I love hearing personal stories about some of my favorite actors, especially when the experience shared reveals the strength of their character. There are some actors who are spoken of so fondly by their former cast-mates that their positive reputation seems undeniable. Such is the case for the late Alan Rickman, who's remembered by fans for his iconic roles, and by his colleages for the memorable experiences they had working with him. That includes his Harry Potter co-star Tom Felton, who played fellow Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, in all eight Harry Potter movies.

In an article run by The Guardian, which featured several tributes from his friends and colleagues ten years after Rickman's death, Tom Felton spoke of two things he learned from Rickman while getting to work with him, the first of which was the message Rickman conveyed through the simple act of lining up for his food on set. As Felton noted, Rickman could've had his food delivered to his trailer like some of the other stars, including Felton, but he apparently opted not to do that. Per Felton:

I love the way Felton describes this story, allowing us to picture a fully-costumed Severus Snape standing in line, holding his tray, waiting for his food like everyone else. As amusing as that sounds, I really like what Felton took away from Rickman's behavior. He was just a kid when he starred in the Harry Potter movies, and in the article, he notes that he recognized Rickman from one of his famous villainous performances (the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) . It's understandable why something as simple as lining up for food would make an impression on a young actor.

The same goes for the other thing Felton says he learned from Rickman. This one has to do with charity and what young fans expected or hoped for from the experience of meeting a star:

Felton went on to explain that Rickman would behave like Snape to these children, sneering at them and telling them to tuck in their shirts, because he knew the kids wanted to meet the character, not the actor.

Alan Rickman died at the age of 69 in 2016. I'm sure we can all agree that he left an incredible legacy from some truly memorable and wonderful performances. At the same time, I'm just as sure that I'm not alone in wishing he were still with us, as he really was one of a kind. While we can always revisit his films, I'm also glad for stories like Felton's, which allow us to get to know the man behind the sneer a little bit better.

Harry Potter fans will have a whole new adaptation to watch when Season 1 of HBO's new series arrives on the 2026 TV schedule this December. As excited as I am to see a new take on the beloved Wizarding World books, I'll never tire of learning new things about the original movies and the people involved in making them.

Tim Allen has spent decades voicing Buzz Lightyear, which means he knows a thing or two about making a character sound right. But apparently, some of the stranger actorly warm-up rituals he picked up came from a very different project, one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time. In a new interview, Allen hilariously recalls working with the late great Alan Rickman on Galaxy Quest and the voice warm-up lessons he learned from his fellow Quest cast members.

While Allen and Tom Hanks were discussing their voice prep for Woody and Buzz during a promotional appearance for the upcoming Toy Story 5, the Shifting Gears star brought up the odd vocal exercises he witnessed while making Galaxy Quest with Rickman, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell and Tony Shalhoub. In a hilarious clip from the EW interview showing the longtime Pixar duo promoting the upcoming sequel on the 2026 movie calendar, Allen breaks down his approach as:

Allen added that he still did not fully know what the exercise was supposed to accomplish, but the image of Signorney Weaver doing it clearly stuck with him. He continued:

That sounds exactly like the kind of backstage detail that makes Galaxy Quest even more lovable. For anyone who somehow missed it, the flick is a sci-fi comedy about Star Trek-style actors who get mistaken for the real heroes they once played on TV and are pulled into an actual alien war. Knowing Allen was standing around between takes, watching Rickman, Weaver and the rest of the cast fire off tongue-twisting vocal drills only adds another layer of theater-kid chaos to the whole thing.

Galaxy Quest starred Allen as Jason Nesmith, the self-satisfied former lead of a canceled sci-fi series whose cast gets dragged into a real intergalactic conflict. Rickman played Alexander Dane, a classically trained actor permanently irritated by his prosthetic-headed alien role and his inescapable catchphrase. The 1999 film has since become a cult favorite, especially among Star Trek fans who recognize it as both one of the best ‘90s sci-fi movies and a testament to the affection underneath it. Some fans even consider it unofficially one of the best Star Trek movies.

The funny thing about Allen’s story is that it fits Rickman’s Galaxy Quest character almost too well. Alexander Dane is exactly the kind of actor who would have strong opinions about vocal technique, breath work and not shredding one’s instrument while surrounded by rubber aliens and spaceship sets. Rickman, of course, brought real stage gravity to the part, which is why Dane’s exasperation was so funny. He played the absurdity straight enough that the joke had bones.

Allen sounds both amused and genuinely bewildered by the full-body seriousness of the warm-ups that took place around him. That contrast is pretty much Galaxy Quest in miniature. The movie is about one actor wondering what in the world everyone is doing while the movie around him somehow turns the nonsense into gold. Is the movie meta on more than one level? Absolutely.

Now, these days, Tim Allen is back in the voice recording booth beside Tom Hanks for Toy Story 5. The old Galaxy Quest memory serves as a great reminder of the many different kinds of performance he has had to navigate. Sometimes being Buzz Lightyear means protecting the voice with tea and bubble-blowing. Sometimes being a fake space captain means trying not to laugh while Alan Rickman and co. say “yellow bus” like the fate of the galaxy depends on it.

Toy Story 5 hits theaters June 19, 2026. Check your local listings for showtimes and tickets.

There are some actors who embody a role so well that it's hard to separate their performance from the character. I'd classify Alan Rickman's performance as Severus Snape as a great example, as he really did make the role in the book-to-screen adaptation of Harry Potter his own. The only other Snape performance that I'm used to is Jim Dale's voice for the character during his narration of the original U.S. audiobooks. Suffice to say, it's been an adjustment to hear a different voice behind the Potions Master, but after finishing up the full cast audio edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I realized that Riz Ahmed's take on the character has really grown on me.

