British film and theater actor Alan Rickman was cast as the dark villain in Die Hard and Harry Potter. Rickman began his love of acting while attending the Latymer Upper School and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, on full scholarships. He has since made the American Film Institute's list of best villains on film.

• "Hans Gruber" in Die Hard
• "Severus Snape" in Harry Potter
• "Sherrif of Nottingham" in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
• "Judge Turpin" in Sweeney Todd

1. "Each character I play has different dimensions. I'm not interested in words that pull them together."
2. "I'm a quite serious actor who doesn't mind being ridiculously comic."
3. "My idea of a real treat is Magic Mountain without standing in line."

• Note: The majority of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• 1988: Die Hard

• 1991: Truly Madly Deeply

• 1991: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

• 1995: Sense and Sensibility

• 1999: Dogma

• 2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

• 2002: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

• 2003: Love Actually

• 2004: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

• 2005: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

• 2006: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

• 2007: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

• 2007: Sweeney Todd