<P> Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman ( 21 February 1946 -- 14 January 2016 ) was an English actor and director known for playing a variety of roles on stage and on screen . Rickman trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London , and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company , performing in modern and classical theatre productions . His first big television part came in 1982 , but his big break was as the Vicomte de Valmont in the stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985 , for which he was nominated for a Tony Award . Rickman gained wider notice for his film performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series . </P>
<P> Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman ( 21 February 1946 -- 14 January 2016 ) was an English actor and director known for playing a variety of roles on stage and on screen . Rickman trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London , and was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company , performing in modern and classical theatre productions . His first big television part came in 1982 , but his big break was as the Vicomte de Valmont in the stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985 , for which he was nominated for a Tony Award . Rickman gained wider notice for his film performances as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series . </P>
who played snape in the harry potter series
who played snape in the harry potter series
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman
Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman