Alan Rickman, star of stage and 'Harry Potter,' dies at 69

Only an actor like Alan Rickman could call off Christmas and be beloved for it.

Mr. Rickman, whose rash decree as Nottingham's sheriff in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is part of his acting legacy, died of cancer Thursday in London at 69.

An Englishman whose languid rumble threatened or seduced with flair, Mr. Rickman's performances were often the best thing about his movies, and many of them were quite good.

Mr. Rickman was offered his breakout movie role two days after arriving in Hollywood, playing Euro-trash terrorist Hans Gruber in 1988's Die Hard opposite Bruce Willis. His varied career included eight appearances as Harry Potter's sardonic professor Severus Snape, and a tempted husband in Love, Actually.

Mr. Rickman's final movie role, again voicing Absolem the blue caterpillar in Disney's Alice in Wonderland sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, will debut May 27 in theaters.

Mr. Rickman was an underestimated screen talent in terms of awards: never nominated for an Oscar, a lone Emmy to his credit for playing the Russian monk Grigori Rasputin in a TV movie. His range was obvious with his follow-up to Die Hard, switching gears from arch villain to lovestruck ghost in Truly, Madly, Deeply.

The classically trained actor also wasn't above lampooning himself in Galaxy Quest, as a serious thespian reduced to playing a Spock-ish alien.

Such swings in characterizations continued throughout Mr. Rickman's career, never more distinct than 2013 when he portrayed both former U.S. president Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels' The Butler, and punk rock impresario Hilly Kristal in CBGB.

The actor never seemed that interested in being a movie star, spending most of his days away from Hollywood, often on Broadway and London stages.

Yet Mr. Rickman's signature screen performance is bound to be Severus Snape, Harry Potter's nemesis turned martyr over eight box office hits. The book series' author J.K. Rowling added her tribute to thousands on Twitter:

"There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death," she tweeted. "He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man."

Contact Steve Persall at spersall@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8365. Follow @StevePersall.