History Creator / AlanRickman

* RealLife/MeanCharacterNiceActor: Look through his filmography on {{IMDb}}. It includes [[MagnificentBastard Hans]] [[Film/DieHard Gruber]], [[Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves The Sheriff of Nottingham]], [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Alexander]] [[Film/GalaxyQuest Dane]], and [[{{Jerkass}} Severus]] [[Film/HarryPotter Snape]] and Rasputin, who is... ''Rasputin''. Off-screen, Rickman is a low-key, modest man who stays out of the limelight, avoids the paparazzi, and when it comes to his fans, he's a giant freaking teddy bear, quick with the jokes and hugs.

Also while Severus Snape in the ''Film/HarryPotter'' films is meant to be a [[JerkassWoobie sympathetic bastard with a not so happy past]] for some reason, people keep feeling sorry for him and see him [[TheWoobie as a normal guy who just need a hug]] regardless and well as feeling [[DracoInLeatherPants a few other things]]. Technically not a villain! Sort of. A little bit.

He played Colonel Brandon in a film adaptation of ''Film/SenseAndSensibility''. He was the Metatron, the voice of Almighty God, in ''{{Dogma}}'' (appearing first on screen while on fire is certainly interesting), a role which he took after being a fan of Creator/KevinSmith's ''Chasing Amy'' but which he took with one strict condition: don't change anything in the script. He was also the voice of Marvin in the 2005 film version of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. In 1999 he starred in ''Film/GalaxyQuest'', where he played a Shakespearean actor who refused to say a line beginning with "[[Film/GalaxyQuest By Grabthar's hammer]]". In 2003, he played a caring yet utterly deadpan office boss who may or may not have [[LoveActually had an affair with his assistant]]. That one wasn't that interesting though. He will also soon be seen playing RonaldReagan in ''[[Film/TheButler Lee Daniels' The Butler]]''

* {{Adorkable}}: Despite his usual characters, Rickman is off-screen very sweet, friendly and klutzy.
* BadassBass
* ChronicallyKilledActor

* TheDeterminator: Didn't start acting until he was nearly thirty, put himself through school by working as a dresser and endured years of small roles before hitting it big.

* OlderThanHeLooks: He's in his late sixties. Seriously.
* SilverFox

* OlderThanHeLooks: He's in his sixties. Seriously.

After doing the standard English Man In Hollywood origin full of Shakespeare, theatre and single episode spots on the television, Alan Rickman managed to move over to the USA by serving his revenge cold as the Vicomte de Valmont (a very interesting man with some questionable morals) in ''[[Literature/DangerousLiaisons Les Liaisons Dangereuses]]'' on Broadway. He also starred in TrulyMadlyDeeply, a cultured version of {{Ghost}}. Then his first big screen role was the lovable MagnificentBastard Hans Gruber in ''Film/DieHard'' who set up a BatmanGambit in order to steal 600 million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds. He had to kill a few people to get the money which was certainly not very nice but he did so with memorable {{Bond One Liner}}s, and personally ad-libbed the infamous "Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."

->''I don't play villains, I play [[InsistentTerminology very interesting]] [[NotEvilJustMisunderstood people]].''

For someone who doesn't play villains, he is very very good at it.

* LargeHam: In addition to being [[RunningGage very interesting people]], his roles also frequently tend to be this.

* BadassBaritone/BadassBass

* BadassBaritone

There is also [[LargeHam the pantomime villain]] Sheriff of Nottingham in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'', who proved to be a better thief than that Costner fellow by stealing every scene he was in. Deliciously villainous and by far the most very interesting character in the movie. (As one viewer put it, Rickman seemed to be in a different movie than anyone else in the cast, and she would have preferred to see that movie.)

* Adorkable: Despite his usual characters, Rickman is off-screen very sweet, friendly and klutzy.

* DramaticPause: Is...a...big...''fan''.

* ThoseTwoActors: With EmmaThompson

* OlderThanTheyLook: This is an image of him from a promo for ''Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 2 (2011)'': http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/16700000/Deathly-Hallows-Wallpaper-rip-severus-snape-16729987-1920-1200.jpg. He was sixty-five years old at the time!

* ThoseTwoActors: With EmmaThompson

He played Colonel Brandon in a film adaptation of ''Film/SenseAndSensibility''. He was the Metatron, the voice of Almighty God, in ''{{Dogma}}'' (appearing first on screen while on fire is certainly interesting), a role which he took after being a fan of Creator/KevinSmith's ''Chasing Amy'' but which he took with one strict condition: don't change anything in the script. He was also the voice of Marvin in the 2005 film version of ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''. In 1999 he starred in ''Film/GalaxyQuest'', where he played a Shakespearean actor who refused to say a line beginning with "[[Film/GalaxyQuest By Grabthar's hammer]]". In 2003, he played a caring yet utterly deadpan office boss who may or may not have [[LoveActually had an affair with his assistant]]. That one wasn't that interesting though.

