2016, stop cutting our heart out with a spoon.
This week has been hard. Rocker David Bowie died Sunday at age 69, taken from us by cancer. On Thursday morning, we found out actor Alan Rickman also has died at age 69 after a battle with cancer.
The headlines say “Harry Potter” actor. And Rickman’s work as the enigmatic Severus Snape is amazing. Who else could have played the role so well? But the Harry Potter movies were not the first that came to my mind this morning.
Under the are 69 acting credits. His first foray into Hollywood (in 1988) was a true breakout role: Hans Gruber, the villain who faced off against Bruce Willis in “Die Hard.” Two years later, he showed another side in the romantic “Truly Madly Deeply.” Five years after that, his classical training came into play in “Sense and Sensibility.” So while many fans might know him as a villain, he showed versatility in the roles he chose.
Because this is the geek blog, here are three fantastic Alan Rickman genre roles that are not Harry Potter.
1. Galaxy Quest (1999)
Rickman played the classically trained actor Alexander Dane who played an alien on the Star Trek-type show “Galaxy Quest” and, 20 years later, had come to hate the one line his character was known for.
2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)
The movie wasn’t that great. Kevin Costner didn’t even try for a British accent. But itap worth watching for Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham. He absolutely steals the show.
3. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
Rickman himself did not appear on screen, but he lent his marvelous voice to the depressed robot Marvin, who is truly the Eeyore of science fiction.
