Harry Potter star Alan Rickman has died, aged 69

(Image credit: Richard Young/REX/Shutterstock)

One of the biggest stars of British TV and film, Alan Rickman, has died from cancer at the age of 69. His death has been confirmed by his family today.

The instantly recognizable voice and sleepy eyes of Rickman adorned innumerable blockbusters, from the first Die Hard film in 1985 to the role of Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies in the 2000s.

His languid, icy charm was perfectly suited to villainous roles — such as the German megalomaniac Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Humor was never far away...

In between, there were big roles in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) with Kevin Costner, Sense and Sensibility (1995) with Kate Winslet, Michael Collins (1996) with Liam Neeson, Galaxy Quest (1999) with Sigourney Weaver, and Love, Actually (2003) with Emma Thompson.

The Hammersmith-born actor got his first breaks on television, in period drama roles – like Therese Raquin in 1980, which was soon followed by his breakthrough performance as Obadiah Slope in the BBC's The Barchester Chronicles (1982).

Rickman won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and a Screen Actors' Guild award for his performance in the lead role of the 1996 mini-series Rasputin. He won a best supporting actor BAFTA for his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham, in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Stars have been quick to pay tribute to him online, including Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling: "There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man."

There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman's death. He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man.January 14, 2016

Robert Pattinson: "Such a tragedy. I really love Alan Rickman. He was fantastic in Harry Potter, in all his movies as well. Very sad right now #RIPAlanRickman"

Such a tragedy. I really love Alan Rickman. He was fantastic in Harry Potter, in all his movies as well. Very sad right now #RIPAlanRickmanSuch a tragedy. I really love Alan Rickman. He was fantastic in Harry Potter, in all his movies as well. Very sad right now #RIPAlanRickmanJanuary 14, 2016January 14, 2016

David Harewood: Another bright light goes out. RIP Alan Rickman.

Another bright light goes out. RIP Alan Rickman.January 14, 2016

Alan Rickman became beloved of a new generation when he played the sarcastic, complex, brooding Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies and he embodied the part so perfectly that fans took Rickman to their hearts.

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.