Google on April 30 celebrated Alan Rickman, who starred in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as the scene-stealing Severus Snape, with a doodle showcasing a caricature of him.
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His intimidating, scary, and captivating performance saw him star in the following seven Harry Potter films, becoming an international sensation.
The day also marked 36 years of Alan Rickman’s magical performance in ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’, a Broadway play that was instrumental in launching his career.
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“With a deep, magnetic voice and endless charm, he’s known for his magical performances in films like Harry Potter and Die Hard. On this day in 1987, Rickman performed in ‘Les Liaisons Dangereuses’, a Broadway play that was instrumental in launching his career,” Google wrote in a blogpost.
Born on February 21, 1946, in West London, England, Rickman was a natural painter and became interested in different art forms after being encouraged by his teachers and family. However, he was especially taken with acting. After graduating, he started a design company but later quit and decided to seriously pursue acting, earning a spot at one of the most prestigious acting schools in the world.
“Over the course of his career, Rickman received numerous acting nominations and awards and even directed three plays and two films. He’s remembered for his iconic roles on-screen, his philanthropy, and his kind and sensitive nature off-screen. In 1988, Rickman starred as criminal mastermind Hans Gruber in the film Die Hard. The character is now considered one of the most iconic villains in cinematic history. The film’s success led to Rickman playing similar antagonist roles in films like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His career trajectory continued throughout the 1990s with roles in Sense and Sensibility (1995) and Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), the latter of which he received an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for,” the blogpost read.