You know when you hear that someone famous has passed and then for the first time realize how much you truly liked them? I've always liked Alan Rickman, but his death has put this into sharper perspective: why did I like him so? Rickman was an every-man, not classically handsome, but attractive; he was British and his delivery measured, which gave him a slightly sophisticated air; and he worked on stage and screen, which gave him pedigree. He may have been made famous to audiences playing Hans Gruber in Die Hard, but it is his softer performances that get me, specifically Truly Madly Deeply. What always stood out to me was his ability to make every character, even the villains, sympathetic or, at the very least, understandable. In my book, that is the mark of a good actor.
Selected filmography:
Die Hard
Truly Madly Deeply
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Sense and Sensibility
Galaxy Quest
Harry Potter movies
Love Actually
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Alice in Wonderland
Lee Daniel's The Butler