I guess I should start by saying that my feelings about Alan Rickman's Snape are kind of complicated. On one hand, Rickman is iconic, and I think he elevated the Harry Potter movies with his take on the deadpan, often grumpy professor, who Harry and his friends occasionally thought was up to no good. But on the other hand, as a major fan of the books, there were things about Rickman's Snape that were different from what I imagined about the character. Part of that could be due to Jim Dale's voice performance on the original U.S. audiobooks, but I think another part was the tone Snape takes in the book being different (to me, anyway) than Rickman's tone, which was dry and even funny at times. The point of bringing this up at all is to emphasize that Rickman has a very specific take on Snape -- a take I loved, for sure, but not an exact match for how I imagined him from the book.

What I've realized in listening to these new full-cast audiobooks is that Ahmed's take is not only different from Dale's and Rickman's, but I also appreciate that the Sound of Metal and Relay star doesn't seem to be trying to channel either of their versions of the character for his own. And it's just as well, as I think one of the things that makes Rickman's performance stand out includes his facial expressions and pauses, in addition to line delivery. Given that we're dealing with an audio production here, the actors are bringing the characters to life by voice alone. Ahmed's take really captures Snape's specific way of speaking, often soft-spoken but articulate and very deliberate. I suppose we could say the same for Rickman's take, but the delivery is different.

I don't know if I've just been distracted by all of the other great voice performances on these new editions of the audiobooks (James McAvoy's Moody performance in Goblet of Fire, for example, was off-the-charts!), or it's the fact that Snape stands out more as a character in Order of the Phoenix, but this was the book that got me noticing how great Ahmed's performance is. In the fifth Harry Potter book, Dumbledore tasks Snape with teaching Harry Occlumency, which leads to a few 1:1 training sessions between the Boy Who Lived and one of his recurring nemeses. Most of the time throughout the books, the Snape we see is one who keeps his emotions in check, however there's a scene in Order of the Phoenix when he loses his cool–when he catches Harry with the Pensieve containing his memories–and you can really hear the emotion in Ahmed's voice as Snape throws Harry out of his office.

I'm absolutely loving these newly released audiobooks, and I'm especially looking forward to Audible's release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which elevates Snape's involvement in the story in a couple of major ways (to put it mildly). I can't wait to continue to hear Riz Ahmed's version of the character. If Paapa Essiedu weren't already lined up to play Severus Snape in HBO's upcoming TV series adaptation of Harry Potter, I'd be dream-casting Ahmed in the role. Alas, I'm excited to see what Essiedu brings to the character when the show debuts. At the very least, Ahmed's performance is a reminder that, as much as we may love Alan Rickman in the role, it's also great to see new takes on one of the series best and most-layered characters.

When we lost Alan Rickman, we lost an incredible acting talent. He was a star who commanded the screen whenever he was on it. while we still have all of the great movies he made, we’ve lost out on all the movies that could have been, and that includes a sequel to Galaxy Quest, according to his co-star.

Speaking with Vanity Fair, Galaxy Quest co-star Sigourney Weaver discussed the sequel that might have happened if the stars had aligned. She says there was always interest from the cast in making a sequel, but following the passing of Alan Rickman, it doesn’t appear anybody wants to make it anymore. She said:

The story of Galaxy Quest 2 is an interesting one because the script for the movie already exists. Tim Allen had previously mentioned that Robert Gordon, who wrote the original film, had written a sequel, and there were plans to film it before Rickman passed.

Sigourney Weaver explained what may have been the reason why a Galaxy Quest sequel didn’t happen sooner. The version of the film that was released had been significantly edited by Dreamworks, in order to make it more family-friendly, apparently removing many of Alan Rickman’s “strange and wonderful” scenes. This led Gordon to refuse to let DreamWorks have the sequel. Weaver said:

Despite any alleged studio issues, there were reportedly plans to film Galaxy Quest 2 at Amazon back in 2016. Unfortunately, that was the year that Alan Rickman passed away. This obviously killed any short-term plans to make the movie, and now, nearly a decade later, it doesn’t appear there is any greater interest in touching the material without the full cast.

Galaxy Quest 2 is far from the only movie that we’ll never see because somebody passed away. In the end, it’s likely better to let those things go than to try and make them without the people who made the original great. Sigourney Weaver thinks we need a director’s cut of the original Galaxy Quest with Alan Rickman’s deleted work restored, and that sounds like a pretty great idea. The movie is already a classic; some extra footage to showcase the late actor could make it even better for longtime fans.

A sequel to Galaxy Quest seems all but impossible at this point. However, a Galaxy Quest TV series concept was in development years ago. As of the Skydance/Paramount merger earlier this year, Deadline reports that another take on the show is developing at CBS Studios.

The holiday season is a time when a lot of people rewatch their favorite holiday films, and one movie that has stood the test of time, while also being a lightning rod of controversy, is one of the best Christmas movies ever: Love Actually. While most of the debate around the film today surrounds whether one of the characters might be a creepy stalker, there’s a new question about the movie that has shocked the world. Does Timothée Chalamet get it?

Not rocking his recent dapper orange method dressing, Chalamet was recently a guest on The Graham Norton Show alongside two stars of Love Actually, Emma Thompson and Rowan Atkinson. Love, Actually is apparently a favorite Christmas movie of the young actor, though his comments about the film have fans scratching their heads and wondering if he’s actually seen it, as he said to Thompson:

Thompson plays a woman married to a man played by Alan Rickman, who, at the very least, considers cheating on his wife with his secretary. This causes Thompson’s character to break down when she realizes the situation and again when she confronts Rickman’s character. In the couple’s final scene, set a year later, the exact state of the relationship is unclear, other than the fact that things are clearly still strained between them.

