Hollywood has lost another icon.
British actor Alan Rickman, most known for roles including Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in Harry Potter, passed away this morning at the age of 69 from cancer. Members of his family said that he was surrounded by family and friends at the time of his passing.
Members of the film community have mourned for the loss of Rickman. Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling tweeted about him. Hermoine actress Emma Watson posted on Facebook. Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe himself posted a lengthy post on Google Plus on the late actor’s impact on his life.
“As an actor, he was one of the first of the adults on Potter to treat me like a peer rather than a child,” Radcliffe wrote. “Working with him at such a formative age was incredibly important and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career.”
In his lifetime, Rickman has acted in over 68 films and has won numerous accolades, including a screen actors guild award for his performance in “Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.” In honor of him, let’s remember him not as an iconic movie supervillian, but as a talented actor and a good man who held a passionate love for cinema, broadway, and acting.
Rest in peace, Alan Rickman.
– David Dunn
SOURCE: New York Daily News, Reuters
DAVID DUNN 