It has been a bad week for idol worship as just after David Bowie passed away we have learned of the demise of one of the best British actors of modern times. Alan Rickman died today. He was sixty-nine years old. He holds a unique place in cinema as in his performances from the Eighties to the present he has gained admiration and love from all types of movie goer. He has played some very memorable roles and had one of the unique voices. As a tribute we list some of our personal favourites.
Die Hard
Rickman came to international attention in the first, and best, of the Die Hard films. He positively oozes evil in the role of the fake terrorist Hans Gruber. He is almost a cartoon baddie with his European accent and his disdain for almost everyone who tries to stop him breaking the safe in the Nakatomi Plaza. He gets most of the best lines in the film and acts Bruce Willis off the screen in their scenes together. Easily the best bad guy role in the Eighties and arguably the best of modern times.
Truly Madly Deeply
After the success of Die Hard, Rickman returned to the stage and was only persuaded back in front of the camera for Anthony Minghella’s directorial debut. Here he plays Jamie the husband of Nina (Juliet Stevenson). The twist is that he has died and has returned to be with her. This is not a Patrick Swayze Ghost type movie.Jamie is a fully rounded person who has both good and bad points. It’s success brought Alan Rickman to a wider audience and laid the ground work for his later success.
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves
On the face of it, the film was a star vehicle for Kevin Costner but Alan Rickman gets all the plaudits for his role as The Sheriff of Nottingham. In his all black outfits and supported by a super creepy mother, he virtually chews the scenery and out acts everyone else including the nominated star of the movie. He has presence, attitude and great comic timing. The role cemented his reputation as the consummate bad guy and an A list star.
Harry Potter
It took some persuading on the part of J.K Rowling for Alan Rickman to take the part of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. fortunately he agreed to take the job and the result opened him up to a whole new audience. A sinister character again but a very different kind of personality. As Snape he exuded a quiet menace who conveyed more with a look than a sentence. Quite simply brilliant.
Galaxy Quest
A complete change of pace that showed just how good he was as a comedic actor. The film is a sly dig at the likes of the Star Trek TV show and the life of the actors who find it difficult leaving an iconic role behind. Rickman plays Alexander Dane, a classically trained actor who is the Alien first officer Dr. Lazarus. Always moaning about his lot, harking on about his past glories and refusing to do his famous line “By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!”, he is hugely entertaining and very, very funny. An unloved film on its initial release it has rightly become something of a cult favourite.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy
This movie gave Rickman the chance to use his unique vocal talents to the full. His voice performance as Marvin the paranoid android is just brilliant. It is one of those films, much like Galaxy quest, that took a bit of time to be fully appreciated. Rickman is perfectly classed as the robot with problems. His downbeat delivery steals the scenes he is featured in, which is no mean feat for a voice performance.
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