5) The Sheriff of Nottingham- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
First thing first; I really do not like this film. In my opinion the only good Hollywood adaption of the Robin Hood story was the Disney version starring a leotard-clad fox in the titular role. In saying that, Alan Rickman is a complete breath of fresh air as the villainous sheriff. Rickman's performance is so over-the-top and entertaining that he steals every scene he is in. In fact, before Rickman accepted the part, he demanded he have total control over how he was going to play the character, and thank God he did, as this is a classic case of an individual actor's performance being superior to the film. Admittedly not his most nuanced role, quotable lines such as "Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas" manage to help place this firmly in my top 5.
4) Rasputin- Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny
This HBO made for TV movie won Rickman both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series or Movie and his performance absolutely merited these accolades. If you haven't seen this hidden gem, give it a watch (the full thing is actually on YouTube) as it really is a very good film, also featuring Sir Ian McKellen as Tsar Nicholas II. Rickman is darkly captivating as the infamous Russian healer. His puts his classical training to great use in this complex and layered performance which shows us many sides to the infamous mystic without ever giving away his true motivations. Rickman has left us a performance just as nuanced as it is enigmatic and it is a travesty that it has been forgotten over the passage of time.
3) Alexander Dane- Galaxy Quest
This Tom Hank's fronted 1999 comedy is, unashamedly, my ultimate guilty player. The "Home Improvements" star features alongside Rickman and Sigourney Weaver in what is essentially a Star Trek spoof, the plot revolving around a group of TV actors who are recruited by a group of delusional aliens to help them save their race from destruction at the hands of an evil space warlord. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Well, to be honest it is, but that's part of Galaxy Quest's appeal. It is always self aware and never once tries to be something which it isn't, and the same could be said of Alan Rickman's performance. He plays Alexander Dane, a classically trained actor (like Rickman) who resents being remembered for his part in an old sci-fi adventure show, feeling that he has wasted his career. Rickman shows off his perfect comic timing as the uptight Dane and, while admittedly it may not be the most complex performance of his long career, it is his most entertaining by far. Just watch his introductory scene where he laments himself for what he has become, complaining that he used to play Richard the Third among other respectable roles, and you will immediately understand why this performance ranks so highly. It is Rickman at his most hilarious.
2) Professor Severus Snape- Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
For me, Alan Rickman will always be synonymous with everyone's favourite/least favourite Potion's Master, Professor Severus Snape. In the eyes of a certain generation, for all intents and purposes, Alan Rickman WAS Snape. Bringing the character to life in a way no one else could, Rickman's Snape was such a rich and layered character, transforming from a detestable bully to a hated turncoat before the truth about him is finally revealed in the last act of the final film. Snape was a deeply flawed character who hated Harry almost as much as he loved his mother Lily, but never once did he falter from his mission to help protect "The Boy Who Lived".The Snape character was incredibly complex and Rickman, no stranger to such roles, played his part to a tee, showing off his dramatic and comedic chops whenever each were called upon throughout the franchise's decade long run. If I had to pick Alan Rickman's best outing as the former Death Eater, it would have to be the sixth instalment in the franchise, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince". Rickman, knowing what's ahead for his character by this point, delivers a spell-bounding performance (pardon the pun). The scene where Snape kills Dumbledore in particular is heightened by the strength of Rickman's acting. His eyes, usually cold and full of resentment, show a glimmer of regret and sorrow as he slays the only man who ever trusted him. From a "rewatchability" standpoint, Half Blood Prince is the London born actor's best outing as his most famous character. While not number one on my list, Professor Snape will be the role for which many will remember Alan Rickman most fondly. Always.
1) Hans Gruber- Die Hard
The former theatre star's first ever cinematic role also proved to be, in my opinion, his most significant. Alan Rickman helped to revolutionise action movies with his role as Hans Gruber in the 1988's all time classic, "Die Hard". Never before had an action villain been so sophisticated but also so intimidating. Never before had an action villain been so mysterious, their motivations so clouded, their true personality hidden behind so much smoke and so many mirrors. Never before had an action movie villain been acted so extraordinary well. Alan Rickman's line delivery in Die Hard is stuff of legend. Not a word is wasted. He takes lines which could have sounded generic in the hands of a less competent actor and turns them into moments that will live on forever in the minds of film fans around the world. Gruber is cultured, egotistical, menacing and intelligent. Where action movie antagonists before him were uninteresting and dispensable, he is captivating and memorable. It is amazing to think that Alan Rickman almost turned down this part, but aren't we glad that he didn't? Alan Rickman raised the bar for what a movie villain should be, taking everything that had come before and turning it on its head. He truly redefined an entire genre, and that is a legacy that any man can be proud to leave behind.
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