->''I don't play villains, I play [[NotEvilJustMisunderstood very interesting people]].''

* TheBigGuy: Thanks to his height (6'1") and his big-boned build, he's almost always the biggest person in a scene. It also explains why he's still such a great candidate to play Snape; ten years on and he's ''still'' intimidating when standing next to [[PrettyBoy little cutie]] DanielRadcliffe.
* BrilliantButLazy: Despite being a prefect at Latymer Upper School, he didn't do so well in college. Until he went back for his Drama degree. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Then he won every acting award RADA offered.]]

* DeadpanSnarker

* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: Bottle Shock. Also, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mTHqyNe9MA this clip]] of him singing a short song in French has the uploader comment "I have no idea what he is saying, but it is the most beautiful thing I have ever heard".
* EvilBrit: Resisted being [[TypeCasting typecast]] as a villain with an English accent. With quite a bit of success, it must be said.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor: Look through his filmography on {{IMDb}}. It includes [[MagnificentBastard Hans]] [[Film/DieHard Gruber]], [[Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves The Sheriff of Nottingham]], [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Alexander]] [[Film/GalaxyQuest Dane]], and [[{{Jerkass}} Severus]] [[Film/HarryPotter Snape]] and Rasputin, who is... ''Rasputin''. Off-screen, Rickman is a low-key, modest man who stays out of the limelight, avoids the paparazzi, and when it comes to his fans, he's a giant freaking teddy bear, quick with the jokes and hugs.

->''I don't play villains, I play very interesting people.''

After doing the standard English Man In Hollywood origin full of Shakespeare, theatre and single episode spots on the television, Alan Rickman managed to move over to the USA by serving his revenge cold as the Vicomte de Valmont (a very interesting man with some villainous qualities) in ''[[Literature/DangerousLiaisons Les Liaisons Dangereuses]]'' on Broadway. He also starred in TrulyMadlyDeeply, a cultured version of {{Ghost}}. Then his first big screen role was the lovable MagnificentBastard Hans Gruber in ''Film/DieHard'' who set up a BatmanGambit in order to steal 600 million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds. He had to kill a few people to get the money which was certainly not very nice but he did so with memorable {{Bond One Liner}}s, and personally ad-libbed the infamous "Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."

-->''When Alan glimpsed the breadth of his article, he wept, for there were no more Tropes to conquer.''

There is also [[LargeHam the pantomime villain]] Sheriff of Nottingham in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'', who proved to be a better thief than that Costner fellow by stealing every scene he was in. Deliciously villainous and by far the most very interesting character in the movie. (As my wife put it, Rickman seemed to be in a different movie than anyone else in the cast, and she would have preferred to see that movie.)

There is also [[LargeHam the pantomime villain]] Sheriff of Nottingham in ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'', who proved to be a better thief than that Costner fellow by stealing every scene he was in. Deliciously villainous and by far the most very interesting character in the movie.

After doing the standard English Man In Hollywood origin full of Shakespeare, theatre and single episode spots on the television, Alan Rickman managed to move over to the USA by serving his revenge cold as the Vicomte de Valmont (a very interesting man with some villainous qualities) in ''[[Literature/DangerousLiaisons Les Liaisons Dangereuses]]'' on Broadway. He also starred in TrulyMadlyDeeply, a cultured version of {{Ghost}} Then his first big screen role was the lovable MagnificentBastard Hans Gruber in ''Film/DieHard'' who set up a BatmanGambit in order to steal 600 million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds. He had to kill a few people to get the money which was certainly not very nice but he did so with memorable {{Bond One Liner}}s, and personally ad-libbed the infamous "Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."

After doing the standard English Man In Hollywood origin full of Shakespeare, theatre and single episode spots on the television, Alan Rickman managed to move over to the USA by serving his revenge cold as the Vicomte de Valmont (a very interesting man with some villainous qualities) in ''[[Literature/DangerousLiaisons Les Liaisons Dangereuses]]'' on Broadway. Then his first big screen role was the lovable MagnificentBastard Hans Gruber in ''Film/DieHard'' who set up a BatmanGambit in order to steal 600 million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds. He had to kill a few people to get the money which was certainly not very nice but he did so with memorable {{Bond One Liner}}s, and personally ad-libbed the infamous "Mr. Takagi did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life."