The fact that Timothée Chalamet seemingly doesn’t realize this has blown away the commenters who have responded to the clip on TikTok. To most everybody replying, it’s very clear that nothing has been resolved, and they’re a bit shocked that the actor seems to read the scene so differently than everybody else. Comments include:

• Timmy doesn’t understand the complexity of real relationships yet… - @Eastwoodz
• How could ANYONE think that Alan and Emma resolved their issue?! - @mackeylee3
• how can Tim seem so complex and intelligent in one clip and then miss something blindingly obvious in the next - @Hotter in Person
• Timmy not getting the point of that scene makes so much sense. I wonder if he think dune is set on long beach - @huhhuh720
• Emma telling Timmy his perspective is wrong😳😂😂😂❤ - @Boo-boo

Some aspects of the married couple's relationship are left ambiguous. Are they still married? Separated? The one thing that seems pretty clear from the awkward interaction between them after they meet him at the airport is that the issue has not been, in Chalamet’s words, “resolved.” There is, at best, an indication that they may be on a path toward reconciliation. Check out the scene and see what you think.

Maybe Timothée Chalamet is just a hopeless romantic who chooses to believe that everything is resolved easily because he can’t handle the idea that Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson can’t have a happy ending.

Every now and again, a great movie debate kicks up some dust on the Internet. Generally, in these moments, I don’t like to think of myself as a person who should necessarily weigh in via the comments, but all that changed this week when one person started a thread asking the age old question: Is Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves a good movie? It’s my moment, y’all.

Listen, as a youngster who grew up in the nineties with a VHS player (RIP) and habitually negligent parents, I can confidently say I have watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at least 50 times. My sister and I still occasionally bust into the, “There was a rich man from Nottingham who tried to cross the river” song, and I still often throw out lines like, ‘Fuck me, he cleared it.” So, an Internet debate over whether or not the '90s Kevin Costner, Alan Rickman, Morgan Freeman, and Christian Slater movie is good? Let me roll up my sleeves and get my keyboard warrior on.

One Reddit User Called Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves Their “Embarrassing Pick” And It Kicked Off A Big Debate

This whole thing started when one Reddit user unabashedly mentioned in a thread on Reddit they “literally love” Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, but feel like “they shouldn’t.”

What they really hoped to do was spawn a conversation about embarrassing movies that people are just obsessed with. What they more so ended up doing was spawning a debate about whether or not the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie sucks or is excellent. In fact, a slew of responders are aggressively defending the movie, with commenters noting:

• Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves is a film audience hated? Lol in what universe? It cleaned up at the box office and then its theme tune went triple platinum. Pretty sure the audience fucking loved it.
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a legit great movie. The critics can go kick rocks. I mean... Alan Rickman continues his streak of playing the greatest movie villains ever (Hans Gruber, Sheriff of Nottingham, Severus Snape, that dickhead in Love Actually). Morgan Freeman is awesome as always. Great actions scenes, great music, perfect Sean Connery cameo...I don't even care about Kevin Costner's lack of an English accent, since the nobility back then (including Robin of Locksley) would have been speaking Norman French anyway.
• Man, I been watching Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves for most of my 37 years on this planet.I liked it when I was a kid, a teenager, and I still like it. I probably end up watching it with someone who hasn’t seen it every 5 years or so. Damn Im overdue for some dang Robin Hood.
• Seriously, who didn't love Prince of Thieves?

A lot of people in the thread maybe don’t think the movie is one of the best of the 1990s, but there are plenty who mentioned specifically how great Alan Rickman’s casually funny villain is in the flick. (Personally, I like this performance more than the one in Die Hard, and I will die on that hill.)

• Yeah, but Alan Rickman’s Sheriff is one of my favorite villains.
• Alan Rickman was gold in everything he was in—RIP to a fine actor.

So, I think we can agree the movie is fondly remembered, but that still leaves us with one big question...

Is Prince Of Thieves A Good Movie?

A lot of fans called out how Robin Hood: Men in Tights is honestly so much better, with one noting Thieves “walked” so Men In Tights “could run.” Others didn’t defend the movie as good and noted “critics hated it,” but did mention contextually it rocked out at the box office in 1991. They have a point. When Prince of Thieves came out, it was not beloved by critics. A roundup of reviews years later on Rotten Tomatoes only has the flick at 51%, though it’s worth noting the audience score is a much higher --though not incredibly high -- 72%. And this is well before the time the audience basically turned on Robin Hood movies.

Eventually, the original poster clarified their stance, noting the movie is “not good” but it’s also “great,” which is I think maybe the point to hammer home here.

Personally, I agree with the OP. I don’t feel like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is a good movie per se, but it is a nineties charmer chock full of memorable performances. The total package just works, even with multiple accents and a goofy script. This movie has everything: It’s got a Sean Connery cameo. It’s got Kevin Costner as an American Robin Hood. It's got weird set stories involving mushrooms. Plus, it features a lot of weirdly quotable lines. Most importantly, it’s infinitely watchable. So, please excuse me while I throw it on for Round 51.

The late actor Alan Rickman may have never been nominated for an Oscar, but his unforgettable performances left a huge mark on cinema. Particularly, his masterful performances of portraying villains in movies like Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves have made Rickman one of the most compelling actors of this generation. Apparently, the British actor’s ability to crush iconic villain roles led to a wild “mandate” in Hollywood about how they should be written going forward.

