Alan Rickman Height, Weight, Age, Spouse, Family, Facts, Biography

Alan Rickmanwas an English director and actor who attracted a legion of young fans with his portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series (2001-2011). Although he began his acting career on stage in 1976, he found immense popularity in television and films as well. Rickmans rich quality of voice and slow style

Alan Rickman Quick Info
Height6 ft 1 in
Weight78 kg
Date of BirthFebruary 21, 1946
Zodiac SignPisces
SpouseRima Horton

Alan Rickman was an English director and actor who attracted a legion of young fans with his portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series (2001-2011). Although he began his acting career on stage in 1976, he found immense popularity in television and films as well. Rickman’s rich quality of voice and slow style of dialogue delivery gave all his performances a trademark appeal. With a career spanning 40 years, Alan essayed a variety of memorable characters like the evil monk Rasputin in the television film Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), which won him several awards, and Vicomte de Valmont in the stage play Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1987). Sadly, his illustrious career came to an end on January 14, 2016, when he died of pancreatic cancer. He was married to Rima Horton at the time of his death.

Born Name

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman

Nick Name

Alan

Age

Alan was born on February 21, 1946.

Died

Alan passed away at the age of 69 on January 14, 2016, from pancreatic cancer in London, England, United Kingdom.

Sun Sign

Pisces

Born Place

Hammersmith, London, England, United Kingdom

Nationality

English

Education

Alan studied at the Derwentwater Primary School, situated in Acton. Also, he attended Latymer Upper School on a scholarship and graduated with science A-levels.

Furthermore, he got enrolled at the Chelsea College of Art and Design from 1965 to 1968 and the Royal College of Art (1968-1970) to study graphic design. He then decided to pursue an acting career and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1972 till 1974.

Occupation

Actor, Director

Family

  • Father – Bernard William Rickman (World War II Aircraft Fitter, Factory Worker, House Decorator & Painter) (Died in 1954 from lung cancer)
  • Mother – Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett) (Housewife) (Died in 1997)
  • Siblings – David Bernard Rickman (Older Brother) (Graphic Designer), Michael Keith Rickman (Younger Brother) (Tennis Coach & District Councillor in Leicestershire), Sheila J. Innes (Younger Sister)
  • Others – Henry/Harry Rickman (Paternal Grandfather), Mary Kathleen Collins (Paternal Grandmother), John Bartlett (Maternal Grandfather), Lily Amelia Tamblyn (Maternal Grandmother), Kenneth W.J. Edginton (Stepfather), Christine J. Rickman (née Morrissey) (Sister-in-law) (Wife of David), John M. Innes (Brother-in-law) (Husband of Sheila), Claire L. Innes (Niece) (Daughter of Sheila), Amelia Margaret “Amy” Innes (Niece) (Daughter of Sheila), Sarah Melanie Hodges (née Rickman) (Niece) (Daughter of David), Elice Irene “Elsie” Horton (née Frame) (Mother-in-law), Wilfrid Horton (Father-in-law)

Manager

From 2013, Alan was represented by ICM Partners.

Genre

Soundtrack

Instruments

Vocals

Labels

Unsigned

Build

Slim

Height

6 ft 1 in or 185.5 cm

Weight

78 kg or 172 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Alan had dated –

  • Rima Horton (1965-2016) – Alan met Rima Horton when they were both students at the Chelsea College of Arts in 1965. They quickly fell in love and began dating when Rickman was 19 and Rima was 18 years old. The couple lived together in London since 1977 and Rima worked as a Labour Party councilor as well as an economics lecturer at Kingston University. The longtime partners tied the knot in 2012 in a low-key ceremony in New York City. Rickman revealed the details of their secret wedding in 2015, stating that he presented his wife with a $200 wedding ring and that the super-private couple celebrated their nuptials by taking a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and eating lunch thereafter. The couple stayed together for more than 50 years till Rickman’s passing in 2016 and had no children together.

    • Race / Ethnicity

    White

    He was of English, Irish, and Welsh descent.

    Hair Color

    Dark Blonde

    However, his hair had turned gray due to his advancing age.

