If You Miss Alan Rickman, Watch Him In These 8 Iconic Roles
The world lost one of its finest actors when Alan Rickman passed away ten years ago this month. The Brentford-born star of stage and screen shuffled off our mortal coil on January 14, 2016, five days after David Bowie, and one month shy of his 70th birthday.
Just like with the former Ziggy Stardust, tributes to Rickman have been pouring out in the last few days, with former colleagues and friends remembering the roles he played (which kind of got me thinking about all the ones—Lear, Churchill—he never got the chance to. If you’re looking for a reminder of those talents, or maybe you’re looking for an Alan Rickman movie you might not have seen before, the list below contains eight of my favourite Rickman roles—not including Love Actually, obviously, as it’s January—as well as a guide to where to stream them.
1. Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 & 2 (2010-2011)
Naturally, newcomers to the Harry Potter universe should start from the beginning —the actor’s screentime as Severus Snape may vary across the wizarding franchise, but he does appear in every single instalment. For frequent Hogwarts visitors, however, feel free to skip forward to the end—Rickman’s time to really shine.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 & 2, both Harry and the audience get to finally learn the roots of the character’s heartache and downbeat temperament. We also get to see him bravely playing double agent in Voldemort’s ranks and delivering one of the great death scenes in cinema—you’re probably getting goosebumps just thinking about it.
2. Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988)
I remember being at a screening of Die Hard in my local community centre when I was about 15 years old, and the eruptive cheers from the crowd when Rickman first appeared on screen, emerging from the back of a truck in an Armani suit surrounded by similarly stylish Germans. If you like slick action movies from that era (like Speed and Black Rain, which were also shot by Jan de Bont), this is one of the best to ever do it.
Everything about Rickman’s performance as Hans Gruber is now iconic, from his delicious line readings—“Mr Takagi won’t be joining us for the rest of his life”—to the way he shapeshifts at different points to outsmart both McClane and the FBI. Indeed, he’s so charming and charismatic that you almost end up rooting for him. His final fall, filmed in memorable slow-mo, is a moment that even Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud of.
3. Sir Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest (1999)
For movie fans of a more sci-fi persuasion, Galaxy Quest is one of the most beloved satires of that enduring genre. The story follows the cast of a popular television series who get embroiled in a very real intergalactic war when the star of the show is mistakenly asked to lend a hand.
The movie quickly became a fan favourite for its smart and affectionate approach during a time when sci-fi fandom was more likely to be mocked than celebrated. This was just as apparent in the movie’s casting, with fan favourites like Sigourney Weaver (Alien), Tim Allen (Toy Story) and Tony Shalhoub (Men in Black) sharing top billing alongside Rickman’s Alexander Dane, a Shakespearian thespian who, of course, considers himself to be above it all.
4. Metatron in Dogma (1999)
Kevin Smith recently revealed that Rickman got the part in Dogma after the actor had reached out to him to praise him for what he’d achieved with Chasing Amy. Smith then offered him a role that allowed Rickman to not only don a hoodie and a dinner jacket (a late-90s combo that thankfully has yet to be revived), but also a pair of very handsome-looking angel wings.
The story follows Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Loki and Bartleby, two fallen angels looking to trick their way back into heaven. For once, Rickman isn’t the antagonist here, but his seen-it-all-before approach to playing Metatron gives the movie a touch of class. Think of it as Clerks meets The Devil’s Advocate, and you’ll have an idea of what’s in store.
5. Eamon de Valera in Michael Collins (1996)
Given Rickman’s natural abilities, it’s striking how few historical figures he played on screen. Might it be for the experience the actor had with Michael Collins? Neil Jordan’s big-budget epic—which covered the Irish struggle for independence at the start of the 20th century and the subsequent civil war—is mostly appreciated for its depictions of a pivotal moment in history, but the actor wasn’t entirely pleased with some of the poetic license Jordan took with the facts.
Regardless, both Liam Neeson (in the title role) and Rickman (as Eamon de Valera) are excellent in it, and the movie is still a riveting watch, despite Julia Roberts’ irregular Kerry accent. Naturally. If you appreciate Jordan’s earlier work on The Crying Game and Interview With the Vampire, check it out.
6. Jamie in Truly Madly Deeply (1990)
If you like Anthony Minghella’s work (think The English Patient and Talented Mr Ripley), I recommend going back to watch Truly Madly Deeply, his breakout work from 1990, if you haven’t seen it before. It’s about a woman (played by Juliet Stevenson) who loses her lover (a cellist played by Rickman) only to have him return to her as a ghost.
It’s a schmalzy setup for a film that manages to stay in on the joke—and don’t worry, unlike another movie released that year, you’ll find no sexy pottery-making here. What you will find is two actors with lovely chemistry—enough that both were nominated for BAFTAs just as their writer-director booked his one-way ticket to Hollywood.
7. Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Without even counting the Harry Potter movies, Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson shared many experiences over the years as both friends and colleagues, with Thompson even starring in The Winter Guest, Rickman’s debut film as director, and memorably (and heartbreakingly) playing his partner in Love Actually.
They’d known each other for years through the British theatre scene, but only appeared together on screen for the first time in Ang Lee’s gorgeous adaptation of Sense and Sensibility in 1995—a movie in which Rickman’s Colonel Brandon has to patiently wait for Thompson’s Marianne Dashwood to fall in love with him. If you like Pride and Prejudice and Little Women, check it out.
8. Marvin in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
If, like me, you find that nasally voice strangely reassuring, Rickman’s casting as Marvin the Paranoid Android in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is about as perfect a vocal performance as you could ask for.
It’s fair to say that diehard fans of Douglas Adams’ iconic books were not unanimously in favour of director Garth Jennings’ adaptation of the material, but nobody at the time had a bad word to say about Rickman’s efforts. If you appreciate him for Galaxy Quest and enjoy the humour of Doctor Who, this one is more than worth seeking out.