Alan Rickman absolutely crushed his first major film role as terrorist leader Hans Gruber in Die Hard (which can be streamed on your Hulu subscription). For someone who originally didn’t want his film debut to be an action movie, Rickman brought Hans Gruber to life with his cold demeanor and darkly humorous wit, stealing the show. But take it from another actor known for playing hated villains, Jason Isaacs, to reveal to Collider about the wild “mandate” that his Harry Potter co-star set for villains down the road:

So, we can look to Alan Rickman for changing the game of villains and why they should never steal the spotlight again. I can understand how conflicting that can be when the hero is supposed to be the scene-stealer, only for the villain to be the unexpected standout. The Love, Actually star was just the actor to accomplish that. Other than Die Hard, the Royal Shakespeare Company member continued to captivate audiences with antagonist roles like playing the campy Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Princes of Thieves and the sadistic Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd.

You could even argue that Alan Rickman’s role as Snape in the Harry Potter movies first started out as an antagonist to the Hogwarts student. Before Rickman got to know Snape’s character journey, he was reluctant to play the Slytherin character to avoid being typecast as a villain. But a conversation with author J.K. Rowling about the direction the two-dimensional Severus Snape would go to from book one to book seven changed his mind. Rickman’s portrayal of a professor who balances a cold exterior with inner vulnerability made him one of the most captivating Harry Potter characters.

Even though the wild “mandate” in Hollywood said a villain can’t steal a movie ever again, thanks to Alan Rickman, there were plenty of times that rule didn’t quite stick. For example, Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker became the movie’s most definable performance and even landed him a posthumous Oscar win. There’s also Tom Hiddleston’s Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies whose charm and wit turned him into a fan-favorite villain of the MCU. And we can’t forget about the walking nightmare of Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, whose quiet intensity led the actor to win a Best Supporting Actor Award. Clearly, villains continue to overshadow the good guys.

So, Alan Rickman receiving love for playing bad guys may have led to a wild “mandate” in Hollywood about no more scene-stealing villains. However, an actor’s chilling portrayal of an antagonist can be so effective that it’s hard to ignore, even by the Academy. But we can thank the Golden Globe winner for showing actors how to create a layered villain to keep audiences shocked and entertained.

The Harry Potter movie franchise has been one of the most successful and beloved to ever come to the big screen. For any fans of the Wizarding World, the actors cast in the various roles have been burned into their brains as the physical representations of those characters. Yet, with a new Harry Potter TV series currently in development for Max, all those characters will be getting new looks in just a couple of years. And casting rumors have already begun.

A new rumor has revealed who may be a top candidate to play the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series. If it turns out to be true, it may indicate that the show is looking to make a significant departure from the film franchise in some key ways. However, for fans of the original books, that may not be such a bad thing.

Who Is Rumored For The Role Of Snape In The Harry Potter TV Series

While no casting has been made official regarding the upcoming Harry Potter series, it’s being reported that Mark Rylance is close to being signed to the role of Dumbledore. Now, another of the Hogwarts teachers is allegedly close to being cast as THR is reporting that actor Paapa Essiedu, who most recently appeared in the Amazon series Black Doves with Keira Knightley and Ben Winshaw, has been offered the role of Severus Snape, though he has yet to officially accept it.

While fans are certainly going to be hanging on every casting announcement, the role of Snape is likely to be an especially important one. The potions master was played in the films by Alan Rickman. He was arguably the biggest star coming into the franchise, and due to Snape's arc over the course of eight films, he’s a vital and beloved character.

Paapa Essiedu would be a significant departure from Rickman in a couple of key ways. The most obvious is that he’s not white, as nearly everybody in the main Harry Potter cast was. Warner Bros. had previously indicated the series would have a more diverse cast. However, the more important difference is that Essiedu is two decades younger than Rickman was when he first appeared in the role.

Why Snape’s Casting Is Good News For Fans Of The Original Novels

One of the things many have asked when it comes to the Harry Potter series is simply, “Why?” With a beloved film series that isn’t actually that old, is there a real reason that a show needs to exist? One of the things a new adaptation can potentially do, though, is include more elements from the books and make a more complete and accurate adaptation.

We all know that Harry Potter is 11 years old when he starts school at Hogwarts, and according to the books, his parents were both about 20 years old when Harry was born, and Snape starts school the same year they do, implying they’re all the same age. So Snape should be in his early 30s as the story begins, and while Alan Rickman is a great actor, he’s not playing a guy in his 30s at any point.

The Black Mirror actor is currently 34 years old. That puts him in the perfect age range for the part, and gives this show the opportunity to portray Snape in a more book-accurate way.

If casting like this is going to be the standard then we could get a Harry Potter series with enough significant differences from the films to make the story worth retelling after all. And as we learn more about updates like this, we'll be sure to keep you posted.

Fans of the Wizarding World, we have some great news! As chatter continues about who could be cast in HBO's Harry Potter series, a new name has come flying out of the Tri-Wizard Cup, if you will, for the role of Severus Snape. That's right, reportedly, Paapa Essiedu is in the running to play the potions master, and he would be a fantastic choice!

Best known for his roles in I May Destroy You and Black Mirror, Paapa Essiedu is allegedly in the running for the role Alan Rickman had in the Harry Potter movies, per THR.

Notably, this is not a done deal, he is simply a name floating around. However, it is an idea that I'm certainly excited about, and I'm so here for this choice for a multitude of reasons.

