Alan Rickman is an English theater and film actor, best known to viewers for his role as Severus Snape in the film adaptation of JK Rowling's Harry Potter. This article provides a biography of the actor, including information about creativity and personal life.
Early years
Alan Rickman was born February 21, 1946 in London (England), in a poor family of ordinary workers. He was the second of four children - two years younger than older brother David, a year older than brother Michael, and three years older than sister Sheila. Alan lost his father early, who died of lung cancer when the boy was only eight years old.
Alan Rickman showed success at school, for which he received a scholarship to study at one of the most prestigious schools in London - Latymer Upper School. In this institution, he first showed an interest in theater and acting, regularly participating in school productions. After graduating from Latymer, Rickman entered the Chelsea School of Art and Design and then studied at the Royal College of Art. Despite choosing the profession of a designer, he continued to be fond of the theater and participated in amateurperformances at both the School of Art and King's College. He showed success in this field and was the main character of almost all student performances. A young Alan Rickman is pictured below.
After graduating, Rickman briefly worked as a designer for the Notting Hill Herald newspaper before opening a private design studio with college friends. However, things were not going well, and twenty-six-year-old Alan Rickman finally realized that he was not minding his own business. He decided to audition for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and was accepted with high scores and a scholarship.
Acting career
Alan Rickman made his London stage debut as the Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. During the New York tour of this performance on Broadway in 1987, the talent of the novice actor was highly appreciated and he was invited to act in films. Rickman had previously appeared in several British-made films, playing small roles, but at that moment he was offered a second leading role after Bruce Willis in the film Die Hard. After that, Alan Rickman often began to combine theatrical activities with filming.
The next successful role was the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1992 film "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", after which the actor was assigned the role of a villain. In 1996, he played the role of Rasputin in the film of the same name, for which he received Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
In 2001Alan Rickman was approved for the role of Severus Snape in all adaptations of the Harry Potter books. This image brought the actor real fame, and to this day it is considered the most significant in his career.
Alan Rickman has played more than seventy roles in various films and TV shows, including voice acting roles (for example, Absolem the caterpillar in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland). In addition, he had success in the director's field, staging several performances and making films "The Winter Guest" (1997) and "The Romance of Versailles" (2014), highly appreciated by both audiences and critics.
Private life
In 1965, while studying at the School of Art and Design, Alan Rickman met Rima Horton, who was a year younger than him. The young people had serious feelings, and since 1977 they began to live together. Only after 47 years of relationship, Alan and Rome decided to get married. The secret ceremony took place in New York in 2012. Only in 2015, Alan Rickman said that Rima, who was his companion for most of his life, had become his official wife for only three years. The couple did not part until the death of the actor. They did not have children for unknown reasons. Alan Rickman and Rima Horton pictured below.
Death
Alan Rickman passed away on January 14, 2016 from pancreatic cancer, just five weeks short of his 70th birthday. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Paul's Church, known as the churchactors, in which the memorial service took place.
