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Remembering Alan Rickman

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Jess Cartwright
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Rachael David
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

As most of you know, British actor Alan Rickman died today at age 69 due to a struggle with cancer. Known for his roles as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and Hans Gruber in Die Hard, Rickman was a well-known, well-respected actor.

Like many people my age, I grew up obsessed with the Harry Potter series. Professor Snape was not only an intriguing character who played an important role in the Potter family’s story, but he was also the morose and brilliant professor we loved to hate. Alan Rickman brought Snape to life, helping us see the emotional depth of this character on-screen rather than reading it in the books. Rickman’s portrayal of Snape’s sneering drawl, stone-cold glare and gloomy personality is unforgettable.

But Alan Rickman accomplished so much more than starring in the Harry Potter series in his 30 years of acting. From other movies to voice acting to directing as well as performing in stage plays, Rickman became an important part of the industry and one of the most respected British actors.

Rickman’s deep voice had become somewhat of a legend itself, too. From Professor Snape’s slow sneer to Hans Gruber’s menacing attitude, Rickman’s voice always got the job done. His voice inspired the “Rickman-off” between Jimmy Fallon and Benedict Cumberbatch on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, as well (It’s hilarious, and I highly recommend watching it – Alan Rickman’s interviews are great, too).

Alan Rickman had a love for acting and creating something to share with others. Although he usually played the bad guys, he was funny and loveable offscreen. He was ambitious, intelligent and inspiring while working in all different parts of the industry and influencing everyone he met.

He died surrounded by family and friends and lived a successful and happy life.

Rest in peace, Alan Rickman. Thank you for your incredible contributions to the world. You will be missed. Always.

 

Photo credit: 1

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Jess Cartwright is a freshman at Pennsylvania State University and a writer for Her Campus Penn State. She is currently in the College of Communications and plans to major in photojournalism. Jess has published short stories through her creative writing class in high school, and she has published a blog post through her summer job with Eastern National. She hopes to work on her writing skills and experience writing for an online magazine by being involved with Her Campus. One day, Jess hopes to be a photojournalist for a travel magazine, or, if she’s lucky enough, be a photographer for National Geographic. 
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Rachael David is currently a senior at Penn State University and serves as the Campus Correspondent for Her Campus Penn State. She is majoring in public relations and minoring in psychology. Her love of creative writing and all things Penn State is what inspired her to become a member of the HC team in the fall of 2013. Her background experience includes working for the Undergraduate Admissions Office at Penn State as a social media intern in the spring of 2014 and is currently working as a social media intern for an internet marketing company in Harrisburg called WebpageFX. This past summer she also served as a PR intern for Tierney Communications. Rachael enjoys anything media related especially catching up on her favorite shows, including Saturday Night Live and any show on Food Network. She has a passion for food but also loves being active and spending her free time running or hiking. She hopes to gain more experience in all aspects of the media industry during college and plans on pursuing a career writing for a life & style publication in the future.