Alan Rickman: Hollywood's Underrated Villain | Full Biography (Harry Potter, Die Hard, Robin Hood)

when I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair I'll be reading Harry Potter my family will say to me after all this time and I will say always he did not live to see his 80th birthday but managed to leave behind dozens of diverse memorable roles the roles of cold-blooded and cunning Hans Gruber the depraved Sheriff of Nottingham the noble Colonel Brandon the tragic Severus Snape are only a small part of his creative Legacy Alan Rickman was constantly trying to impose the role of the villain but in every project he proved that he could play anyone with the same success why did he want to quit filming Harry Potter who criticized his voice and what is the secret of his long relationship with Rima Horton today on the biographer Channel we will tell you the story of one of the kindest most educated and talented actors of our time [Music] Alan's Sydney Patrick Rickman was born on February 21st 1946 in West London his parents are representatives of the working class his father Bernard Rickman worked as an aircraft mechanic during World War II and then as an artist and decorator and his mother Margaret sang wonderfully but did not follow the creative path deciding to devote herself to raising their four children in addition to Alan the couple had two more sons and a daughter these were difficult post-war times they had to skimp on everything the family was quite poor but Alan recalled his early years were happy it was not deprived of Parental warmth and support well if you're loved and cherished by your family then that's kind of all you remember Ellen's interest in the theater was already evident at that time he first appeared on stage back in primary school when he was about seven years old for whatever reason I was given the title role in it you know amazing that it sticks in your mind the title role in a play called King grizzly bear and uh and I remember actually I remember my mother cutting out a triangle out of a carpet and that was stuck on my chin the Happy Times lasted until his father died of lung cancer in 1954. Allen was only eight years old at the time and the incident deeply shocked him the death of the Soul Breadwinner was a terrible blow for the rickmans Margaret had to shoulder the entire burden of responsibility for the four children it wasn't easy Allen's siblings were nine seven and five years old accordingly they could do little to help the mother but they tried very hard according to Alan they were brought up knowing how to make a fire and knowing how to iron a shirt Margaret had to find cheaper housing for herself and the children and get a job at the post office she was a tigress she could do anything she had various jobs she got trained in various others she always reinvented herself Margaret remarried in 1960 when Allen was 14 but the marriage lasted only three years looking at his mother Allen realized that he would have to rely on his own strength in this life therefore he studied hard trying to become the best student in the class his efforts were not in vain Allen managed to get a scholarship from the elite London School Latimer there was a huge drama tradition thanks to which Allen appeared in several school productions however at that time he was not going to devote his whole life to this Rickman was also an active member of the art Department drawing brought him great pleasure when as an adult Alan was asked if there was a movie that inspired him to become an actor he replied I remember the school Cinema Club it was full of things like the titfield Thunderbolt by the way his famous velvety voice was a result of the fact that Alan was born with a jaw tension this meant that he could not move his lower jaw properly which made his words sound muffled and indistinct in childhood this speech defect even required treatment over time Rickman learned to turn this defect into his advantage so his passion for the theater did not affect his choice of educational institution arguing that dramatic art did not seem to him a practical Choice Rickman entered the Chelsea College of Art and Design certainly in England there's a lot of pressure on people to decide exactly what they're going to be when they're 16 and or even 18. I had not a clue all I know is that with hindsight the art school bit of me got brought back down off the shelf when I started to direct at the same time he began working as a designer for the newspaper Notting Hill Herald and wrote articles for the ark College magazine in retrospect being at the RCA was like walking across a necessary bridge to the rest of my working life but the scene continued to beckon out so he joined the amateur drama club group Court here Allen Not only got the opportunity to once again show his acting potential but also found the love of his life in 1965 at the age of 19 he met 18 year old Rhema Horton the young woman who was also fond of theater and had been playing on stage since school days the two quickly found a Common Language and started dating for Alan Rima became the first woman and as it turned out the only one it took a whole 12 years before they decided to live together as a family while Alan was taking his first steps towards acting Rima was building a career in politics and later began teaching economics at Kingston University in 1977 they moved in together there remained a strong couple for more than five decades after graduating from college Rickman along with his friends decided to create a design Bureau in SoHo called graffiti the team consisted of designers and illustrators who worked on magazine layouts and illustrations advertising book and album covers but the organization did not live long as Allen once said they learned quickly that they had to pay their bills immediately whether the same rule did not apply to their clients meanwhile his love of the stage outweighed all other hobbies and at the age of 26 Rickman decided to enter the Royal Academy of dramatic art all I really remember from that time is exactly where the letterbox was in London where I posted that letter saying please can I have a form for auditioning and I absolutely remember posting it there was an inevitability about me being an actor since about the age of seven but there were other roads that had to be traveled first he once said a voice in the head saying it's time to do it no excuses Rickman auditioned twice to get a royal scholarship because he had no money to study and he got what he wanted during his studies such Awards as the Emily letter prize the Forbes Robertson prize and the Bancroft gold medal got into the piggy bank of the aspiring actor but it was not without problems his voice was criticized by his teachers at the Academy now it's hard to believe because many are crazy about his unusual Tammer but the fact remains according to Alan it took a lot of time and classes to get his diction in order that I had very lazy diction that I had a soft palate and that as I was saying to you my voice teacher said you sound as if your voice is coming out of the back end of a drain pipe since you could not completely change his voice there was only one option left to turn a disadvantage into his advantage so Alan did it subsequently he admitted that he had simply accepted what he had well it's what I'm stuck with so it's not like I can go and get another one also I didn't hear what anybody else hears so it's always a bit of a shock in parallel with his studies Allen earned his living by working as a costume designer for sir Nigel Hawthorne and Sir Ralph Richardson famous British actors looking from behind the scenes at the stage where his idols performed he patiently waited until one day he could also be on the other side foreign [Music] but the theater world wasn't in a hurry to embrace the newcomer after graduating from the academy he played in small London and provincial theaters for several years hoping to gain a foothold in the industry it seems to me that even if you decide to achieve something and train hard then in the end you will still be out of work for a long time I was no exception in 1978 Rickman was lucky enough to get a job offer at the prestigious Royal Shakespeare company but he didn't stay there for long the work depressed Alan it's a factory he said later it has to be it's all about product endlessly churned out not sufficiently