Alan Rickman, versatile actor known for playing Snape in Harry Potter, dies at 69
Actor Alan Rickman died in London at the age of 69, his family confirmed on Thursday. Rickman had been suffering from cancer, The Guardian reports.
A giant of British theater and commanding personality on screen, Rickman never won an Oscar, although he did have a Golden Globe, an Emmy, and a BAFTA under his belt. While considered a snub by his fans, Rickman, said in 2008 that "parts win prizes, not actors." In regards to his art, Rickman once said that he believed talent to be "an accident of genes and responsibility."
Rickman was perhaps best known in the United States for his roles as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Professor Snape in Harry Potter. However, his very British manner was immediately recognizable on screen in any role — and worthy of imitation, which did not go unnoticed by Rickman himself. Watch him confront Jimmy Fallon about it, below. Jeva Lange
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