Never give up. Never surrender.
Beloved British stage and screen actor Alan Rickman has died in London at age 69. At the time of his death, friends and family were with him. He had been battling cancer.
Rickman had a long, and storied career in both theater and Hollywood films. Perhaps his most memorable roles are Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest, and of course, Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.
Many who have worked with Rickman offered their condolences on social media, including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man.
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 14, 2016
Daniel Radcliffe wrote a moving and poignant tribute to his late co-star you can read here. Among other wonderful things, he calls Rickman “one of the loyalest and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry.”
On a personal note, and as kid who grew up with Harry Potter, there has yet to be a literary character so well realized in film as Rickman’s performance as Snape. While his appearance matched just what my young mind imagined, it was Rickman’s acting that so vividly brought this fantastic character to life. For myself, and perhaps many others, Rickman’s performance not only exemplifies the magic of Harry Potter, but also the magic of film, and imagination.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with Rickman’s family and friends.