about process they don't look after the young actors people are dropping like flies doing too many shows at once there ought to be someone who helps them develop after one theatrical season Rickman in his own words ran screaming from the Royal Shakespeare company well to me it became you know there's a there's a rude definition of acting I forget which of which of the English actors was that coined it but he called it shouting in the dark he continued to wander to various Repertory theaters where he honed his skills at the same time Rickman tried to play on the small screen for the first time in 1978 he played the role of tibbled in a play Romeo and Juliet for BBC and in 1982 he starred in the TV series Smiley's people and a barchester Chronicles despite the criticism of the royal Shakespeare company in 1985 Rickman returned there but with a specific goal to play a role that playwright Christopher Hampton had developed specifically for him it was this role that became a breakthrough for the actor Rickman played the vikomte de Valmont and the 1985 production of Lei liaison's danger russis based on the 18th century French novel of the same name Allen was able to transfix not only the viewer Hampton said but he also seemed to have a kind of hypnotic effect on the people he was playing his scenes with the production was an incredible success and the predatory and dissolute Viscount performed by Alan was its main decoration rickman's co-star Lindsey Duncan once stated that audiences would leave the theater wanting to have sex and preferably with Alan Rickman he was so good that the audience began to buy posters with the image of his hero in advance thus posters for the performance became an additional source of income for the theater I are closing every step she tries to take away from the inevitable conclusion brings her a little closer to it helps and appears passion and suspension even if you're in the theater what more could you ask in 1986 the production moved from Stratford upon Yvonne to the West End and a year later Allen appeared in His image on Broadway rickman's efforts were appreciated not only by the audience but also by critics he was awarded with nominations for the Tony award and Drama Desk award the actor also received the New York critics Circle award it was this role that attracted the attention of Hollywood the actor was noticed and invited to the film which paved his way to a big movie foreign Rickman was offered to play Hans Gruber the antagonist in the action movie Die Hard just two days after his arrival in Los Angeles not everyone knows but the actor almost refused the role I read it and I said what the hell is this I'm not doing an action movie at the same time the actor was captivated by the wit of the script and the progressive storyline which still stands out among other action movies so he decided to take a chance at the time when Alec Rickman was approved for the role he was 41. I got die hard because I came cheap Rickman admitted afterwards they were paying Willis 7 million dollars so they had to find people they could pay nothing well whatever the motives of The Producers they did not lose with the selection of an actor for the role of a cold calculating villain despite his lack of experience working on action movies meticulous Allen decided to contribute to the development of the character he thought Gruber should wear his suit instead of the typical terrorist outfit in addition it was his idea to add a scene in which Gruber pretended to be a hostage the actor outlined his proposals to producer Joel Silver I kind of got the Joel Silver get the hell out of here you'll wear what you're told and then I came back and they handed me the new script by the way it is very iconic that it was the role of a terrorist that made him famous in Hollywood because the actor didn't tolerate any weapon every time he had to pull the trigger during filming Rickman involuntarily flinched you can't stop yourself [Laughter] in the end director John mctiernan was forced to redo some scenes that is why in the film rigman's character shoots a pistol only once all sorts of people ask me why I wanted to be in a movie like die hard it was a big holiday for me because I didn't have to go on stage every night it was also something I'd never done before and I like all that in life they say that on the set he flatly refused to throw the heroine Bonnie Bedelia on the floor believing that violence against a woman was unacceptable but at the same time he improvised very often endowing his negative hero with many charismatic traits one of the most striking scenes of the film is the fall of Gruber from a skyscraper few people know but the Fright on his face is quite real the fall scene was filmed in The Pavilion on the chroma key and they said to her to me um well you know we could do it on the back of your head and we could put a double in not in your head the back of somebody dressed up like using or and then they started to look very hopeful oh we could do it on your face and then but the thing is that it was so dangerous uh I I just immediately as an actor thought that'll be a good shot Rickman had to fall backwards from a height of six meters on the safety mats it was the last scene I shot in the film well if it kills him we've got at the same time the director was afraid that the trick did not scare the actor enough and the horror on the hero's face would not turn out as natural as they would like therefore he persuaded the team to push the actor not on the count of three as agreed naturally Rickman was slightly surprised when he fell down without warning subsequently a couple more takes were made but in the film we see exactly the one where mctiernan pranked poor Allen in truth no one expected die hard to be a big success the initial reviews did not add confidence to the creators either Willis's brutality plot and acting were criticized only mctiernan's Direction and rickman's work were praised however soon the box office once again confirmed that it was not always worth listening to critics Die Hard grossed about 140 million dollars becoming the 10th highest grossing film of the year and the highest grossing action movie Die Hard made Willis an icon of action movies and Rickman a new star in the Hollywood firmament the action movie did not claim the status of a cult but eventually became one everything turned out to be organic in it a vulnerable comical hero whom you empathize with a tense plot and of course a smart Charming antagonist now Die Hard is considered one of the greatest action films in cinema and it deserved it do you agree have you watched iHeart and how do you feel about it share your opinion about this movie in the comments we read everything and like the most interesting ones after participating in the American Crime Thriller January man Allen returned to the BBC starring in the touching drama Truly Madly Deeply he played the role of a cellist who returns from the other world to comfort his beloved deeply you passed on deeply which was your word which means that you couldn't have meant it pure his romantic sensual image was radically different from the image of a tough cold-blooded Gruber throughout his career Allen will be claimed primarily as an actor who ideally plays the role of villains but truly madly deeply makes it clear how versatile the actor really was [Music] do you like playing villains uh did you enjoy those roles sure sure it's fun you get let off the leaf you run around like a mad dog um for a couple of times in your whole career in the film Ellen sings pretends to play the cello professionally wears a Charming mustache and breaks the viewer's heart a little not without it he thought very big and he had many many kinds of talent that could address himself to all sorts of different parts of the job so he he had a lot to offer in every Department really Truly Madly Deeply received excellent reviews and Rickman received a nomination for the British Academy Award as well as the evening standard British film Awards and the London film critics Circle in order to play his next role the actor went all the way to Australia there it was filming of the western Quigley Down Under the film itself was not original but Allen's performance was noted by critics and for his role he received another award from the London film critic Circle in the nomination British actor of the year close