Alan Rickman was one of my favorite
actors. Yes he became famous as a
villain, one of the greatest in cinema history, but he had quite a bit more
range than that. Yet somehow he was
never recognized by the Academy, never even earning a nomination!
I was saddened to hear of his
passing. My dream job for him had always
been to be a James Bond villain. Of
course he would have stolen the show, but who cares? He will be missed.
In honor of this great actor, I wanted
to highlight what I would argue are his best performances. There are still some I have not seen (Truly
Madly Deeply, Rasputin) and some I have not seen in a long time (Michael
Collins, Quigley Down Under), so they will not be found here.
10.
Blue Caterpillar, Alice in Wonderland
A
fairly minor role, but he still gets to show off his magnificent voice.
9.
Richis, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Again
a relatively small role in a movie that's sadly not well known in the United
States. If you like slightly disturbing
European cinema, you need to see this.
8.
Judge Turpin, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Can
he sing well? Not really. But he still chews up the scenes like few
other actors can.
7.
Metatron, Dogma
Can
you think of anyone else who would be better as the Voice of God?
6.
Harry, Love Actually
In
a movie full of engaging stories, his is perhaps the most compelling and
tragic. He and Emma Thompson are an
incomparable pair.
5.
Sheriff of Nottingham, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
A
slight guilty pleasure of mine, he is by far the best part of this movie nearly
taking it over. "I'm gonna cut your
heart out with a...spoon!"
4.
Alexander Dane, Galaxy Quest
In
a fantastic movie with a nearly perfect cast, Rickman stands out as the worn
out thespian. Plus, he gets one of the
greatest catch phrases ever. "By
Grabthar's Hammer, you shall be avenged!"
3.
Severus Snape, Harry Potter series
Again,
a movie series with nearly perfect casting, his is one of the most perfect
standouts (second probably only to Kenneth Branagh in a role practically
written for him). I cannot read these
books without thinking about Rickman.
The fact that this is third shows the strength of his resume.
2.
Hans Gruber, Die Hard
Wait,
this is second? The role that made him famous? Probably the second best villain in film
history (to Darth Vader, naturally). As
much as I love him in this, there is another role that is more him, at least to
me.
1.
Colonel Brandon, Sense and Sensibility
To
some people, I'm crazy for thinking this. For others, I'm right on. I remember watching this movie for the first
time in AP English IV and being completely wrapped up in the story, but
especially his character. I was Colonel
Brandon. He blew me away. When thinking of Alan Rickman I may think of
other characters first, but this will always be his best.
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