Alan Rickman: A life in pictures
Rickman was a dresser before finding work with the Royal Shakespeare Company
Alan Rickman, who has died aged 69 after suffering from cancer, will be best remembered for his remarkable career in film and on stage.
He began his acting career at the age of 41 when he played Hans Gruber, the villain to Bruce Willis’ character in Die Hard in 1988.
Prior to acting, Rickman who hails from a working-class London family, was a dresser.
After finding work with the Royal Shakespeare company appeared on stage playing Le Vicomte in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1986 for which he garnered a Tony award nomination.
Six years later he won an Emmy and Golden Globe for playing Rasputin in the 1995 mini-series.
He would later go on to attract a different calibre of fans due to his portrayal of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise.
Rickman is survived by his wife Rima Horton who he married in 2012, the pair met as teenagers.
Rickman will feature in two films later this year, as the voice of the Blue Caterpillar in Alice Through The Looking Glass and Eye In The Sky alongside Dame Helen Mirren.
Additional reporting by the Press Association.
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