my eyes 1991 gave him the opportunity to tell a difficult love story again and then he appeared on Cinema screens cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans no more merciful beheadings and call off Christmas there was a high probability that someone else would play the Sheriff of Nottingham in the movie Robin Hood prince of Thieves the fact is that the darker version of the well-known story although it was a promising project thanks to the participation of Kevin Costner in it could not boast of a brilliant script after reading it ripman considered the sheriff banal and unfinished and therefore refused the offer he did it even twice initially the Sheriff of Nottingham was a kind of Silent super villain who appeared in the frame only to look viciously into the camera or to order someone's destruction through his teeth after all the other candidates left the project for various reasons the desperate producers gave Rickman a carte blanche the actor was allowed to do whatever he wanted with the character of course he could not refuse such a tempting offer Rickman approached the matter with his usual meticulousness he resorted to the help of his friends comedian Ruby wax and playwright Peter Barnes to make an interesting antagonist out of his character the actor said that he once met Barnes at Pizza Express and asked him to review the script I said will you have a look at this script because it's terrible and I need some good lines so he did and you know with kind of pizza and bacon and egg going all over the script Barnes came up with one of the funniest scenes of the movie slithers Into The Forest you marum 10th headache tonight you 10 45 and bring a friend and wax added the immortal phrase and bring a friend director Kevin Reynolds secretly included new scenes in the film nobody knew this was happening except him Rickman recalled and I knew it had worked because as I cleared the camera I saw about 80 members of the crew just go and then occasionally uh Mary Elizabeth Master Antonio who was being sort of seriously made Marion she'd come over to do one of the scenes with us and she said I want to be in his film the result was a nasty unpleasant character which was nevertheless interesting to watch Hollywood Legends say that Costner even demanded that the director cut some scenes with Rickman because the sheriff was too good and Drew all the attention to himself even if this was true the removal of several scenes did not save Costner from harsh criticism in his Direction the film as a whole received rather mixed reviews but he found a frenzied success with the audience thanks to which it paid off perfectly at the box office collecting more than 390 million dollars worldwide this made it the second highest grossing film of 1991. some critics still liked it with the same force with which they scolded Costner's game and plot they praised Rickman Allen won his first bafta award for best supporting actor uh well thank you this uh this will be a healthy reminder to me that subtlety isn't everything Rickman gladly agreed to experiment with genres it wasn't afraid of new challenges in the first half of the 90s he starred in the Neo Noir television series Fallen Angels satirical mockumentary film Bob Roberts biographical film Mesmer for the main role in the latter he by the way received another award from the Montreal World Film Festival after his success in Die Hard and Robin Hood Allen was flooded with offers to play new antagonists but the actor was not going to get stuck in the image of a scoundrel even though he coped with him by 200 percent if you would have fully realize the depth of Alan rickman's talent and his versatility try this first watch some movie where he played the most unpleasant character the Sheriff of Nottingham and then with a short interval turn on period drama Sense and Sensibility and everything will become clear to you the film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel directed by Ang Lee and written by Emma Thompson was released in 1995 and captivated the audience it grossed 135 million dollars at the box office with a budget of 16 million and is still considered one of the best film adaptations of the writer's works and for us this film is also valuable because it gave the world touching shots of Rickman glowing with love in a red uniform and his Charming partner Kate Winslet his hero Colonel Brandon is a typical example of a guy in the friend zone he is caring and Noble but because of his delicacy and laconicity he is First lost against the background of another more charismatic noisy and young admirer of the main character Rickman managed to convey the trembling feelings of a mature man who does not really hope to earn the reciprocity of a young romantic heroine and nevertheless does everything to make her happy he tries to always be there and proves that true love manifests itself in actions not not loud words [Music] give me an occupation or I shall run mad Emma Thompson who wrote the screenplay and also played one of the main roles was pleased that Rickman could express the extraordinary sweetness of his nature as he had played Machiavellian types so effectively in other films the cast attended movement classes to help them stand sit and bow authentically because in Emma's words hips hadn't been invented then Alan Rickman said you don't just bow you give yourself to the other person Kate Winslet admitted that she was terrified of Alan Rickman when she met him oh yeah [Applause] she thought he would think she was a terrible actress and get her fired but the reality of course was that he was the kindest and best of men had the patience of a saint he was a warm-hearted puppy dog who would do anything for anyone if it made them happy among other things a common hobby brought them closer together during the filming The Wimbledon tournament was just taking place when their work schedule allowed Alan and Kate gathered in the trailer and watched the matches together well as a bonus a funny and not very elegant story from the shooting and so I was sort of yanking at my pants mat Thompson was standing right there and I said I said my knickers have gone up my ass and Al just said Feminine Mystique after such a successful portrayal of a romantic character Rickman took 34th Place in the Top 100 Sexiest stars in the history of Cinema according to Empire magazine in 1995 another film with Alan was released an awfully big adventure alas although Rickman and his partner on the site Hugh Grant were unanimously praised many did not appreciate the dark humor and structure of the story but new successes were not far off for his role in the 1996 film Michael Collins Rickman received his fourth bafta award nomination another of his works of the same year was positively received it was the biographical historical drama Rasputin Allen portrayed a rebel and a historically controversial personality on the screen Grigori Rasputin he was accompanied in the film by Greta scatchy and Ian McKellen Allen managed to reveal the image of a multi-faceted and complex character thanks to which the actor was awarded the Golden Globe Emmy and satellite Awards by that time Rickman had already had enough experience to try himself as a director foreign the play the winter guest at the Almeida theater in London in 1995. after that he directed a film with the same name and plot starring Emma Thompson and her mother felita law the film based on the play by Sharman McDonald was warmly received by critics and received awards at various International Film festivals Allen himself was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival and received the audience award at the Brussels Film Festival that's going to ask about the different directors you work with have you learned different things from one of those directors I think if you're smart you learn from all of them and you watch them thinking well I wouldn't handle it like that so you learn from that as much as going well I'm stealing that that's the joy of filmmaking their works with Thompson did not end there the actors played detectives together in the 1998 crime drama Judas kiss it's been sort of accidental but I think we're a good team we play a kind of Tatty Bogart and Bacall in this film only Emma's Bogart and I'm Bacall Alan and Emma became close friends and more than once worked on common projects I learned a lot from him Thompson said he