Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69 

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Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69

Media captionFilm critic Jason Solomons: "He had a gift for being sneeringly withering"

Actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard, Truly Madly Deeply and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died at the age of 69.

The star was suffering from cancer, his family said.

He became one of Britain\'s best-loved acting stars thanks to roles including Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films and Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

He also won a Bafta Award for playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991\'s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

A family statement said: "The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends."

Image caption Rickman played the mysterious Professor Snape in all eight Harry Potter films

Sir Michael Gambon, who appeared with Alan Rickman in Harry Potter as well as on stage, told BBC Radio 4 he was "a great friend".

He added: "Everybody loved Alan. He was always happy and fun and creative and very, very funny. He had a great voice, he spoke wonderfully well.

"He was intelligent, he wrote plays, he directed a play. So he was a real man of the theatre and the stage and that\'s how I think of Alan."

Ang Lee, who directed Rickman in Sense and Sensibility, called him a "brilliant actor… a soulful actor… a great human being".

Actor Richard E Grant wrote on Twitter: "Farewell my friend. Your kindness & generosity ever since we met in LA in 1987 & ever since is incalculable. XX"

Harry Potter actor James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley, said on Twitter he was "shocked and sad" to hear the news. He wrote: "One of the nicest actors I\'ve ever met. Thoughts and prayers with his family at this time."

His twin brother Oliver Phelps, who played George Weasley, added: "Terribly sad news about the passing of Alan Rickman. A funny and engaging person who put a shy young actor at ease when I was on Harry Potter."

TV star and Bafta ceremony host Stephen Fry wrote: "What desperately sad news about Alan Rickman. A man of such talent, wicked charm and stunning screen and stage presence. He\'ll be sorely missed."

Actor David Morrissey also paid tribute. He said: "So sad to hear the news of Alan Rickman. A wonderful actor and lovely man. Tragic news."

Image caption He made his TV debut in 1978\'s Romeo and Juliet

Image caption Rickman and Juliet Stevenson met the Queen in 2000

The London-born star began his career in theatre, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company, before winning roles in TV dramas like Smiley\'s People and The Barchester Chronicles in the 1980s.

He became best known for playing screen villains - including the role of Judge Turpin opposite Johnny Depp in 2007\'s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as well as the likes of Hans Gruber and the Sheriff of Nottingham.

But he showed his gentler side in films like 1990\'s Truly Madly Deeply, 1995\'s Sense and Sensibility and Love Actually in 2003.

He earned Bafta nominations for his roles in Truly Madly Deeply, in which he played Juliet Stevenson\'s ghost lover, and for playing Colonel Brandon alongside Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensibility.

He got another Bafta nomination for portraying the calculating Eamon de Valera in 1996\'s Michael Collins.

The following year, he won a Golden Globe for best actor in a miniseries or television film for the title role in Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny.

Image caption He starred with Lindsay Duncan in Private Lives in the West End and on Broadway

He was also a major presence on the stage in London and New York.

His performance as the manipulative seducer Le Vicomte in Les Liaisons Dangereuses on Broadway in 1986 brought him the first of two Tony Award nominations.

It also brought him to the attention of Die Hard producer Joel Silver, who offered him his film debut as a result.

His second Tony nomination came for Private Lives in 2002, in which he appeared opposite Lindsay Duncan in London before the New York transfer.

What are your memories of Alan Rickman? Have you met him? You can share your experiences and tributes by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:

Alan Rickman played Professor Snape in the Harry Potter films

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British actor Alan Rickman, known for films including Harry Potter, Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has died aged 69, his family says.

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