First of all, Essiedu has shown off his dramatic talents in many critically acclaimed projects like I May Destroy You, The Lazarus Project and Black Mirror's "Demon 79" episode. He also has experience working in massive ensembles through films like Murder on the Orient Express and his time in the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Secondly, this casting would emphasize HBO's promise to feature a diverse cast in this show.

Plus, Snape is in his early 30s at the start of the Harry Potter books, making Essiedu the perfect age for the part, seeing as he's 34 years old. Alan Rickman was in his 50s when he played the aspiring Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. However, that's not a knock in the slightest toward the OG Harry Potter cast member, because his performance is legendary. It simply acknowledges the fact that if the Gangs of London actor is cast, it will be the first time the on-screen Snape matches the age of book Snape.

Not to mention, if he gets the part, a high-profile project like this will undoubtedly propel Paapa Essiedu into a new (and deserved) realm of stardom.

But again, let's not get our hopes up just yet. While things are looking good, nothing is confirmed as HBO told the outlet:

Paapa Essiedu is the second name to be seriously put into the ring, even though nothing is confirmed. Before him, it was announced that Mark Rylance was a frontrunner for the role of Dumbledore. So, if both these castings work out, this Harry Potter series cast is going to be locked and loaded with some excellent talent.

I feel comfortable arguing the notion that Snape is one of the most vital characters to cast, especially when it comes to the people who work at Hogwarts and interact with Harry and his friends. Plus, he plays an integral role in the rise and fall of Voldemort, and when it comes to the story of Harry and his parents, he serves as a vital bridge and piece of the puzzle. So, it's important that they pick the right person. If this news turns out to be true, it seems like they have.

Overall, this is a massive and exciting potential step forward for the Harry Potter series, and hopefully, it gets finalized soon. In the meantime, while we wait for more updates about this new project, you can stream the OG films with a Peacock subscription or Max subscription.

Hollywood is a tough place to get your big break. Many actors struggle for years before they finally hit it big. These stars put in the effort and stuck with it until they finally became huge stars after they turned 40. Stars like Steve Carell, Kathy Bates, Alan Rickman, and many more actors like them are household names now, but it took them years to get there.

Steve Carell

Like so many other people Steve Carell started his career at Second City in Chicago. He then kicked around television for a while, with roles on the Dana Carvey Show and eventually at The Daily Show. It's when he left that show to head the cast in The Office that his career exploded and he became one of the most beloved stars on earth.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has one of the most impressive resumes in Hollywood, but it took him a long time to get there. His first credit came in 1972 when he was 24, but it would take another two decades or so, after a series of smaller roles in the late '80s, that he would land the role of Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction and have his career completely explode.

Alan Rickman

The late, great Alan Rickman started acting in theater in the mid-70s, finding regular roles throughout the early '80s. Then, in 1988, at age 42, he made his feature film debut in a little movie called Die Hard. To this day, Hans Gruber is a legendary villain. He would go on to star in dozens of movies, most notably the Harry Potter films, before passing away in 2016 at age 69.

Betty White

Though Betty White had a little success in her 30s with her eponymous TV show for NBC in the '50s and minor hit Life with Elizabeth in the same decade, it really wasn't until after her 40th birthday in 1962 that she really rose to big stardom. After her 50th birthday, she was cast in the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and after her 60th birthday, she teamed up with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty in the role she's probably best known for today in Golden Girls.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman was born in 1937, but it would take almost 50 years for the legend to truly break out in film. After working here and there as a dancer and as a stage actor in the 1960s and '70s, he scored his breakout role in 1987's Street Smart, starring alongside Christopher Reeve. His performance earned him the first of his Oscar nominations and by 1989's Glory, Freeman was a bonafide star.

Bea Arthur

Like her Golden Girls co-star Betty White, major success came later for the great Bea Arthur. Though she was a steadily-working actor starting in the 1940s, it wasn't until she played the character Maude Findlay, first in All In The Family, then her own spinoff called Maude, that Arthur reached the heights of fame. She was nearly 50 at that point, but her star never faded after that.

Brian Dennehy

Brian Dennehy didn't set out to be an actor. After serving in the Marines and graduating from Columbia University in 1965 with a degree in history, he caught the theater bug and started working in regional theater. In 1983, after a few smaller roles, he scored his first big role as the sheriff in First Blood at age 45.

Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten is best known for playing the beloved Mrs. Landingham in The West Wing and like her character, her real-life story is truly inspiring. She spent the first half of her life first as a nurse, then as a stay-at-home mom, raising two kids. At the age of 42, after divorcing her husband, Joosten began working in local theater in her hometown of Chicago. At age 53, she moved to Orlando and became a performer at Disney World. Soon after she moved to Hollywood and started landing parts in TV. Amazing.

Kathy Bates

Though she made her film debut in 1970, it would be more than two decades later, after working in theater and in bit TV parts, before Kathy Bates would become a star. It was, of course, he now-legendary performance as Annie Wilkes in Misery that would vault her to stardom. Truly one of the best female villains in Hollywood history.

Bryan Cranston

Most people certainly think first of Breaking Bad when they hear the name Bryan Cranston and with good reason. Cranston was 52 when he first starred as Walter White. Of course, that wasn't his breakout role, which came eight years earlier when he starred as the dad in Malcolm In The Middle ]. While he has been acting in movies and TV for years, it was that role, after his 40th birthday, that really put him on the map.

Viola Davis

EGOT winner Viola Davis found success on the stage first, winning two Tonys before turning 40. In 2008, at age 43, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Doubt, but it was 2011's The Help, for which she was nominated for another Oscar, that vaulted her to superstardom.

Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield has one of the best stories of perseverance in Hollywood history. Though technically his career started in the 1930s, his stand-up was so bland that he eventually gave up and became a salesman. In the 1960s, he re-invented himself and his act and it was a hit, with some of the best one-liners of all time. Suddenly the guy that got no respect was getting respect by talking about how he got no respect! It wasn't until 1980, at almost age 60, that Dangerfield landed his first starring role in a movie, in Caddyshack.

John Mahoney

John Mahoney started his career as the "old guy" at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. After years as an English teacher, the future Frasier star gave up his career and started acting in his late 30s. By the late 80s, well into his 40s, he was landing roles in movies like Say Anything... and Moonstruck.

Jane Lynch

It's easy to say that Glee was the project that really made Jane Lynch famous, but she got her big break before that when she found her way into the Christopher Quest universe, where she was responsible for some of the wittiest one-liners in Best In Show.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais took a roundabout way to comedic fame. He started in music, moved to radio, and eventually found his way onto the popular British show The 11 O'Clock Show. It was in 2001, however, at age 40 when he co-created and starred in The Office. The rest is well-known history.

Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson took the very long trail to fame, and his story is inspirational. He struggled for years as an actor, first in New York, then later in Florida where he taught acting as well. He stsarted landing work in the theater in the late '90s, but got his big break in a guest spot on The Practice in 2001. Of course, he's best known for playing Ben on Lost.

Peter Dinklage

Though he found steady work in the early '00s, Peter Dinklage really shot to superstardom when he was cast as Tyrion Lannister in Game Of Thrones when he was 42. Today, that character is still, and will likely always be, one of the most beloved in TV history. Tyrion also happens to the character who appeared in the most episodes of Game of Thrones.

Larry David

Larry David's career had a lot of ups and downs in the early years. His first major gig was as a writer on SNL, though he didn't find much success there. At age 42, in 1989, he co-wrote a TV pilot for what became Seinfeld and his career took off. On screen, after playing a few minor roles onSeinfeld, he found even more fame with HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Melissa McCarthy

While she did have some big supporting roles in her 30s in Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?, Melissa McCarthy's career exploded when she started as Molly in Mike & Molly, in 2011, at age 41, she co-starred in Bridesmaids, where she completely stole the show, earning an Oscar nomination in the process.

Margo Martindale

Margo Martindale has become one of the best character actors in Hollywood, but it took her a long time to get there. She worked in community theater for years before she regularly started landing TV roles in her late 30s. After her 40th birthday, her career took off with dozens of memorable supporting roles in both film and TV.

Leslie Jones

Saturday Night Live is generally thought of as a young person's game. Most cast members join very early in their careers and by the time they are 30, they are moving on to other things. Leslie Jones is an exception to that. She didn't join the cast until she was nearly 50, but she made an immediate impact. Since leaving the show, she's continued to star in things like 2016's Ghostbusters and Coming 2 America in 2021.

Ty Burrell

Modern Family took the world by storm when it debuted in 2007 and one of the leads of the show, Ty Burrell, became a huge star. This came after years in Hollywood in supporting roles and, eventually, a starring role in the short-lived show Out of Practice. It was Modern Family that made him a household name.

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer started landing bit parts and supporting roles in the mid-90s, but it was 2011's The Help that put the Academy Award-winner on the map, after her 40th birthday. Not only did she win for her role in The Help, but she's been nominated for others as well, including for her work in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.

Patrick Stewart

While Patrick Stewart steadily found work in the theater and in smaller supporting roles in TV and film, it wasn't until he was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 that he became a household name. He was 47 at the time and he's only gotten more famous as he's gotten older.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton basically made his own fortune in Hollywood after years of smaller supporting roles, he wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade. The movie was a low-budget masterpiece and he's been starring in big roles and winning awards ever since.

Hannah Waddingham

Many actors get their start in the theater, just like Hannah Waddingham. With a fantastic singing voice and wonderful acting chops, it makes sense that this is where Waddingham would first find success. It would take a couple of decades for her to equal that on screen with roles in shows like Game of Thrones, and, of course, her greatest claim to fame, Ted Lasso.

Richard Farnsworth

Without a doubt, the late Richard Farnsworth had one of the most incredible careers in Hollywood history. He had uncredited roles in some of the most famous Hollywood epics including Gone With The Wind, The Ten Commandments, and Spartacus. He didn't earn his first credited role until he was 46 in a movie called Texas Across the River in 1966. Then in the 1970s, he became a well-known character actor in projects like Roots, The Natural, and Misery.

F. Murray Abraham

After scoring a handful of supporting roles in movies in the 1970s, F. Murray Abraham became a household name after his Oscar-winning performance as Antonio Salieri in 1984's Amadeus. It was truly a career-making role and one that is still loved today by fans.

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson was 41 when he starred in one of the greatest movies ever made, even if it's a movie you can only watch once. As Oscar Schindler in Schindler's List, Neeson immediately became world famous. It's safe to say that role will always keep him famous, too.

Lucille Ball

It's really hard to believe that Lucille Ball was over 40 when she became famous on I Love Lucy, but it's true. The comedian worked in show business for decades before she and her husband Desi Arnaz created the now-legendary TV show and her fame never faded for the rest of her life.

Tommy Lee Jones

Like a lot of actors from Texas, Tommy Lee Jones does things his way. The Harvard grad worked for decades, even winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy before he truly found fame and became a leading man in the 90s with movies like The Fugitive and Under Siege.

