R.I.P Alan Rickman.

What a sad start to 2016.

First, we lose David Bowie and now Alan Rickman.

He was only 69 and he has died of cancer.. weirdly, the same age and death as David Bowie! As far as I know, this is a major shock to everybody as no one knew he was suffering from that dreadful disease. He's always been a very private celebrity but a very much loved one. He is easily one of the best British actors we've ever had in both film and theatre over the past 30 years.

For me personally, I've watched him in so many films from a young age to now in my 20s. Characters that stood out to me are a mixture of Rickman's ability to play evil characters as well as normal, innocent ones. The earliest one I can remember has to be Hans Gruber, Bruce Willis's vile adversary in Die Hard. 

I loved the early Die Hard films but I obviously watched the first one years and years after it was released (I was only born in 1994!) but it still blew me away. Funny, vile yet charming Rickman played Gruber with ease and it was wonderful to watch. I also loved him in Love Actually with another amazing British actor Emma Thompson, as the Caterpillar in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Dogma and in Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp which I know not everyone liked… but I did!

But I think the most standout character for me and for others in the younger generation, it has to be Professor Snape from the Harry Potter films.

If you are a fan of the Harry Potter films and books like me, you will have grown up with those characters, Snape being one of them. Playing one of the most horrible yet complex and misunderstood characters, Alan Rickman brought Snape to life and played him like no one else. 

Safe to say, I am shocked and heartbroken he is gone. Every year when I was very young, me and my brother got excited every time JK Rowling brought out the next instalment of the books. Then when the films were coming out, my school took us to see the newest film in the series every single year before half term and that is easily one of my fondest memories of school. I grew up with the character Snape and Alan Rickman's acting, so it's sad to see such an icon leave us.

We are luckiest generation to have had great people like David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Whitney Huston, Michael Jackson etc. be in the same lifetime as us but we also have the misfortune of having them pass away during our lifetime too..

Are there any films you remember Alan Rickman in?

Leave your thoughts and comments below!

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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