Happy Birthday To Alan Rickman

Happy Birthday to Alan Rickman, one of the most memorable actors we’ve ever seen and heard.

Alan Rickman was born this day of 1946 in London to Margaret and Bernard Rickman, making him of Welsh and Irish heritage. Alan has an older brother (David), a younger brother (Michael) and a younger sister (Shiela), according to the Internet Movie Database.

Alan Rickman, now 67, was in his 20s when he started out as a graphic design artist with his own company named Graphiti. After three years, Alan Rickman decided he wanted to be an actor. Rickman dropped everything and took up acting classes.

Over ten years later, Alan Rickman finally landed his first role in the play Liaisons Dangereuses, which drew so much critical acclaim that it was adapted into a major film. Unfortunately, Rickman’s role in the film had been given to John Malkovich.

Alan Rickman first got his break in acting with the Bruce Willis action mega-hit Die Hard, where his voice combined with his acting talent to make him instantly memorable. Alan Rickman was 42 at that point.

Since then, Alan Rickman has been in a slew of fan-favorite films such as Dogma, Galaxy Quest, and Sweeney Todd, even lending his voice to the robot in Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Alan Rickman is most famous for his voice, a soothing drawl that may take longer to say his lines, but we really don’t mind. If anything, it has spawned imitations on countless occasions, according to MTV.

Of course, the role we all know Alan Rickman for over the span of nearly ten years is Professor Snape in the ever famous Harry Potter films. J. K. Rowling had told Rickman that his character was in love with Lily (Harry Potter’s mother) before the final films were even made, to offer him perspective on his motivations.

As we wish Alan Rickman a Happy Birthday, which of his films do you most enjoy?

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— It’s Real for UsO-O¬ (@Emma_Daniel_Rup) February 23, 2013