Alan Rickman's 10 Greatest Performances

RIP Gruber, Snape, Nottingham...

F*ck you 2016. That's Lemmy, David Bowie and Alan Rickman all gone in a matter of a few devastating weeks. And f*ck you cancer too, for good measure. The man who was made to play classically-toned villains and who inhabited the role of Professor Snape like it was written for him (it was, but that's neither here nor there) has sadly passed away at the age of 69 after a short battle with cancer. He will be sorely missed as one of British film's most recognisable talents, and we as fans are left now to pick through what is left - reminders of his brilliance - as the devastatingly touching words of his friends and fellow actors ring across the Internet. For one so dearly loved, Rickman didn't actually make that many films, nor was he particularly showered with awards, but drawing up a celebration of his talent is as easy a task as it is painful. And choosing the very best is bound to upset at least two massive fandoms who have taken Rickman to heart as a cultural phenomenon beyond a mere mortal actor.

10. Marvin - The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Rickman was one of those talents whose vocal idiosyncrasies made him easily one of the most recognisable brands in Hollywood: like Patrick Stewart, James Earl Jones and Christopher Walken there was no mistaking him. By the time he was playing Professor Snape, his quirks had become something of an affectionate affectation, but it was his superb casting in the not quite excellent adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy that really took advantage of his voice first. Channelling Eeyore and dialling up the famously morose tones in his normal speaking voice, his Marvin was a rare perfect note in an otherwise wayward adaptation.
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