Alan Rickman

Alan was born on 21st February 1946 in Acton, London.  He has two brohers and a sister. His father dies when he was eight and was raised by his mother. He studied graphic design at Chelsea College of Art and Design. Whilst he was there, he met Rima Horton who is still his partener today (although they aren't married).
At the age of 26 he joined his first professional acting... thing.. called RADA. He recieved several awards while he was there.
After leaving RADA, he toured with several plays and did a few minor films.
In 1978 he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company but was only with them for a year.
In 1979 Alan made his TV debut in Therese Raquin.
In 1982 Alan started to raise his prfile. He starred in The Barchester Chronicles, which won him a league of female fans. Then Joel Silver, director of Die Hard, asked Alan if he would like the role of Hans Gruber, an evil terrorist who takes hostages in an office block. Alan gladly accepted.
After that followed several succesful films including Truly, Madly, Deeply, and Robin Hood:Prince of Theives which won Alan a BAFTA.
There were problems with Mesmer, a film where Alan played an 18th century physician. There were money issues which stopped it from being released at the cinema, and it was not aired until 1999, on the Romance Channel.
Alan then starred in Sense and Sensibility, alongside Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson, who he would go on to make The Winter Guest with.
By now, offers for films were coming in from all directions. He starred as the metatron in Dogma, and as Dr Lazarus in Galxy Quest. He also appeared in the video for In Demand  by Texas, dancing the tango with lead singer Sharleen Spiteri.
His next big film role was as a hairdresser, in Blow Dry, alongside Josh Hartnett.
Then, the big one. Alan accepted the role of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. The books were already incredibly popular and when Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  came out in late 2001, Alan earned millions of new fans, many of whom were much younger than his previous audiences.
Alans's latest film was Love Actually, a romantic comedy combining the best of British talent. The cast included Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Martine McCutcheon, Thomas Sangster, Colin Firth and Rowan Atkinson.
Alan is currently filming the for the third installment in the Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.