Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing in modern and classical theatre productions. His breakthrough role was Obadiah Slope in the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles. Rickman received critical acclaim for roles in movies like Die Hard, Truly, Madly, Deeply, Sense and Sensibility. He is most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. Rickman also directed films like The Winter Guest and A Little Chaos. He achieved much success on the stage as well and was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as the Vicomte de Valmont in the RSC stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Despite his multiple achievements, the actor interestingly never received an Academy Award nomination. Rickman was born with a tight jaw, contributing to his distinctive voice. He was a great advocate of the arts, supporting multiple charities related to the cause. Rickman lived a private life, only revealing the fact that he was married to his long-time partner Rima Horton in 2015. His death in 2016 was due to pancreatic cancer.