was the finest of actors and directors I couldn't wait to see what he was going to do with his face next I love it despite being very busy in the cinema Alan did not forget about the theater for example in 1998 he along with Helen Mirren played the main roles in the production of Anthony and Cleopatra in the Royal National Theater however the production received mixed reviews it was a rare case when critics did not particularly like rickman's game but the sluggish reception is quite understandable if you understand the history of the creation of the production Allen got the role of Anthony literally at the last moment and only because the actor who originally played the role dropped out due to poor health Helen Myron recalls he came in and very courageously jumped in Anthony and Cleopatra is an extremely emotionally demanding play he was extremely generous on stage the play was directed by Sean Matthias who had no experience with Shakespeare's plays yet and according to some reviewers this also affected the quality critics also noted that they did not notice any special Chemistry Between Marin and Rickman although you can't tell from the photos there could be any problems with this years later mirin revealed in an interview that she was quite intimidated when she first met him he's a quite imposing looking man he was tall he had this incredible large head with this incredible Roman Emperor kind of Visage and a wonderfully sardonic expression on his face she said but despite the first impression Rickman turned out to be a very sensitive and positive person when Anthony and Cleopatra passed away he gave a colleague a gift it was a beautiful old antique bracelet a little bit broken and just absolutely beautiful and to quote mirin it was so classically Alan it seems that this was really all Alan Rickman no matter who of his colleagues has asked what he was like in ordinary life everyone speaks of him with warmth and respect he was always great to the other actors during his work in theater you know he was supportive of other actors always he was very Collegiate and collaborative and loved other actors and loved the whole art of acting Alan Rickman chose difficult roles often of ambiguous people and he was so good in his images that they constantly tried to label him a villain in a muddy type but in ordinary life Alan Rickman was different the reality of Alan inside of that was quite a vulnerable emotional person which made him all the more interesting and lovable he was also very twinkly and kind and gossipy and generous Alan loved to go to restaurants to sit and chat bring some wine and gossip about actors and acting directors and plays there was another side to his dedication to his work theater director Ian Rickson recalled he could cut you down a size with a withering remark make perceptive criticisms more useful than General praise and be forcefully direct this for Alan was about the level of his engagement which was committed and principled to this description you can also add the words of Emma Thompson that was the thing about Alan you never knew if you were going to be kissed or unsettled but she couldn't wait to see what would come next if you watch an interview with Rickman and read his Diaries which were published in 2022 you can understand that he also had a great sense of humor Ruby wax whom we've already mentioned earlier said that at the time when she and Rickman worked in the same theater she had a tortoise which Alan jokingly promised to add to some show in the end we got Betty on stage during The Taming of the Shrew every night when I'd bring Betty on during a crowd scene Allen proudly watched from the wings both of us sick with laughing I take mine work seriously Alan once said and the best way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously he played comedy characters no worse than the rest just remember the Metatron and the dogma of 1999. Rickman here is an ironic and slightly tired Archangel in a fashionable jacket over a hoodie who loves tequila and makes ironic comments about Humanity um limited don't tell me the name doesn't ring a bell Rickman agreed to play in the film because he found it highly crafted highly intelligent and terribly funny with the humor putting the seriousness of the themes into perspective it's a script that makes great technical demands on an actor because there is a real beat to the line the actor said and Kevin can hear it that's what comedy is about the Rhythm or the writing the actor's casting turned out to be very diverse director Kevin Smith said that he specially gathered actors from completely different weight categories to emphasize the contrasts between characters Alan Rickman is the class of this movie and he brings to it an air of authenticity it's also comical to have him opposite Jason Muse a Shakespearean trained actor of the highest order next to a dude from New Jersey and he was a real sport to wear those 100-pound wings Tim Muse who plays Jay memorized not only his lines but the entire script explaining that he didn't want to piss off that Rickman dude as a result it was not Muse who enraged his colleagues on the set but Rickman according to Kevin Smith Rickman held on to the Maracas all day when they shot the scene in the Mexican restaurant he started driving the crew and cast crazy playing with them the whole day Dogma has long been a classic and has become the source of memes and quotes after watching you regret only one thing that Alan appears in only a few scenes were they sent to Hell worse Wisconsin for the entire span of human history in the same year with Dogma another bright comedy project of Rickman Galaxy Quest was released on the big screens there he played an actor disappointed in his career who became famous thanks to a fantastic television series star's Hammer by this the authors of this funny parody of Star Trek reflect on the impact Cinema can have on the viewer and show how difficult it is to be an actor of one role to some extent Rickman could imagine the disappointment of his hero five curtain calls number five cotton calls that was an actual once damn it now look at me look at me he was a member of the royal Shakespeare company received a classical education and he was well aware of Hollywood's habits of labeling actors and making them prisoners of one role I remember when sigoni and I was sitting at the autograph table at the convention and I remember saying this is a bit too close for comfort that they were constant images and moments where you just thought you know I've lived this a few years after the release of the film Rickman admitted that he considered the Galaxy Quest script one of the funniest among all that he had read this was followed by starring roles in the romantic comedy blow dry which was mercilessly criticized and the more successful the search for John gissing which won the award for best film at the 2002 Sarasota Film Festival the beginning of the 2000s brought Alan Rickman a role that revealed his talent to the younger generation of viewers and forced him to endlessly politely laugh off annoying questions from journalists about a difficult villainous share we are talking of course about the most controversial character in The Saga of the boy who lived I can tell you how to bottle Fame Brew glory and even put a stopper in death Rickman was not the first candidate for the role of Severus Snape The Producers really wanted Tim Roth to play the gloomy professor of potions but the actor refused in favor of Planet of the Apes after receiving the offer of the role Alan asked Joe Rowling to tell him more about his character and she revealed a secret that allowed the actor to understand that Snape was more complicated and that the story was not going to be as straight down the line as everyone thought because I said to the producers when I was asked to play it because you have to remember that only three books have been written when we started filming them and I said I have to talk to her because um I don't know how to play this part um because it seems to be traveling potentially down to Avenues at the same time um and so they arranged for us to speak and um uh she I got through put through to her on the phone she was with her sister at the time and she said I can't talk now so that's how close she held everything to herself and so we arranged to speak in the next day when she was on her own and then