Fans are reminiscing about their favorite performances from iconic star Alan Rickman. The actor, who is best known for playing the Harry Potter movies’ Snape, has held a wide variety of roles over the past several decades. The Emmy-winning star passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2016.
Today’s Google Doodle honors Alan Rickman on the 36th anniversary of the role that helped make him a star. The actor was already in his early 40s when he starred as Vicomte de Valmont in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses, a role that helped him get cast as the villainous Hans Gruber in Die Hard – his first film role – and more or less instantly become an international star. In honor of the Doodle, fans online have been sharing their favorite Rickman performances. Check out the Doodle and various reactions below:
There Was No Genre That Alan Rickman Couldn’t Do
Although Harry Potter is a fantasy that feels very different from Die Hard‘s high-octane action atmosphere, it’s easy to draw a direct line between Hans Gruber and Severus Snape. Both characters are sneering villains who harness Rickman’s gravity, deep voice, and magnetic screen presence. However, over the years the actor applied his skills to many other genres and excelled at them all.
Because of his iconic intensity, the actor found himself starring in many dramas, both period and otherwise. Roles that fall more in line with his breakout Les Liaisons Dangereuses performance include playing Colonel Brandon in the Jane Austen adaptation Sense and Sensibility and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. However, he also had a great facility with comedy, whether it be a dramedy like Love, Actually or an outright goofy project like Galaxy Quest 1999.
Alan Rickman brought his inimitable sparkle to many other less-common genres as well. This includes musicals (Sweeney Todd), westerns (Quigley Down Under), and sci-fi (The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). While he has passed on, the tremendous legacy he lives behind will continue to honor his skill and his commitment to his craft.
Source: Various (see above)
