Alan Rickman

The iconic actor known for his deep voice and memorable roles from Die Hard to Harry Potter.

He was renowned for his deep and distinctive voice and received a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and an Actor Award.^[1] The English actor Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born in Brentford, London on 21 February 1946.^[1][2]

Last updated 2026-10-02 from the source article.

Quick Facts

Birth name: Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman
Born: 21 February 1946
Birthplace: Brentford, London, England
Died: 14 January 2016
Place of death: London, England
Education: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1974–2016

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Rickman grew up in Acton, London, and his father died of cancer when Rickman was eight years old.^[2][3] After working as a graphic designer, he studied at RADA from 1972 until 1974.^[4] His breakthrough role was as the Reverend Obadiah Slope in the BBC's The Barchester Chronicles in 1982.^[5] Between 1965 and 1968 Rickman studied at Chelsea College of Art and Design, then from 1968 to 1970 he attended the Royal College of Art.^[6]

What the cited sources add

The Guardian's tribute noted that Emma Thompson spoke of her immense sadness after kissing Rickman goodbye.^[7] Daniel Radcliffe wrote that Rickman was "one of the greatest actors I will ever work with" and "one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry"^[7] The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art stated that Rickman was elected to its Council in 1993 and acted as Vice-Chairman.^[8] The Independent reported that Rickman passed away surrounded by his family and friends in London.^[9]

CBS News noted that Rickman's "Harry Potter" co-stars and author J.K. Rowling paid tribute to him on social media.^[10]

References

Wikipedia, "Alan Rickman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Singer, "Oscars: the best actors never to have been nominated", The Guardian, 19 February 2009; "Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69", BBC News, 14 January 2016; Saul, "Alan Rickman: British actor died from 'pancreatic cancer'", The Independent, 15 January 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Alan Rickman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Alan Rickman, actor – obituary", The Daily Telegraph; Profile , biography.com. Retrieved 14 January 2016; Paton, "Alan Rickman: the unauthorised biography", Virgin, 1996; Paton, "Alan Rickman: the unauthorised biography", Virgin, 1996; "Alan Rickman & Helen McCrory: 'With us it's mostly about laughter and the odd Martini'". The Independent. Retrieved 16 January 2020; England & Wales births 1837–2006. Vol. 11A. p. 1224. Print.; England & Wales deaths 1837–2007. Birth, Marriage & Death (Parish Registers). District no. 6001F. Register. no. F en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Alan Rickman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Alan Rickman: Beguiling monster who made Cherie weak at the knees", The Independent; "Alan Rickman: Cinema's voice of honey-smooth villainy", The Sydney Morning Herald, 15 January 2016; "Alan Rickman Is a Corrupt Banker (in John Gabriel Borkman)", The Village Voice, 5 January 2011 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Alan Rickman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Interview: Evil Elegance", Alan-rickman.com; Staff, "Alan Rickman, 1946–2016", Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, 14 January 2016; Interview Alan Rickman , abouthp.free.fr. Retrieved 20 December 2007. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Alan Rickman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Alan Rickman: Beguiling monster who made Cherie weak at the knees", The Independent; Staff, "British actor Alan Rickman dies aged 69", RTÉ.ie, 14 January 2016; Shoard, "Alan Rickman, giant of British screen and stage, dies at 70", The Guardian, 14 January 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia, "Alan Rickman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Paton, "Alan Rickman: The Unauthorised Biography", Virgin Books; 2Rev Ed edition, 2003, p. 53; Royal College of Art Society, "Alan Rickman (1946 - 2016)", 12 March 2019; "THE DEVIL IN MR RICKMAN", btinternet.com; The RCA Journal: The Alan Rickman Issues. It's Nice That. 15 January 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.; Child's Play: Alan Rickman's 1970 Account of Murderous Children In An Inner-London Play Park. Flashbak. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Shoard, "'We are all so devastated': acting world pays tribute to Alan Rickman", The Guardian, 14 January 2016. facts only, no text reused. theguardian.com
Staff, "Alan Rickman, 1946–2016", Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, 14 January 2016. facts only, no text reused. rada.ac.uk
Saul, "Alan Rickman: British actor died from 'pancreatic cancer'", The Independent, 15 January 2016. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
Park, "Stars mourn Alan Rickman on social media", CBS News, 14 January 2016. facts only, no text reused. cbsnews.com

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Alan Rickman (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.