12 Facts About Alan Rickman. Famous in His 40s, Married at 66
Throughout his acting career, Rickman has played many different roles. Most notably, he is remembered by audiences for his flawless and chilling portrayal of movie villains. However, off-set, Alan Rickman was a man with a huge heart, whose kindness knew no bounds.
Here at CHEERY, we were deeply moved by the facts in Rickman’s biography, which brings to light just how sensitive and caring he was.
He knew it was never too late to follow a dream.
As a child, Alan Rickman dreamt of the stage. He wanted to act in theater, but instead, decided to pursue a career in a more stable profession and became a graphic designer. Rickman and his friends ran a successful design studio, but over time Alan realized that his heart belongs to acting, so, at the age of 26, he entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began his acting career.
Alan was rather late to the acting scene; he got his first major role in a feature-length film at the age of 42. However, that didn’t stop him from becoming an actor in high demand right away.
He turned his disadvantage into one of his main virtues.
Alan Rickman was born with a crooked jaw, which had a big impact on the way he spoke. Because of this, Alan had to work hard at public speaking: “At drama school, it was the subject of a great deal of criticism and a lot of hard work,” the actor shared.
But Rickman has managed to turn his flaw into his calling card. The actor’s famously delightful voice has been labeled as “one of the most perfect” according to scientists.
Alan only loved one woman all his life.
In 1965, when Alan Rickman was 19, he met 18-year-old Rima Horton. She became his first and only girlfriend. The couple married in secret in 2012 after 47 years of being together. Alan rarely spoke of his personal life, but in one interview he was quoted saying this about Rima: “She’s tolerant. She’s incredibly tolerant. Possibly a candidate for sainthood.”
He wanted children, but respected the decision of his beloved.
Rickman believed that the secret to a long and happy relationship is mutual respect. That’s precisely why the decision to not have children was a mutual one between himself and his wife. The actor himself was sure that he and Rima would be great parents, but his partner disagreed, and Alan respected her point of view.
He once fulfilled the dream of a terminally ill child.
Paula DuPré Pesmen, the producer of the first three Harry Potter films, told the story of what a kind heart Alan had.
Paula had invited terminally ill children to the set. Among them was 15-year-old Jay, who had stage 4 neuroblastoma. The boy was happy to be on the set of Prisoner of Azkaban, but he wanted to be in the film.
The producer explained that they couldn’t make this wish come true, and that’s when Alan Rickman approached them. He met Jay, found out about the boy’s dream, and took him into the crowd of child actors who were, at the time, filming the Boggart scene in Lupin’s classroom. “Jay was very happy that Alan did that for him,” said Paula.
He gave up his knighthood.
Alan Rickman was the type of person who didn’t care about orders and honors. When he had the honor of being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II herself, the actor refused the title.
He always helped his friends.
Journalist Katharine Viner, one of Rickman’s friends, drew attention to the fact that the man had a great gift — he was a true friend and would do anything for those he cared about. On that note, Katharine recalled a touching story: “I once asked if a friend, a teacher from Huddersfield, could cook for him so that she could put it on her CV — ’cooked for Alan Rickman’ (it made sense at the time). He not only said yes but acted as her sous-chef and rustled up a top politician and a Hollywood film actress as fellow guests.”
He stood up for what he believed in.
Alan Rickman stood up for his views and was sensitive to any political incorrectness. For example, while working on the action film Die Hard he refused to throw his colleague Bonnie Bedelia onto the floor, as required by the script. The actor found this plot move offensive and inappropriate.
He had a great sense of humour.
Despite an array of serious screen appearances, Alan Rickman was a bit of a mischief maker in real life. On the set of Prisoner of Azkaban, he would even prank Daniel Radcliffe. You probably remember the scene where the students are on the floor in sleeping bags in the Great Hall, with Severus Snape and Professor Dumbledore walking between them and discussing a possible attack by Sirius Black.
“Alan Rickman decided he would plant one of those fart machines in my, uh, sleeping bag, and they waited until like — the camera had come in for this huge dramatic developing shot, and then unleashed this tremendous noise in the Great Hall,” Radcliffe shared.
He failed his driving test the first time for a funny reason.
Few people pass their driving test on their first try. Usually, people accidentally hit a curb or forget to turn on an indicator. Surprisingly, Rickman managed to fail his test the first time for driving too cautiously through a green light.
He supported his young colleagues with valuable advice.
Alan Rickman was a very talented actor who was often approached by fellow actors for advice. Actress Evanna Lynch revealed that she and Alan Rickman once had an important conversation.
Evanna confided in Alan about her some of her worries and Rickman gave her some great advice: “I told him that I was worried if I didn’t figure myself out quickly I would miss the most important opportunities and never get them back, he simply told me that I was focusing on the wrong thing. He said not to worry about getting ’there’ and instead to focus on feeding my soul and following my heart from place to place.”
He valued his fans.
Alan Rickman was kind and sensitive, not only to his loved ones and colleagues but also to his fans, of which the star had many.
One fan shared her fond memories of Rickman: “Never met him but have a letter and photo (signed) by him. I sent him a handmade blanket and got a response. He seemed like a very nice person to answer his fans. Miss him.”
What’s your favourite Alan Rickman movie?