Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born on the 21st February 1946 in Hammersmith, London to a working-class family. He is now a stage and screen actor arguably most famous for portraying Harry Potter antihero Professor Severus Snape in the film adaptation.

Rickman attended the Chelsea College of Art and made his way as a graphic artist in Soho. He received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) which he attended from 1972 - 1974. While there, he won the Emile Littler Prize, the Forbes Robertson Prize, and the Bancroft Gold Medal.

Read more about Alan Rickman on Last.fm.