I did not realise it until very recently, but Alan Rickman has become one of my favourite actors. I do not actively hunt down his movies (although I am starting to think that I should), but it is now clear to me that he has a sort of midas touch - any part that he takes becomes something utterly wonderful.
It started a couple of weeks ago, when I started reading this book.
It rewrites the original story, with the addition of terrible sea monsters, and a strange mutation for one of the characters.
The day after I bought this book, the movie version of Sense and Sensibility was shown on the TV, so I watched it to revive my memory of the story and allow me to fully appreciate the new version. The casting was amazing - Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant and, the cream on the pudding - Alan Rickman as the Colonel (the deformed one on the book cover).
The film was wonderful, and by the end I was praying that the Colonel (Alan Rickman) would find happiness. He played the part amazingly and it would take a very cold heart not to be moved my his performance.
Then I started to think about what a versatile actor this guy is. He is, of course, in the Harry Potter movies but think back to his part as the ultimate bad guy in Die Hard:
So wonderful, you were almost sad to see him die at the end!
Or his hilarious performance in Galaxy Quest:
If you haven't seen this one, you really must, it is an all time favourite of mine.
So there you have it - my tribute to a great actor who deserves more credit than he seems to get.
Who do you think gets overlooked?
7 comments:
He was very good in Die Hard and Galaxy Quest.
My favourite overlooked actor is Jason Patric. Notably in films such as Rush and Sleepers.
Now I want to watch Sense and Sensibility again. I have to admit, when you said his name, I had no idea who he was. Then I saw the pics. You're right. He's a terrific actor. I don't watch as many movies as I used to, so my mind is a bit foggy on my favorite actors, but I never knew who Paul Giamatti was until I saw him on an HBO documentary of John Adams. I thought he did such a good job, that I sought out other movies of his.
You're absolutely right about his versatility! Nice tribute to a great actor. I love Galaxy Quest! I'm going to have to check out his Sense and Sensibility.
I like anything with Toni Collette.
He has been everywhere - didn't even recognize him in a couple of these.
Honestly, as you were pointing out all of these movie roles of his, I found myself recognizing him from every movie. And yet, before reading your post, had you asked me his name,I wouldn't have known it.
One of my favorite actors is Ed Harris.
I've always liked Alan in the various roles he's played over the years. I think the way he portrayed the elegant bad guy in Die Hard gave him the momentum/notoriety to land a lot of great parts including Galaxy Quest and the HP franchise. Of course, his voice as Marvin in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy really nailed the part.
I am a fan of Alan's and Sense and Sensibility is one of my favorite books as well as movies. He did a great job of acting in Die Hard, but my favorite is Sense and Sensibility.
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