she gave me one very small piece of information which I always have vowed I would never ever repeat even though the books are now down and everything so I I won't repeat it when after the finale of The Saga the fans found out about it then of course they began to offer different versions of What the writer had told him the actor in response to numerous inquiries limited himself to a mysterious phrase about a small piece of information but it was a small piece of information that let me know that um there was more to him than net to the eye can you share what that was no no one except Rickman and Rowling knew the secret of Severus Snape it is said that all the years of working on the set Rickman corrected the directors when they asked him to do something that he knew would contradict the true motives of the character producer David Hayman told he had a real understanding of the character and now looking back you can see there was always more going on there a look an expression a sentiment that hint at what is to come the shadow that he casts in these films is a huge one and the emotion he conveys is immeasurable Rickman was very involved in the process of creating the costume and the appearance of his character the actor told the costumers that the sleeves should be really tight and there should be a lot of buttons because that helps me the idea that he has to do [Applause] that's actually buttoned in uh and also as a person with an art education he could not help but appreciate the work of decorators I never stopped being fascinated by picking up my wand and poking the wall just to check that it really was polystarian because it looked like a real castle obviously it was precisely because of the magical Entourage and the abundant number of special effects in the film that Rickman believed that Harry Potter should be shown exclusively in cinemas according to him this was how the film acquired scale in depth Allen himself of course did not take part in the designing of the film but at heart he was still an artist we've already mentioned the Diaries He Kept for many years on some pages he even made Charming sketches there you can also find his comments about working on Films including Harry Potter for example on one of the pages he writes that too many people are involved in decision making and grumbles a hat has been made for Snape a a hat for Snape The Producers were adamant in their decision to take on the roles of adult Heroes of the best British actors not only because of the presence of britons and the cast was a condition of JK Rowling but also because the consideration that respected well-known actors would compensate for the inexperience of children this trick worked adult actors not only improved the quality of the film but also helped young colleagues to get used to it when Rickman was asked what he likes about working with British actors he said he loved the approach they take to their work because they were not as likely to become a famous making British films they didn't have as inflated ascendants of their own importance as some American Stars could develop it's like Chris Columbus said there's not a sense of ego with any of the Stars none of that Hollywood stuff everyone just comes in to do their work nobody has a cook or a personal trainer I think everyone found that refreshing there is no need to describe how successful the Harry Potter film turned out to be naturally The Producers decided not to delay the sequel just three days after the release of the first part they began to work on the second one Allen was not always happy with the created decisions of director Chris Columbus and the rest of his colleagues but this did not prevent him from playing his role superbly causing righteous anger fear and awe in the hearts of young viewers in the recently auctioned Archive of Alan Rickman you can find a letter from David Heyman where he thanks the actor for his work on the Chamber of Secrets I know at times you are frustrated but please know that you are an integral part of the films and you are brilliant Alan rickman's contribution was important not only in terms of excellent acting he also helped the young actors on the set Enlighten the atmosphere with conversations and jokes according to Daniel Radcliffe unlike his dark and cruel Severus Snape Allen himself was incredibly kind generous self-critical and very funny it is known for example that Rickman gave Radcliffe a copy of The Catcher in the Rye this cute fact suggests that the actor was really involved in the life of his young colleagues and became a kind of Mentor for them from the Diaries of Alan Rickman 8 40 AM pick up Corridor with Dan Radcliffe he's so concentrated now serious and focused but with a sense of fun I still don't think he's really an actor but he will undoubtedly direct slash produced he tried to kill himself in touch with his younger colleagues even after the end of the franchise I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York he didn't have to do that Red Cliff recalled Tom Felton said that on Allen's initiative children from hospitals came to the shooting who dreamed of being in the Magical World of Harry Potter at the same time Allen did not leave the image of Snape for a second he constantly told the children to refuel wash their hands and I realized that our characters are more important than us as real people Felton recalled but Rickman could also be strict for example he prohibited Rupert Grint and Matthew Lewis from approaching his new BMW closer than 5 meters and all because one day the actors got into it and stained the salon with a milkshake Alan scolded them as well as Snape so they never approached his car again in the second film a new unpleasant character appears Lucius Malfoy Jason Isaacs who played him admitted that when he was offered this role he almost refused because according to him trying to be Sinister in the same movie with Rickman seemed pointless and yet the actor agreed in person though he put paid to my attention on my first day we were shooting a sequence where we watched and reacted to a quidditch match I'm so sorry Alan I said but what's going on what should I do no idea he whispered do what I do absolutely nothing who knew the man behind the most distinctive and contemptuous drawl in Theatrical history was actually completely accessible anarchically funny utterly in the moment on and off screen and a consumer of Music far far more contemporary than my best of the 70s tastes a point he made mercilessly in the makeup chair as my cheese fest blasted out this is how Isaacs described his memories of working with Rickman with each new film the tone of the story changed becoming more and more gloomy the directors also changed Alfonso quaran who replaced Chris Columbus brought more mystery and cold Shades to the third part of the franchise Alan Rickman certainly fit perfectly into the atmosphere and was very pleased with the work of the new director in his Diaries he wrote that Alfonso had done an extraordinary job every frame of it was the work of an artist and Storyteller he called the third part a very grown-up movie so full of Daring that it made him smile again and again from the Diaries of Alan Rickman the day got off to a fabulous start with a screen guillotining onto my head a sudden Swift blackout followed by day long melancholy Alfonso was quietly ballistic with me I love him too much to let it last too long so I wailed offset and we sorted it out he's under the usual HP pressure and even he starts rehearsing cameras before actors and these kids need directing they don't know their lines and Emma's diction is this side of Albania at times there was also time for fooling around on the set of the Prisoner of Azkaban and not only children sinned with pranks when the scene where the students go to bed and the main hall was filmed Radcliffe asked to put him next to a girl he liked Rickman knew that Michael gambin the performer of the role of Dumbledore had a fart pillow on the control panel which he actively used well you probably already know what happened next our own world you know it's complete our world and we'd like to we like to swim in the deepest Waters and fly they had put a fart machine into my sleeping bag this whole Echo and Michael Garvin had actually been pressing it during the take I found out [Applause] [Music] but despite the friendly atmosphere on the set with