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Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born February 21 , 1946 ) is an English stage and screen actor. EARLY LIFE BACKGROUND Rickman was born in Hammersmith , London to a working-class family; his father was Irish Catholic and his mother was Welsh and a Methodist ; there was consequently a religious tug-of-war between his parents. His father died when Rickman was eight years old, and his mother raised him afterwards. Rickman attended the Chelsea College Of Art and made his way as a graphic artist in Soho . He received a scholarship to the Royal Academy Of Dramatic Art (RADA) which he attended from 1972 - 1974. While there, he won the Emile Litter Prize , the Forbes Robertson Prize , and the Bancroft Gold Medal . Since then, he has been a constant presence on the British stage. PROFESSIONAL LIFE Rickman has worked extensively with various British repertory and experimental theater groups including '' The Seagull '', Snoo Wilson's ''The Grass Widow'' at the Royal Court and has appeared three times at the Edinburgh International Festival. While working with the Royal Shakespeare Company he starred in, among other things, '' As You Like It ''. He made a particular impression as the male lead in the 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company production of '' Les Liaisons Dangereuses ''. His casting as Le Vicomte de Valmont won him critical and popular acclaim as the elegant and heartless seducer. When the show came across the Atlantic in 1986, Rickman came with it to Broadway and there earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance. To television audiences he also became known as Mr. Slope in the BBC 's 1980s adaptation of '' Barchester Towers ''. '']] He played Irish president '' in 1996. He is best known (to his younger fans) as the sneering potions professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. More recently, Rickman was cast as the voice of Marvin in '' The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy '' movie. Coincidentally, Rickman and David Learner, who occupied Marvin's costume for the TV adaptation and stage shows, studied together at the RADA. Rickman will continue playing the Potions Master Severus Snape in the 5th installment, '' Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix '', which is currently being filmed in England. He will also be very busy this year with ''Snow Cake'' (with Sigourney Weaver & Carrie-Anne Moss) which will have its debut at the Berlinale and ''Perfume: the Story of a Murderer'' (with Dustin Hoffman), directed by Tom Tykwer. Alan Rickman has performed on stage in Noel Coward's romantic comedy '' Private Lives '', which transferred to Broadway after its successful run in London at the Albery Theatre and ended in September 2002. Rickman had reunited with his Les Liaisons Dangereuses co-star, Lindsay Duncan, and director, Howard Davies for this Tony Award winning production. His previous stage performance was as Marc Antony, opposite Helen Mirren as Cleopatra, in the Royal National Theatre's production of '' Antony And Cleopatra '' at the Olivier Theatre in London, which ran October 20th through December 3rd, 1998. Before that, he performed in Yukio Ninagawa's '' Tango At The End Of Winter '' in London's West End and the Riverside Studio production of '' Hamlet '' in 1991, directed by Robert Sturua. And even directing '' The Winter Guest '' at London's Almeida Theatre in 1995 (of which he also directed the film version in 1996 starring Emma Thompson and her real life mother Phyllida Law ). Rickman has also been featured in several musical works - most notably in a song composed by the English songwriter Adam Leonard . Moreover, the actor played a ‘Master of Ceremonies’ part in announcing the various instruments in Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells II on the track 'The Bell'. Mr. Rickman was also one of the many artists who recited Shakespearian sonnets on the 2002-released '' When Love Speaks '' CD, and is also featured prominently in a Texas music-video entitled "In Demand", which premiered on Europe MTV in August 2000. MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE Rickman has directed the play, '' My Name Is Rachel Corrie '' in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre , London and won the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards for best director. The production is based on the writings of Rachel Corrie , the 23 year old American woman who was killed on March 16, 2003 by an Israeli Army Bulldozer while she was protesting the demolition of Palestinian homes. The circumstances surrounding her death have been disputed. The International Solidarity Movement , of which Corrie was a part, claimed that she was run over on purpose, but The Israeli Defence Forces have said it was an accident and that she was killed by falling debris. Corrie left behind a series of diaries and emails that have been edited together by Katherine Viner and Alan Rickman. The play was scheduled to be transferred at the New York Workshop Theatre in March 2006. However, the New York theatre decided that the play was to be"postponed indefinitely", in fear of reactions from different political parties. In two articles in The Guardian Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner, both denounced the decision as censorship. '' My Name Is Rachel Corrie '' is now playing successfully to a larger audience at the West End 's Playhouse Theatre in London. PERSONAL LIFE Although he has never married, he has been romantically involved with Rima Horton since their days at the Chelsea College of Art. FILMOGRAPHY (PARTIAL)
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