Posted
on February 21, 2016
Even though we cannot celebrate his 70th birthday with him, we can still celebrate him today.
Rickman
was born in London, England, on this date in 1946. He was born into a
working class family, but I imagine that the family finances took a
hit when his dad died, when Rickman was just 8 years old; Rickman's
mom had to raise him and his three siblings mostly on her own.
Rickman
was really good at visual art – calligraphy and watercolor
painting, especially. And, although he became interested in drama
while in high school, he stuck with graphic design and visual art in
college because it was more practical. Upon graduation, Rickman
helped found a graphic design studio – which was quite successful.
Still, after three years of success in design, Rickman decided that
it was a now-or-never moment for acting.
So
he requested an audition for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and
he was accepted. While attending drama school, he supported himself by
working as a dresser for actors. (Theatrical dressers are stagehands
that manage costumes backstage. They have to keep all the various
costume pieces organized and help with quick changes.)
Rickman
worked with repertory and experimental theatre groups, and it wasn't
long before he was cast in important roles in live theatre, movies,
and even TV (HBO).
In his career, Rickman played a lot of villains – Hans
Gruber in Die Hard, the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince
of Thieves, Snape (whose character was not a simple villain, of
course...). He didn't want to be typecast as a villain, and he
took parts in comedies (Galaxy Quest, Dogma) and romantic comedies
(Love Actually) and historical romantic dramas (Sense and
Sensibility) to offset the typecasting.
Other
actors and people in show biz have confirmed that Alan Rickman, the person, was the opposite of villainous. He was generous and warm and kind and
supportive.
And wise! Here are some quotes:
Also
on this date:
Plan
ahead:
Check
out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
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