    Eye Color

    Hazel

    Sexual Orientation

    Straight

    Distinctive Features

    • Rich, smooth voice
    • Striking smile

    Shoe Size

    12 (US) or 45 (EU) or 11 (UK)

    Religion

    Alan came from a mixed religious heritage. His father was Roman Catholic and his mother was a Methodist.

    However, he never spoke about his personal religious affiliations in his later life.

    Best Known For

    • Portraying memorable villains like Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in the acclaimed Harry Potter series
    • Having a long-standing career in films, television, and stage which helped build his reputation as one of the best actors of his generation

    As a Singer

    Alan performed the song The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore in the film Truly Madly Deeply in 1990.

    First Film

    In 1985, Alan made his theatrical film debut in the David Hare-directed mystery drama Wetherby. However, his role as a TV commentator was uncredited.

    His first credited theatrical film performance took place in 1988’s action thriller film Die Hard where he played the German terrorist Hans Gruber against Bruce Willis.

    First TV Show

    He made his first TV show appearance as Tybalt in BBC Television’s adaptation of Romeo & Juliet in 1978.

    Alan Rickman Favorite Things

    • Film Of 1997 – Chasing Amy

    Source – IMDb

    Alan Rickman Facts

  • Before pursuing acting full-time, Alan held several different jobs which included co-founding the Notting Hill Herald newspaper as well as opening his own design studio. Additionally, he also worked as a dresser for Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir Nigel Hawthorne while studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the early 70s.
  • After graduating as a graphic designer, Rickman launched his own graphic design studio called Graphiti with the help of his friends. Three years later, he gave up his successful business to become a serious actor.
  • Rickman rejected the role of Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) twice before accepting the part. He changed his mind after being given complete artistic freedom to play the character as he deemed fit.
  • His portrayal of the villain Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Hans Gruber in Die Hard earned him two spots in Empire Magazine’s 2018 list of “The Greatest Villains Of All Time” at number 14 and number 4 respectively.
  • A sound engineer, two researchers, and a linguist found a combination of the voices of actor Jeremy Irons and Alan Rickman to be the perfect male voice after studying a sample of 50 male voices.
  • Rickman was godfather to actor Tom Burke, whose father David Burke was good friends with Rickman.
  • He served as best man at the wedding of director Dexter Fletcher (of the Rocketman fame) to Dalia Ibelhauptaite in 1997.
  • In August 2000, he appeared in the music video of In Demand by the Scottish pop-rock band Texas.
  • Rickman was offered the role of Bond villain Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye (1995), which he refused as he did not want to play another negative character. The role eventually went to Sean Bean.
  • J. K. Rowling had written the character of Severus Snape with Rickman in mind. However, it was only after the studio’s preferred choice Tim Roth turned it down to star in the Planet of the Apes (2001), that Alan was offered the part.
  • In August 2015, Alan was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he passed away on January 14, 2016, in London. His body was cremated on February 3, 2016, and the ashes were received by his wife Rima Horton.
  • Following Alan’s death, many people from the film community came forward to express their condolences. Among them were fellow actors Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Sir Ian McKellen, J. K. Rowling, Emma Thompson, and many more.
  • In honor of his Harry Potter character, his fans constructed a memorial below the ‘Platform 9¾’ sign at London King’s Cross railway station.
  • Rickman’s death occurred 4 days after the passing of fellow English icon David Bowie who died on January 10, 2016. Bowie suffered from liver cancer, which was hidden from the public and died at the age of 69, the same age as Rickman.
  • Alan was a member of the Artistic Advisory and Training committees and Development Board as well as the vice-chairman of his alma mater, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
  • He was a patron of Saving Faces, a facial surgery research foundation in the UK. Additionally, he was also the honorary president of the charity organization International Performers’ Aid Trust, which provides financial aid for performing artists from all over the globe.
  • According to his will, Alan left £25,000 each to 4 charities – Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Saving Faces, International Performers Aid Trust, and Sponsored Arts for Education. He also bequeathed £25,000 to each of his three nieces.
  • Alan Rickman was not on social media.

    • Featured Image by Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia / CC BY 2.0

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