Ken Jeong

it's not often that someone switches careers from medicine to drama, but that's exacting what Ken Jeong did. Though he always had a love of acting, he originally pursued a more traditional career as a doctor, while acting and doing standup on the side. By the mid-2000s he was earning enough to leave medicine behind, and in 2011, at age 40, he broke out in a huge way in the Hangover.

We see it all the time, serious actors with some major dramatic skills tearing it up in lighter, more comedic roles. Actors who’ve made us cry in Best Picture winners have gone on to make us fall over with side-splitting laughs, which can sometimes be harder than you’d think.

In the past, we’ve talked about some of the great dramatic performances by comedians, but today we’re going to turn our attention to the other side of that coin and highlight 32 serious actors who crushed in in comedic roles.

Robert De Niro (Meet The Parents)

Robert De Niro, an Oscar-winning actor known for serious parts in some of Martin Scorsese’s best movies, including Raging Bull and Goodfellas, as well as his turn as a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, showed the world that he was also one of the funniest stars in Hollywood with his portrayal of the iron-fisted Jack Byrnes in Meet the Parents. The deadpan expressions, the playing on his gangster roles, and his chemistry with Ben Stiller make this an all-time classic.

George C. Scott (Dr. Stranglelove)

George C. Scott will always be remembered for his portrayal of U.S. General George S. Patton in Franklin J. Schaffner’s Patton, but the acclaimed actor also crushed it in a more comedic role a few years earlier. His take on General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove is nothing short of magnificent and hilarious as it gets. The satirical tone of this iconic anti-war film is biting, as is Scott’s legendary performance.

Philip Seymour Hoffman (Along Came Polly)

Though we could have included Rusty from Twister or Brandt from The Big Lebowski, Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in Along Came Polly is just too good to overlook. Though he’s atrocious at basketball (and in most social situations), Sandy Lyle is a force of comedic nature. It’s crazy that Hoffman went from Cold Mountain to this 2004 rom-com to Capote in the span of three years.

Tom Cruise (Tropic Thunder)

Tom Cruise steals the show in Tropic Thunder, which is no easy feat considering Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr. sit atop the cast of this outrageous 2008 action comedy. But hey, Les Grossman, Cruise’s over-the-top and ill-tempered Hollywood exec is unforgettable in every single one of his scenes, especially whenever he dances.

Meryl Streep (Death Becomes Her)

Though not a slapstick or “laugh-a-minute” comedy, Death Becomes Her does feature some wild and hilariously comedic performances from the likes of Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, and Meryl Streep, who kills it with her portrayal of Madeline Ashton. The Oscar winner does get to show off her serious skills in the movie, but her character’s darkly humorous personality is worth a watch.

Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!)

It’s wild to think that Leslie Nielsen, an actor mostly remembered for spoof films, started out as a very serious dramatic actor. But that all changed with landmark comedies like Airplane!, where his deadpan humor and signature charm truly shined.

Kate Winslet (The Holiday)

Kate Winslet is known for dramatic movies like Titanic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Revolutionary Road, but the talented dramatic actress was able to show off her comedy chops in The Holiday. This 2006 Nancy Meyers romantic comedy showed off a different side of Winslet, one we haven’t forgotten nearly 20 years later.

James Caan (Elf)

James Caan wasn’t really known for his comedy. Sure, his characters had some humorous lines in The Godfather and Thief, but drama was always his bag. And that’s what makes his performance in Elf so great. We weren’t used to seeing Caan share the screen with someone like Will Ferrell, and that juxtaposition of personalities made it so much fun to watch.

Morgan Freeman (Bruce Almighty)

Morgan Freeman will go down as one of the best dramatic actors of all time, and for good reason. His work in The Shawshank Redemption, Glory, and countless other movies is the stuff of legend. However, let’s not forget that he also put on one of the funniest performances when he played God in Bruce Almighty.

Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)

A little more than two decades after playing the vile Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List (and only a few years after portraying Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies), Ralph Fiennes proved he was a great comedic actor with his take on M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel. Equal parts hilarious and charming, this performance was a breath of fresh air.

Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon)

After playing more serious roles in films like The Color Purple, Witness, and Silverado, Danny Glover showed off his comedy skills in Richard Donner’s iconic buddy cop action film, Lethal Weapon. Though he was more straight-laced compared to Mel Gibson’s Martin Riggs, Roger Murtaugh gave us some laughs.

Arnold Schwarzenegger (Kidergarten Cop)

Kindergarten cop isn’t just one of the funniest Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, it’s also one of his best. Featuring some of the actor’s most memorable one-liners, this 1990 action comedy showed that the Austrian bodybuilder-turned-actor was more than an ice-cold robot or trained killer.

Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber)

Two years after playing Colonel Joshua Chamberlain in Gettysburg, one of the best Civil War movies ever made, Jeff Daniels played a vastly different type of character in Dumb and Dumber. The obnoxious and absurdly dim-witted Harry Dunne would end up becoming one of the more dramatic actor’s most famous roles.

Jack Nicholson (As Good As It Gets)

Jack Nicholson, one of the most well-known dramatic actors of the 20th century, has popped up in comedies over the years. Perhaps the best of the bunch, As Good as It Gets earned the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Terms of Endearment star his third Oscar.

Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski)

Whenever the topic of the best Jeff Bridges movies comes up, it doesn’t take long for the conversation to turn to The Big Lebowski. Still considered to be one of his most iconic roles, the performance also showed that the largely dramatic actor could pull off an incredibly funny and beloved character.

Liam Neeson (Extras)

Liam Neeson is best known for his work in dramas like Schindler’s List and the Taken action movie franchise, but the decorated actor with that ice-cold delivery has shown off his funny side over the years. His attempt at improv on Extras is the stuff of legend, as is work in The Lego Movie.

