Award Winning Actor and Film Star
Alan Rickman was a much-loved award-winning British actor and film star. His compelling presence and the magic charm of his voice hooked millions of viewers and fans worldwide. He was the ultimate on-screen villain playing the outrageous Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, criminal mastermind Hans Gruber in Die Hard and the shadowy and imperious Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films. He was tender as Jamie in Anthony Minghella’s romance Truly Madly Deeply, extraordinarily sweet as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility and foolish as Harry in Love Actually.
After leaving school Alan studied at Chelsea Art College and The Royal College of Art. He then set up a successful graphic design business with friends. Fortunately for us fans, after 3 years in business he changed course completely, and was accepted at RADA, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in London. He continued to cherish this art and design background throughout his life as can be seen in the sketches and calligraphy in his diaries.
Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries
Published by Canongate books. The beloved and much-missed actor offers his legion of fans a window into Hollywood glamour and theatrical drama in his beautifully written, engaging and revealing diaries.
After RADA he honed his range and technical prowess with experimental theatre companies and the Royal Court theatre before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). He made friends and theatrical partners wherever he went because of his charm, droll wit, loyalty and mentoring. The first of these life-long friendships was with Ruby Wax at the RSC. In his first major leading role as Valmont in Les Liaisons Dangereuses he played alongside Lindsay Duncan and Juliet Stevenson. This also became a successful partnership and friendship with multiple awards for all three of them in this play and others, including Noel Coward’s Private Lives with Lindsay and Truly Madly Deeply with Juliet. Sense and Sensibility marked the beginning of his wonderful working partnership with Emma Thompson, and he directed Emma and her mother in his directorial debut The Winter Guest.
Apart from his BAFTA, Emmy Award, and Golden Globe awards he received many other prizes and some unusual awards such as the top 46th Best Villain and the 8th Sexiest Male Star in Film. He worked with many outstanding actors on stage and in film such as Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet and Colin Firth all of whom remained friends and mourned his death.
Philanthropy and Founding Patron of Saving Faces
Alan was not just a screen legend, he was also a generous mentor and philanthropist donating often to small, socially important projects and helping his Alma Maters.
We were fortunate that he loved Saving Faces and was proud of being our founding Patron. Alan understood in a visceral way the emotional impact of face-altering trauma, disease and surgery and our director helped treat his friends who had these problems. Part of his legacy was donated to Saving Faces and will be used rise to this challenge and create his Professorship.
This campaign will give millions of people who loved Alan and enjoyed his films the opportunity to remember him whilst also improving and saving the lives of thousands of people worldwide.
In 2014, he launched the National Facial, Oral and Oculoplastic Research Centre (NFORC) with the National Medical Director of the NHS at London’s South Bank Centre.
At the launch, Alan challenged us saying:
“I have been a Patron of Saving Faces for many years. The world’s only national research centre focussing on the face is an absolutely brilliant innovation and will rapidly improve treatment for the most socially important part of our body – the face. Saving Faces’ next project is to appoint an outstanding surgical Professor to lead this national centre. Yet another great idea. Please let me help you achieve this.“
Photo credit: Southern Pictures
I think it’s marvelous that Alan was a founding Patron of the wonderful surgical research charity Saving Faces and I’m delighted to support this crowd funding campaign to fund the brand new Alan Rickman Professorship of Facial Surgery.
Alan gave so much joy to so many people who saw him either in the flesh on stage or on film so I love the idea that he and his voice will always live on associated with improving and saving the lives of thousands of patients worldwide because of the research done by his Professor. Please help us make this Professorship come to life by donating and spreading the word honouring Alan’s name and saving lives.
I’m just imagining how frightened patients will be put at ease when they see the Alan Rickman Professor. I hope that the hospital where the Professor works will have a shrine to Alan which all patients can visit and perhaps the surgeon has to have a wizard hat and wand on the desk when they see patients.
Daniel Radcliffe the actor who played Harry Potter
“Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalist and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry’’. “He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I’m pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn’t have to do that.“
J K Rowling
“He was a magnificent actor and wonderful man”
Michael Gambon the actor who played Professor Dumbledore
“Everybody loved Alan. He was always happy and fun and creative and very, very funny.”