each new film rickman's confidence that he wanted to continue playing in the franchise decreased perhaps the reason for this was disagreement with directors and producers maybe it was fatigue from the frenzied popularity of films and therefore he was afraid of remaining solely Severus Snape for everyone we can only assume health problems were added to doubts about the role in 2005 shortly before the filming of the Order of the Phoenix Rickman was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2006 he went to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville where he underwent surgery in his diary Rickman reflected that the pre-op was like a movie set nothing seemed real despite undergoing surgery rigmund still agreed to play in the Order of the Phoenix from Alan rickman's diary 30th of January finally yes to hp5 the sensation is neither up nor down the argument that wins is the one that says see it through it's your story it took some time to establish contact with the new director of the franchise David Yates who replaced Mike Newell Yates admitted that his first reaction to Alan was wow he's really prickly and quite unpleasant but there's a method to his Madness I realize that he has to get in that zone when he's on the set when I finally met him away from the job he was a lovely guy I don't know that he shows that to everyone though I think Alan is also shy painfully shy in fact and he believes his craft should have an element of mystery to it according to Yates on the set Rickman was surrounded by a mysterious and gloomy Aura when he put on a black robe and frowned sourly like his character even when the cameras were not working Rickman himself admitted that it was on the set of Harry Potter that something strange happened to him from the Diaries of Alan Rickman I realize as soon as that Snape's ring and costume go on something happens it becomes alien to be chatty smiley open the character Narrows me down tightens me up not good qualities on a film set I've never been less communicative with the crew but those who knew him well enough understood that the first impression of him could be very deceptive I think a lot of people don't understand Alan Rickman and I'm not sure I do said producer David Hayman but what I can say is that with that voice and that demeanor sometimes people misunderstand him he does have a deep voice and he does speak quite slowly and he speaks in such a way that some people might find him haughty nothing could be further from the truth he's one of the most generous people and most brilliant actors I've ever met in 2007 the last Harry Potter book was published which finally freed Rickman and Rowling from the need to hide their common secret creative differences with David Yates on the set of the sixth part worsened in one of his notes titled inside Snape's head Rickman expresses dissatisfaction with the way the director approached his character's line foreign has decided that this is not important in the scheme of things I.E teen audience appeal and yet to the Delight of fans The Producers managed to persuade him to continue filming after all no one could replace him in this role [Music] of course Allen devoted his time not only to Severus Snape he spent about seven weeks a year shooting in batarian he devoted his free time to the theater filming in other films and other small but very bright projects for example you can admire his sensual Tango with Charlene spiteri in her video in demand [Music] in 2001 to 2002 Rickman once again showed his comedic talent in the highly successful play private lives on the stage of Richard Rogers theater in this Broadway production Rickman and his partner Lindsey Duncan played ex-spouses who accidentally moved into neighboring hotel rooms and discovered that they still had feelings for each other Rickman received Drama Desk award and Tony Award nominations for his role in 2003 he once again reunited on the big screen with his girlfriend Emma Thompson and the tragic comedy Love Actually the film's director Richard Curtis had previously considered Allen for the lead role in his previous film Four Weddings in a funeral but then the role wins a Hugh Grant therefore he was very glad that he would still be able to work with Alan on a new project the structure of the film is peculiar we are shown nine separate story lines that intersect with each other from time to time and in each of them we see different manifestations of Love Rickman and Thompson played a couple whose marriage happy and fulfilling from the outside was actually bursting at the seams through their story the authors reflect on adultery and what can happen when people mired in routine stop spending time with each other and discuss what they care about more because our as you say after many years your your life settles into something if you're not careful you're taking each other for granted slightly not surprisingly Love Actually quickly became a classic after all in addition to a perfectly balanced script the film could also boast of a magnificent cast my strongest memory was when we were doing the shopping scene where Rowan Atkinson takes too long wrapping Allen's illicit gift Curtis recalled almost finished almost finished what I was going to be you're going to dip it in yogurt cover it with chocolate buttons Rowan was taking his time doing long and proposatory takes even shouting casually to me about ideas while poor Allen was acting his socks off in character angry and impatient sometimes for 10 straight minutes it was a great example of true commitment but also I'm pretty damn sure by the end Alan was actually quite rightly extremely angry and extremely impatient the following year the biographical drama something the Lord made was released the film tells the story of a black Pioneer in the field of heart research Vivian Thomas and His complex and unstable partnership with a white surgeon Alfred Blaylock who was a pioneer of modern cardiac surgery the film won numerous Awards and Rickman received Emmy and Sputnik nominations Rickman has always been interested in politics the actor once joked that he was born a card-caring member of the labor party I mean I will not do a play or a film which promotes right-wing causes by the way his partner Rhema Horton from 1986 to 2006 was a counselor from the labor party in the London city council of Kensington and Chelsea in addition Rickman was actively engaged in charity work he was a patron of the saving faces Foundation which explores facial diseases injuries and deformities including various types of cancer Rickman was also the honorary president of international performers Aid trust a charitable organization that fights poverty among performing artists around the world he often helped Young Artists mentored and supported them his colleague Julian Stevenson recalls he also had an amazing capacity to spot the talent in somebody or spot the direction which somebody could be moving in and hadn't yet to give them the courage to go in that direction or to help young people find their path he also financially supported his alma mater Rada according to his fellow actors he generously shared his time and money with everyone who needed help director Ian Rickson reflecting on Rickman once said he might have seemed in retrospect like an icon of the establishment but let's not forget that Alan came from a single parent family in working class active I'm sure these roots gave him this ability to find Affinity with anyone who crossed his path from Starstruck autograph Hunters to refugees in need of shelter but let's get back to the movie 2006 was a very fruitful year in The Sensational psychological Thriller perfume the story of a murderer Rickman played the role of the father of one of the victims of the protagonist after that snow cake was released on the screens where rickman's partner with Sigourney Weaver Allen played an ex-convict who met a woman with autism screenwriter Angela Powell wrote the role specifically for him after reviewing the story Rickman offered the producers the candidacy of Weaver with whom he was already familiar from working on the Galaxy Quest the actress agreed immediately after reading the script in preparation for filming Weaver was absorbed in studying autism and consulted with a woman with this disease Alan on the contrary decided not to investigate this topic in any way so that his reactions to the heroine would be more realistic both Rickman and Weaver were runners-up at the Seattle International Film Festival for their respective prizes of best actor and best actress in 2007 Allen was able to show his vocal skills by joining the cast of the musical film Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street [Music] in the adaptation of the 1979 musical of the same name he played the cruel and corrupt Judge Turpin who ruined the life of the main character according to Alan despite the fact that he was taught vocals in acting school he had to hire an additional teacher in preparation for the role and although all the Laurels for obvious reasons went to the performers of the main roles Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter Rickman received a nomination for the Saturn award for the supporting role after that there were roles and not particularly successful films the black comedy Noble sun and the comedy drama Bottle Shock it should be noted that Alan often preferred theatrical roles to cinematic ones and he never took on something he didn't like I like the risk factor in work um I like feeling a bit unsafe and theater of course is deadly from 2010 to 2011 Alan Rickman played John Gabriel bortman in the production of the same name based on the play by Henrik Gibson critics appreciated the actor's work for example the Irish independent called rickman's performance breathtaking in 2011 Allen moved from the Brooklyn Academy of Music stage to the John golden theater on Broadway where he played the main role in The Comedy production of seminar his character Alex is a famous writer and a teacher of writing he is eccentric grouchy and clearly won't be soft on his students sorry where is it in your hand all right what were we talking about the first sentence oh Jesus Christ when truth is acknowledged universally it is also universally disdained I mean what the at the same time the song of lunch a TV adaptation of Christopher Reed's poem of the same name was released on Cinema screens it was another joint work of Rickman with Emma Thompson in which they played two former lovers is there any form of working relationship you haven't covered yet um well at least any together we have no children we haven't done that no um but pretty much everything else meanwhile the filming of the latest Harry Potter films was in full swing [Music] two of your finest defense against the dark arts teachers uh that is Alan and David Eulis last day on Harry Potter [Applause] from the Diaries of Alan Rickman 29th of March last day on Harry Potter all a bit hard to believe I think even Daniel was shocked by the finality cameras were everywhere it seemed docky ones I am asked so how does it feel before you felt it before the feeling has a name it's private I managed and I'm not sharing it with that pointing at his lens something is in those cans and it is finished thanks Joe the film adaptation in the last Harry Potter book was decided to be divided into two parts in order to preserve all the important scenes and storylines and still there were arguments some moments in the script disappointed Rickman I get the character development and the spiffing effects but where is the story he complained but despite everything the actor tried to give his best perhaps one of the most memorable scenes of the first part of the Deathly Hallows is the duel between Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall but it could have been completely different Yates wanted to place against Severus not McGonagall but Harry himself but JK Rowling intervened she insisted that everything be as in the books because this was the key moment of revealing the image of Minerva McGonagall en recalled the shooting of this scene with a smile thank God for computer Graphics because Maggie and I are having real holding a wand is not the most threatening thing I'm pointing it at Dame Maggie Smith you know you've grown up worshiping from the cheap seats at the National Theater yeah and she's pointing it at you as is often the case with film adaptations not all scenes were shot in accordance with the Canada in particular the episode with the death of Severus Snape was slightly changed not all fans of the books appreciated that in the film The Scene was not made by the shrieking Shack as it was in the original Source but by The Boathouse according to art director Andrew Acklin snow the scenery was changed to give the scene a more dramatic atmosphere and take it out of the already familiar interior and rallying approved of this decision a very dubious excuse but okay the method of killing was also slightly changed in the book nagana did it in the movie Voldemort struck the first blow with his wand Rickman had a lot of questions about this detail but Yates was adamant and the actor failed to insist on his own here's what Rickman writes about it in his diary 25th of November 6 15 a.m pick up to the flight shed cold wet drowdy but the crew seems miles away so Ralph and I can just get on with inching our way towards the scene David y stubborn as ever about Voldemort killing me with a spell impossible to comprehend not least the resultant Wrath of the readers back home in Rima narrative brain box says he can't kill you with a spell the only one that would do that is Avada Kedavra and it kills instantly you wouldn't be able to finish the scene reflecting on the end of work on potteriana in an interview Allen said it was a punctuation mark in my life every year because I would be doing other things but always come back to that and I was always aware of my place in the story even as others around me were not am I sad the point about a great story is that it's got a beginning a middle and end the end of this story was quite popular and beautifully judged by Joe Rowling and David Yates so it's not a cause for sadness it's a cause for celebration that it was rounded off so well with the last film it was very cathartic because you were finally able to see who he was and it was I suppose strange in a way to play stuff that was so emotional so after saying goodbye to Snape Allen went in search of news stories and already in 2012 the comedy Gambit was released together with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz Alan tried to rethink the old 1966 film however it wasn't very successful Gambit was mercilessly criticized by all more or less decent Publications but who cares when there's a Charming scene in the film where rickman's eccentric Hero Walks around his office naked you could hardly expect that from him could you in 2013 Allen played Ronald Reagan in the historical drama film Butler and an aging tycoon in the romantic drama a promise after a 17-year Hiatus Rickman tried himself as a film director for the second time shooting the period drama a little chaos the film tells the fictional story of a female landscape designer working for Louis XIV in The Gardens of Versailles it turned out to be quite feministic if we recall that women of that time could hardly afford such career growth you know the central character is a woman that couldn't possibly have existed a woman landscape Gardener or a woman with a job the main character was played by Kate Winslet thus she and Rickman reunited almost 20 years after their common picture sense in Sensibility as for working as a director he described it as absolutely terrifying filming was not easy according to Rickman filming wasn't easy though throwing Kate into freezing water at 1am the carriage crash scenes with 80 extras tight schedules and venues like Glennon Palace it's a constant tap dance between control and freedom of course you've also got pigeons in your ears talking about budget and time and you're shooting it in England which is a very thin country and so you're never more than 25 miles from a Motorway or if the wind changes you've got a flight path coming over your head so suddenly the word cut is happening all the time but according to him all problems are solved if there is adequate pre-production and in the film crew there are Professionals in their field who know what they are doing however their willingness to support the director in any stupidity can sometimes be dangerous so you need to be on your guard and push them to cooperate encouraging them to speak out I said to my first A.D assistant director on a little chaos if you ever see me about to screw up or do something stupid for God's sake