Alan Rickman is familiar to most of us through his portrayal as Professor Snape right? But if you loved Rickman as Snape, you should watch some other performances of Rickman to fully appreciate his excellence.
So here are some of his best performances.
- Romeo and Juliet (1978)
This would be Rickman’s debut at the age of 32 and it was a BBC production Television Movie. He played the role of Tybalt Capulet, cousin to Juliet.
- Robin Hood; The Prince of Thieves (1991)
The movie is an adaptation of the legendary folk tales of Robin Hood. In this movie, Rickman plays Sheriff of Nottingham who is one of the major antagonists of the movie. The movie also stars famous actors including Will Slaters, Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.
- Sense and Sensibility (1995)
This movie is directed by Ang Lee and is based on the famous Jane Austen novel of the same name written in 1811.The movie is about the Dashwood sisters who belonged to the landed gentry and are left destitute. Alan Rickman plays the role of Colonel Christopher Brandon, suitor to the elder sister.
- Rasputin; Dark Servant of Destiny (1996)
Rickman plays the lead role of Gregory Rasputin in this movie and it won him the Golden Globe Award for the Best Actor in Television Movie. The movie encompasses the political changes in Russia and Rasputin’s role in the royal family. Rickman does full justice to his role as a charismatic monk with clandestine affairs.
- Michael Collins (1996)
The movie is a biopic of an Irish patriot Michael Collins. The movie stars Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts as protagonists. Rickman plays the antagonist, Eamon de Valera, a militant conservative party member who was elected President to Ireland. Watching the movie would make the viewers hate Valera even if they are clueless about Irish politics for he seems ruthless and cold.
- Dogma (1999)
This movie is an American comedy which went controversial. The movie deals with two fallen angels and their plan to bring down God and how all the hell breaks loose literally. Rickman plays the role of Metatron an angel.
- Galaxy Quest (1999)
The movie is a comedy about a group of actors of a flop TV series called Galaxy Quest and an alien misunderstanding them for real aliens. The movie is hilarious and Rickman makes us laugh our guts out without smiling even once.
- Love Actually (2003)
This is a British Christmas themed comedy film with an ensemble cast including Colin Firth, Rowan Atkinson and Keira Knightley. The movie shows different aspects of love through ten characters. Rickman plays Harry, managing director of a designing agency who messes up his content married life.
- Perfume; The Story Of A Murderer (2006)
This German movie is the story of a man with extraordinary olfactory senses producing perfumes. Rickman plays the role of Antoine Richis, a French aristocratic father of a woman whom the hero kills. Though Rickman does not appear for long in the movie, his performance is impeccable.
- A Little Chaos (2014)
The movie is a directorial venture of Rickman and he also acts in the movie as King Louis XIV of France. The movie is set in Victorian France and it surrounds the major protagonist Sabine de Bara (Kate Winslet) and her designing of garden of Versailles.
Rickman acted in movies, television series, small budget films and Hollywood movies irrespective of fame and prominence of role. The one thing he never compromised was standards and he blew life into the characters be it villains, heroes or other character roles. “Simplicity was one thing to learn from Rickman” says Daniel Radcliffe in his eulogy and Rickman’s selection of movies reflects it.
