Zou Zheng/Xinhua/Alamy Live NewsBritish icon Alan Rickmans acting career spanned about 40 years before his death.Alan Rickman is one of the most fondly remembered actors in modern history. Perhaps best known in recent years for his role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series, Rickman portrayed a wide variety of characters in film, in television, and on stage throughout his life. From his role as the villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard in 1988, to Harry in Love Actually in 2003, to his last on-screen performance as Lieutenant General Frank Benson in Eye In The Sky in 2015, Rickmans career was full of memorable highlights. When he wasnt working, he advocated for many noble causes, including aiding refugees and fighting poverty.Sadly, on Jan. 14, 2016, Alan Rickman died after a private battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 69 in London. This came years after he endured a separate battle with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.Since Alan Rickman had kept his health issues largely under wraps, many of his former costars were shocked to hear about his death, with Jason Isaacs saying he was sidestepped by the awful news and Ralph Fiennes remarking, I cannot believe he is gone and we are the poorer for it.Alan Rickmans Foray Into ActingAlan Rickman was born on Feb. 21, 1946 and grew up in Acton, London. He had three siblings: two brothers and a sister. When he was just eight years old, his father died from lung cancer. His mother sought out various jobs to support her family, and Alan remembered her as a tigress who worked hard and always reinvented herself.Alan Rickman was interested in the arts at an early age, and was particularly gifted in watercolor and calligraphy. After attending Latymer Upper School in London as a teenager, he studied graphic design at the Chelsea School of Art (now the Chelsea College of Art and Design) and at the Royal College of Art.Though he was involved in theater while in school, he began working at a graphic design studio, not seeing acting as a sustainable profession. He also enjoyed his relationship with Rima Horton (the two met as teens and stayed together for decades, but they only officially married in 2012).Wikimedia CommonsAlan Rickman eventually studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.But eventually, Rickman decided to pursue acting more seriously, and he attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in the early 1970s.After his time at RADA, Rickman began picking up roles in the British theater industry. In 1978, he performed with the Court Drama Group, appearing in productions like Romeo and Juliet and A View from the Bridge.He later worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in 1980s productions of Troilus and Cressida and As You Like It.Around this time, Rickman also started picking up a number of television roles, appearing in a 1980 mini-series adaptation of Thrse Raquin and the 1982 mini-series The Barchester Chronicles.His big break came in 1988, when he booked the role of the infamous, sharp-tongued terrorist Hans Gruber in the movie Die Hard. An Incredible Rise To Stardom And Unforgettable RolesWarner Bros.Alan Rickman is often remembered for playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movie series.As it turned out, Alan Rickman had a real talent for playing villains. Another notable role of his was in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), where he played the memorable antagonist, Sheriff of Nottingham. The film, which also featured actors Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman, wasnt necessarily a big success with critics. However, Rickmans performance received nearly universal acclaim. In 1992, he even won a BAFTA for his performance in that movie.While both the roles of Hans Gruber and the Sheriff of Nottingham brought Rickman success, he was wary of being typecasted as a villain. He began pursuing roles that broke out of the antagonist mold he had fallen into. In an effort to seek out different types of roles, Rickman played the romantic lead in the 1991 movie Truly, Madly, Deeply. He earned a BAFTA nomination for that performance, and the film was a success. Critic Roger Ebert described Rickmans striking presence in the film: The man is Alan Rickman, who you will look at on the screen, and know you have seen somewhere, and rattle your memory all during the movie without making the connection that he was the villain in Die Hard.Throughout the 1990s, Alan Rickman picked up role after role, and he received two other BAFTA nominations in 1996 and 1997, for his work in the films Sense and Sensibility and Michael Collins.In 2001, Alan Rickman debuted one of his most iconic and widely remembered roles, portraying Severus Snape in the first Harry Potter film. While he would portray the character in all eight Harry Potter movies in the series (from 2001 until 2011), he continued appearing in other projects, including the romantic ensemble comedy Love Actually in 2003.Wikimedia CommonsAlong with acting in movies, television, and on stage, Alan Rickman also did some directing before his death.In 2005, Rickman also directed the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie at the Royal Court Theater in London. The play focused on Rachel Corrie, an American activist who was fatally crushed by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to stop its operators from demolishing Palestinian homes in 2003.The play was successful in London, and it received the 2006 London Theatregoers Choice Award for Best Play and Best Director. Though the play was also supposed to be performed at the New York Theater Workshop, it was ultimately canceled due to concerns about the shows political content.I never imagined that the play would create such acute controversy, Rickman said in 2007. Many Jews supported it. The New York producer was Jewish and we held a discussion after every performance.He added: Both Israelis and Palestinians participated in the discussions and there was no shouting in the theater. People simply listened to each other.What Caused Alan Rickmans Death? Inside His Private Battle With CancerWikimedia CommonsMany were shocked to hear about the cancer that caused Alan Rickmans death, as he kept his diagnosis largely hidden.In 2005, Alan Rickman was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, which eventually required the surgical removal of his entire prostate. Amidst his agonizing health concerns, Rickman debated on whether he should return as Snape for the fifth Harry Potter movie. He already had mixed feelings on continuing the role even before his diagnosis, as the lengthy films sometimes seemed to be never-ending.However, after Rickmans surgery was completed, he wrote in his diary: Finally, yes to HP 5. The sensation is neither up nor down. The argument that wins is the one that says: See it through. Its your story.'Though Rickman indeed completed the films and continued to act throughout the 2000s and early 2010s, his health issues were far from over.In August 2015, Rickman had a minor stroke, which led to a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. He kept this grim diagnosis largely private, only telling his family members and a few of his close friends. Because of this, it came as a huge shock to the world when Alan Rickman died from the pancreatic cancer at the age of just 69 on Jan. 14, 2016. To make matters even more shocking, Alan Rickman died just four days after another iconic British cultural figure, David Bowie who was also 69 at the time of his death and also kept his cancer battle hidden from the public.Rickman reportedly spent his final moments surrounded by his family and friends in London. His neighbors said they had no idea he was sick and described him as upbeat in the weeks before he died.Many of Alan Rickmans former costars were just as shocked to hear about his cause of death as his neighbors and his fans, as his diagnosis had been kept private until the end. Most who shared tributes to him expressed their shock and devastation and their fond memories of him.Daniel Radcliffe posted this moving tribute: Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people Ive ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter.And Emma Thompson shared this emotional goodbye: I couldnt wait to see what he was going to do with his face next He was the ultimate ally. In life, art and politics. I trusted him absolutely. He was, above all things, a rare and unique human being and we shall not see his like again.After reading about the remarkable life and heartbreaking death of Alan Rickman, learn about Gilda Radners death and the cancer that caused it. Then, read about Steve Jobs death and how his bizarre cures for pancreatic cancer may have hastened it.The post Inside The Incredible Life And Heartbreaking Death Of British Acting Legend Alan Rickman appeared first on All That's Interesting.