David Hill

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (1946-2016) was a British actor. A prominent figure in both film and theatre, appearing in supporting and leading roles, Rickman is best remembered for his portrayal of Professor Snape in the Harry Potter film series. Born in Hammersmith, London in 1946, he was the son of Margaret Doreen Rose and Bernard Rickman. He had an older brother, David, and two younger siblings, Michael and Sheila. His father, a factory worker, died when he was eight, leaving his mother to raise four children alone. He later won a scholarship to Latymer Upper School in West London, where his teachers encouraged him to pursue acting. Interested in the arts, he studied graphic design at the Royal College of Art. He started work at a design firm in Soho, but left after three years having discovered his love for acting. At 26, he began studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). After three years at RADA, he began working with various theatre companies on stage. His performance in a 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of *Les Liaisons Dangereuses* earned critical acclaim. He reprised the role on Broadway in 1987, earning a Tony Award nomination. Popular in theatre and British television by the mid-1980s, Rickman achieved international fame with his role as Hans Gruber in the 1988 film *Die Hard*. He later starred in films such as *Truly, Madly, Deeply*, *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves*, and *Bob Roberts*. In 1995, he appeared alongside Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, and Emma Thompson in *Sense and Sensibility*, and also starred in *An Awfully Big Adventure*. In 1999, he appeared in *Dogma* and *Galaxy Quest*. His globally popular role was as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series. He continued to work in other notable films throughout the series. In 2003, he starred as Harry in *Love Actually*. In 2006, he played Antoine, Laura's father, in the adaptation of Patrick Süskind's *Perfume*. In 2007, he was in Tim Burton's *Sweeney Todd*. In 2013, he portrayed former US President Ronald Reagan in *The Butler*, and in 2014, he directed *A Little Chaos*. A highly versatile actor who successfully portrayed a wide range of characters, Alan Rickman died of pancreatic cancer at a London hospital on 14 January 2016. Rickman met Rima Horton in 1965 and lived with her from 1977 until his death. They formally married in 2012.