tell me so that made it a bit easier in addition to directing Rickman also played Louis XIV in his film when asked what is the difficulty of working as both an actor and a director he replied there are so many challenges to doing that that of course originally I didn't want to do it at all but in the end economics wins out and produces Ram your arm up behind your back and and say listen if you play this part we don't have to pay you immediately the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. the reviews were mixed the work of the actors was mostly praised but they added that the film lacks pace and plot what Alan thought about the criticism was unknown but he said that as a director after the release of the film he certainly felt some responsibility for it I find myself weirdly um you know you go to one screen then you might go to another and you and you you walk in thinking gosh I hope Kate's is good in that scene tonight as she was last night but gradually with each new show the actor began to feel that his brainchild was leaving him in a good sense of the word Alan rickman's filmography would be incomplete without the projects to which he gave his voice in one of the episodes of King of the Hill Alan voiced an extremely harmful King rickman's ability to create an arrogant note in his voice certainly made the character the most unpleasant type he also voiced the depressive robot Marvin and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy whose Moody Commons certainly graced the film is yourselves here I am bringing the size of a planet and they ask me to take you up to the bridge call that job satisfaction because I don't there were also voiceovers of cartoon characters help I'm a fish the boy in the bubble and of course the caterpillar Absalom and Alice in Wonderland his velvety voice can also be heard in the video start a family by Charlene spiteri and a half whisper that gives Goosebumps as he talks about love the last feature film starring Alan Rickman was the drama Eye in the Sky which explored the ethical issues of drone Warfare do you feel satisfied with your career um would yes and no would be the answer to that why not um because like most actors I don't enjoy watching myself because all you see is what you got wrong Rima Horton went through all the difficulties victories and defeats with Alan who remained his constant partner until the end of his life the couple could be seen from time to time at various social events but in general they led a quiet Life Giving no reason for gossip Alan has always been reluctant to answer questions about his personal life believing that everything the audience should know about him they can see in his film In Theater Works I want people to believe that I'm the person in the story I don't want them to be thinking about something or other I've said in the newspaper when they're watching me their love story with Rima is often idealized and no wonder because they have lived together for more than 50 years but Rickman always focused on the fact that they were an ordinary couple with their problems ups and downs we're just as messy and complex as any other couple and we go through just as many changes but I really respect her Rima and I can sit in a room just reading and not saying anything to each other for an hour then she'll read something to me and we'll both start giggling reflecting on how they manage to maintain their relationship Rickman said I think every relationship should be allowed to have its own rules she's tolerant she's incredibly tolerant unbelievably tolerant possibly a candidate for sainthood the couple had no children Rima made this decision once and Alan accepted it with respect to the annoying questions of journalists about children he once replied you should remember I am not the only one involved there is another person here I would have loved a family sometimes I think that in an ideal world three children age 12 10 and 8 will be dropped on us and we would be great parents for that family however Allen also admitted that the absence of children gave him a lot of career opportunities and he could give his unspent love to his nieces the actor liked to spend time with them at the First Convenient opportunity he took them to the movies McDonald's and of course to toy stores one time I told them we'd walk through hamleys to choose one thing each they marched straight to the Barbie counter I couldn't believe it hideous little dolls with pointed legs and breasts my sister doesn't dress them in pink for bows however if I had children I'd like to think I'd let them wear whatever they wanted none of my friends would believe me but I'd let them walk down the road and paint Lorax and gold plastic in 2015 Alan Rickman surprised everyone with the news that he and Rima got married everything went quietly no photos wedding celebrations and congratulations we are married just recently it was great because no one was there after the wedding in New York we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and ate lunch Rickman also added that he bought his wife a wedding band for 190 Euros but admitted that she never wears it Unfortunately they were not lucky enough to live in a marriage for a long time in 2015 Alan Rickman was diagnosed with a terrible diagnosis pancreatic cancer forecasts were disappointing while he still had the strength he tried to work and enjoy his life Allen's last video work was related to charity he helped Oxford University students raise money for save the children and Refugee counsel the actor voiced a 30 second video on YouTube the advertising Revenue received through numerous views was donated to charity no one knew about his illness except the closest ones Allen tried to have time to say goodbye to everyone who was dear to him so the last thing we did together was change a plug on a standard lamp in his hospital room the task went the same way as everything we have ever done together I had a go he told me to try something else I tried it didn't work so he had a go I got impatient I took it from him I tried it again it still wasn't right we both got slightly irritable then he patiently took it all apart again and got the right lead into the right hole I screwed it in with a screwdriver we complained about how fiddly it was and then we had a cup of tea took us at least half an hour this thing and he said afterwards well it's a good thing I decided not to become an electrician Ian Rickson who also met with Rickman in his last weeks of Life said that the actor furnished Rima a new home for her new life and carefully planned his own funeral choosing people who in his opinion would be the most able to speak and sparing those for whom it might be too difficult he thought about others until the last moment so he left a hundred thousand pounds for charity four million dollars was bequeathed to his beloved wife Alan Rickman died on January 14 2016 at the age of 69. on that day the hearts of thousands of people around the world were broken those who were inspired by his work his colleagues and of course Those whom he supported mentored and loved in a recent interview when asked about future plans he replied God knows where I will be in 15 or 16 years well wherever Alan is now he will still live in our hearts always I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career Daniel Radcliffe wrote and added that Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors he has ever had to work with we talk about the future life of other actors of the potteriana first of all of course the golden Trio in our other video click on the icon that appears on your screen and watch thank you for watching to the end we will be grateful if you like this video it was biographer with you see you very soon

Channel: Biographer

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Keywords: Alan Rickman biography, what happened to Alan Rickman, how Alan Rickman died, reasons of Alan Rickman death, did Alan Rickman have children, Alan Rickman personal life, Alan Rickman life story, Alan Rickman interview, Alan Rickman facts, Alan Rickman wife, Alan Rickman movies, Alan Rickman Die Hard, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Hans Gruber, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Sheriff of Nottingham, biographer

Id: aCFkwVOYfL8

Length: 72min 43sec (4363 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 02 2023