Interesting and Fun Facts about Alan Rickman, an English Actor and Director

Search engine giant Google featured an animated Doodle on April 30, 2023, to honor Alan Rickman, an English actor and director.  He is famous for his magical roles in films like Die Hard and Harry Potter. He has a voice that is deep and enticing, and he has an endless charm. On this day in 1987, Rickman appeared in the Broadway play “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” which helped launch his career. Here are a few interesting and fun facts about Alan Rickman.

A look at Alan Rickman’s life and work can be found here.

Who was Alan Rickman?

Quick Look

• Birth name: 21 February 1946
• Birthplace: Acton, London, England
• Died on:14 January 2016 (aged 69)
• Death place: London, England
• Nationality: British
• Famous as: Actor, director
• Also known as: Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman
• Father name: Bernard Rickman
• Mother name: Margaret Doreen Rose
• Spouse: Rima Horton
• Education:
  • Derwentwater Primary School
  • Latymer Upper School,
  • Chelsea College Of Arts,
  • Royal College Of Art
• Alma mater: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London
• Notable Works:
  • “A Little Chaos” (2014)
  • “The Winter Guest” (1997)
  • “Don’t Miss Wax” (1987).

35 Interesting Facts about Alan Rickman

1. Alan Rickman was born Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman on February 21, 1946, in Hammersmith, London, England. He was one of four children that Margaret Doreen Rose and Bernard Rickman had. Alan was just eight at the time of his father’s death, post which his mom battled to raise him and his siblings.
2. He went to ‘Derwentwater Primary School’ in Acton where he succeeded in watercolor painting and calligraphy.
3. Alan Rickman attended ‘Latymer Upper School’ in London on a grant scholarship. He started getting involved in drama here.
4. He attended the Royal College of Art after enrolling at the “Chelsea College of Art and Design.” At the same time, he likewise began working as a graphic designer for the popular newspaper ‘Notting Hill Herald.’
5. Alan Rickman and some of his friends opened a graphic design studio they called “Graphiti” after he graduated. After three years, he decided to pursue an acting career despite the studio’s success.
6. He participated in the prestigious drama school from 1972 to 1974 after winning an audition with the “Royal Academy of Dramatic Art” (RADA).
7. Alan Rickman studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. He became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), where he performed in both modern and classical theater productions. He was known for his deep, languid voice.
8. After graduating from “RADA,” he collaborated extensively with several British experimental and repertory theater groups, including the “Royal Court Theatre.”
9. Alan Rickman appeared in Romeo and Juliet for BBC Television Shakespeare, a television adaptation of William Shakespeare’s plays, in 1978 as Tybalt.
10. He depicted ‘Obadiah Slope’ in the 1982 British television serial ‘The Barchester Annals.’ He received praise for his performance in this television adaptation of the novel “Barchester” by Anthony Trollope.
11. In 1985, Alan Rickman appeared as the Vicomte de Valmont in the stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Following the production’s moves to West End in 1986 and Broadway in 1987, he was nominated for a Tony Award.
12. Alan Rickman got his start in film and his first cinema role came when he was cast as Hans Gruber, a German terrorist leader, in Die Hard (1988).
13. Alan Rickman got a big break in 1988 when he decided to play the main antagonist ‘Hans Gruber’ in the action film ‘Die Hard.’ He received praise from experts in the field and critics for his performance as the stylish villain.
14. He played “Jamie,” a cellist who returns to his girlfriend as a ghost after his untimely death, in the 1990 fantasy film “Truly, Madly, Deeply.” The film was very successful.
15. He appeared in “Close My Eyes” as “Sinclair Bryant,” a rich and successful man whose wife has an extramarital affair. Numerous awards were presented for the film.
16. Alan Rickman’s role as the main antagonist, the evil “Sheriff of Nottingham,” in the 1991 adventure film “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” was one of his most acclaimed works. His role as the antagonist was greatly appreciated, and the movie was a super hit.
17. He was nominated for the “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” BAFTA Film Award in 1992 for his performance as the “Sheriff of Nottingham” in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.’
18. Before gaining acclaim for Alan Rickman’s supporting roles as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Éamon de Valera in Michael Collins (1996), he received critical acclaim for his leading roles in Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991) and An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
19. He landed one of his most acclaimed roles in 1996 when he was chosen to play ‘Grigori Rasputin’ in the biographical TV film ‘Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny’ for which he won a “Primetime Emmy Award” for his role.
20. Alan Rickman’s career graph reached its peak in the new millennium, even though he had already established himself as an actor by the end of the 1990s. In the first movie in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” he played the brilliant wizard and potion master “Severus Snape.”
21. In 1996, Alan Rickman won the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or Movie’ for his depiction of ‘Grigori Rasputin’ in ‘Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.’ He also won the 1997 “Golden Globe Award” for “Best Actor” for playing the same role.
22. Alan Rickman played ‘Severus Snape’ once more in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” in 2002.
23. He became famous for playing “Severus Snape” in the Harry Potter series, which was hugely popular. He went on to play the character in films based on the Harry Potter series, including “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005) and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” (2004).
24. One of the most complicated characters in the Harry Potter series was “Severus Snape.” The character’s true colors weren’t shown until the very end. Rickman was charismatic and attractive enough to perfectly portray this character.
25. Alan Rickman continued to portray Severus Snape in all Harry Potter movies, culminating in 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.”
26. He was in a relationship with Rima Horton, a ‘Labour Party’ councilor and economics lecturer at ‘Kingston University.’ Alan Rickman married Horton in a private ceremony in 2012.
27. The role of “Severus Snape,” a skilled wizard and potions master, in the Harry Potter film series, is his most popular work. His appearance in the famous film series made him more popular.
28. On January 14, 2016, at the age of 69, in London, Alan Rickman died of cancer.
29. Alan Rickman made his acting debut on television in 1978 as Tybalt in the BBC’s Shakespeare series Romeo and Juliet. Obadiah Slope was his breakthrough role in the 1982 BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles.
30. Later, Alan Rickman appeared in television movies as the character of Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), which won him a Golden Globe Award, an Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award and Alfred Blalock in Something the Lord Made (2004).
31. The Guardian named him as one of the best actors who had never been nominated for an Academy Award in 2009.
32. Alan Rickman is also known for his comedic roles in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Dogma, and Galaxy Quest (1999). He played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series (2001-2011).
33. During this time Alan Rickman additionally showed up in Love Actually (2003), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and Alice in Wonderland (2010). CBGB (2013), Eye in the Sky (2015), and Alice Through the Looking Glass were his final film roles.
34. In 2022, Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries, an Edited Collection of Rickman’s Diaries from 1993 to 2015 was released.
35. In honor of the English actor Alan Rickman, Google featured an animated Doodle on its homepage on April 30, 2023. On this day in 1987, Rickman performed in the Broadway play “Les Liaisons Dangereuses,” which was instrumental in launching his career.