Editing Alan Rickman (section)

===1974–1988: Theatre roles and film debut ===
After graduating from RADA, Rickman worked extensively with British repertory and experimental theatre groups in productions including [[Chekhov]]'s ''[[The Seagull]]'' and [[Snoo Wilson]]'s ''The Grass Widow'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]], and appeared three times at the [[Edinburgh International Festival]]. He performed with the Court Drama Group in 1978, gaining roles in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'' and ''[[A View from the Bridge]]'', among other plays. While working with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] (RSC), he was cast as Jaques in ''[[As You Like It]]'', contributing an essay about his process to the RSC's book ''Players of Shakespeare 2''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/arts-theatre-culture/british-theatre/players-shakespeare-2-further-essays-shakespearean-performance-players-royal-shakespeare-company?format=PB&isbn=9780521389037 |title=Players of Shakespeare 2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref> He appeared in the 1981 BBC adaptation of [[Émile Zola]]'s novel ''[[Thérèse Raquin]]'', opposite [[Kate Nelligan]] and [[Brian Cox (actor)| Brian Cox]]. He made a brief appearance in one episode of the BBC adaptation of [[John le Carré]]'s ''[[Smiley's People]]'' (1982). His breakthrough role was in ''[[The Barchester Chronicles]]'' (1982), the BBC's adaptation of [[Anthony Trollope|Trollope]]'s first two Barchester novels, as the Reverend Obadiah Slope.<ref name="Beguiling">{{cite news |title=Alan Rickman: Beguiling monster who made Cherie weak at the knees |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/alan-rickman-beguiling-monster-who-made-cherie-weak-at-the-knees-9234250.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307220852/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/alan-rickman-beguiling-monster-who-made-cherie-weak-at-the-knees-9234250.html |archive-date=7 March 2017 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=8 March 2020 |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref name=RTE14Jan2016>{{cite journal|title=British actor Alan Rickman dies aged 69|journal=RTÉ.ie|url=http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2016/0114/760145-british-actor-alan-rickman-has-dies-aged-69|author=Staff|date=14 January 2016|publisher=Raidió Teilifís Éireann|access-date=14 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115074654/http://www.rte.ie/ten/news/2016/0114/760145-british-actor-alan-rickman-has-dies-aged-69/|archive-date=15 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Guardian14Jan2016/>
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| width = 30%|It shouldn't be a surprise that Alan Rickman is the only actor to make it onto this Greatest Villains list twice—he does bad deeds with such gusto. Legend has it he kept refusing the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham until it was agreed he could do whatever he liked with it—which, to Kevin Costner's rumoured chagrin, included stealing the whole damn show. Every sneer, every eye-roll, every flourish of splenetic exasperation is a joy to behold. Whether he's cancelling Christmas or cutting your heart out with a spoon, Rickman's crowd-pleasing pantomime villainy is downright heroic.
| source = —''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' on Rickman, ranking his portrayals of the [[Sheriff of Nottingham]] (number 14) and [[Hans Gruber (character)|Hans Gruber]] (number 4) on their list of the greatest villains.<ref>[https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/best-movie-villains/ "Greatest Villains of All Time"]. ''Empire''. Retrieved 24 February 2019</ref>
}}
Rickman was given the male lead, the Vicomte de Valmont, in the 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company production of [[Christopher Hampton]]'s adaptation of ''[[Les liaisons dangereuses (play)|Les Liaisons Dangereuses]]'', directed by [[Howard Davies (director)|Howard Davies]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rich |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Rich |title=Stage: Carnal abandon in ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' |url=http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9B0DE7DE1130F932A35756C0A961948260 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1 May 1987 |access-date=16 January 2016}}</ref> After the RSC production transferred to the West End in 1986 and Broadway in 1987, Rickman received both a [[Tony Award]] nomination and a [[Drama Desk Award]] nomination for his performance.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Katherine |title=Alan Rickman Was A Great Film Actor, But He Was A Master of Theater First |url=https://huffingtonpost.com/entry/alan-rickman-theater-actor_5697dc10e4b0778f46f872fa |url-status=live |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |date=14 January 2016 |access-date=16 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115125902/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alan-rickman-theater-actor_5697dc10e4b0778f46f872fa |archive-date=15 January 2016}}</ref> In 1988, Rickman played the antagonist [[Hans Gruber (character)|Hans Gruber]] in the action thriller ''[[Die Hard]]'' in what was his first feature film. His portrayal, starring opposite [[Bruce Willis]], earned him critical acclaim and a spot on the [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains]] list as the 46th-best villain in film history.<ref>{{cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-heroes-villians/ |url-status=live |publisher=AFI.com |access-date=7 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070507035737/http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/handv.aspx |archive-date=7 May 2007}}</ref> Rickman later revealed that he almost did not take the role, for he did not think ''Die Hard'' was the kind of film he wanted to make.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://guru.bafta.org/alan-rickman-a-life-in-pictures-highlights|title=Alan Rickman: A Life in Pictures Highlights|website=BAFTA Guru|access-date=13 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226023636/http://guru.bafta.org/alan-rickman-a-life-in-pictures-highlights|archive-date=26 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>