Actor Alan Rickman, Famously Played Professor Snape in Harry Potter Movies, Dead at 69

Actor Alan Rickman, who most of us know as Professor Severus Snape, has died at the age of 69 after a battle with cancer.

The actor first shot to global acclaim when he starred as Hans Gruber, Bruce Willis' adversary in Die Hard back in 1988.

That was the first of three memorable bad guy roles for Rickman. He was an outrageous sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, as well as a terrifying Rasputin in a 1995 acclaimed HBO film.

Rickman was also a fixture on stage as well, having spent time doing productions in London, Dublin, and on Broadway state-side.

Rickman was also very politically active throughout his life. He was born, as he said, “a card-carrying member of the Labour party”, and was highly involved with charities including Saving Faces and the International Performers’ Aid Trust, which seeks to help artists in developing and poverty-stricken countries.

He leaves behind his wife Rima Horton, whom he has known since they met as teenagers. However, the couple only wed in 2012, after being together since 1965.