not just an amazing actor but also a beautiful person.
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