George Clooney (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)

George Clooney often rides the line between comedy and drama in the likes of the Ocean’s movies and several Coen Brothers projects, and one of the best examples of that is found in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a 2000 loose adaptation of The Odyssey. The scheming and conniving Ulysses Everett McGill is one of the all-time great movie characters.

Dustin Hoffman (Tootsie)

The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, Midnight Cowboy, and All the President’s Men were just a few of the movies that showed off Dustin Hoffman’s incredible dramatic acting skills. It’s a similar story with Tootsie, the beloved 1982 comedy in which Hoffman plays an unlikeable and hirable actor who decides to dress like a woman to land a gig on a daytime soap opera.

Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire)

Cuba Gooding Jr. was out of this world in early 1990s dramas like Boyz n the Hood and A Few Good Men, but he was even better in Jerry Maguire as Tom Cruise’s titular character’s temperamental and needy client Rod Tidwell. The over-the-top performance was hilarious beyond belief.

Timothy Dalton (Hot Fuzz)

Timothy Dalton, an actor best known for playing James Bond and showing up in adaptations of Jane Eyre, got to show off his comedy chops in Hot Fuzz, Edgar Wright’s satirical action comedy. His take on Simon Skinner is just as great all these years later.

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)

Leonardo DiCaprio teamed up with Martin Scorsese for the fifth time in 2013 to make The Wolf of Wall Street. While previous collaborations like Gangs of New York and The Departed were far more dramatic, this hopped-up and raucous biopic allowed the actor to be outrageously funny on screen, and it paid off.

Billy Bob Thornton (Bad Santa)

Up until starring in Bad Santa, Billy Bob Thornton was mostly known for dramatic roles in films like Monster’s Ball and Sling Blade, but this 2003 R-rated comedy changed all of that. Over the line, vulgar, and one of the funniest performances of the 2000s, Thornton’s take on a mall Santa was an instant classic.

Brad Pitt (Burn After Reading)

Burn After Reading isn’t the best Coen Brothers movie, but it does feature one of Brad Pitt’s funniest performances. Chad Feldheimer, Linda Litzke’s (Frances McDormand) lovable yet moronic coworker is just so silly, so memorable, and so dumb. You just can’t help but love him.

Michael Caine (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)

On top of being an actor who’s appeared in the most Christopher Nolan movies, Michael Caine is also one of the all-time greats of screen and stage, with dozens of iconic films to his name. And while he’s mostly known for his dramatic work, his portrayal of the dastardly Lawrence Jamieson in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is so dang good.

Matt Damon (Dogma)

Long before he showed up as an actor playing Loki in Thor: Ragnarok, Matt Damon did it for real in Kevin Smith’s 1999 comedy, Dogma. Sandwiched between Rounders and The Talented Mr. Ripley, the actor’s portrayal of a fallen angel banished to Wisconsin was great and showed a funnier side.

Samuel L. Jackson (The Other Guys)

Samuel L. Jackson in The Other Guys is on a whole other level and is funnier than anything else the actor has done over the years. Sure, Pulp Fiction and Jurassic Park are better movies, but his short yet memorable performance as a gung-ho cop who throws caution (and himself) into the win is comedy cold.

Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest)

Alan Rickman’s portrayal of Alexander Dane, a Shakespearean actor fed up with life and his career direction in Galaxy Quest, is so funny yet so heartbreaking. The way the Die Hard actor (who was also classically trained) finds the balance between comedy and tragedy is perfection.

Russell Crowe (The Nice Guys)

Russell Crowe made a career out of giving commanding, and largely dramatic, performances in everything from Romper Stomper to Gladiator, so it was great to see him play a more comedic role in The Nice Guys. This 2016 Shane Black film also starring Ryan Gosling, felt like a throwback to buddy action movies of yesteryear, and allowed Crowe to try a different approach to character-driven stories.

Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride)

Tony and Primetime Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin has given incredible dramatic performances in movies like Yentl and shows like Homeland, but he’s probably best known for his portrayal of Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride. The skill with a sword, the dashing good looks, and a killer backstory make this not only a great cinematic character but also a hilarious icon of the fantasy genre.

Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda)

Kevin Kline is great in just about everything (especially The Big Chill and Dave), and that includes some great comedies. One of the best featuring a serious and dramatic actor’s work is A Fish Called Wanda. The despicable and charismatic Otto West steals the show whenever on screen.

Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Though not the most standard comedy of the past few years, The Big Short is funny in a frightening and thrilling kind of way. Adam McKay’s biographical crime dramedy about the events that led to the 2007 housing market crash and subsequent economic crisis does feature one of Christian Bale’s most interesting and hilarious performances with his take on hedge fund manager Michael Burry. Not a totally likable guy, but a great character without a doubt.

Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok)

Thor: Ragnarok is still considered one of the best Marvel movies years after its release, and that’s mostly because of Chris Hemsworth’s new and improved portrayal of the “God of Thunder.” While the character was more serious in the first two movies (and two Avengers films), the more light-hearted and silly superhero was a comedy tour de force.

In my opinion, Dogma stands as the best Kevin Smith film in his entire catalog, which is why it's a shame that it's so hard to get your hands on it. A big part of my love for the film comes from the late, great Alan Rickman’s unforgettable role as the angel Metatron. In a video recently shared online, Smith reminisced about a hilarious encounter with the Love Actually actor that revealed an unexpected tidbit about how the Harry Potter franchise star ended up living near Ralph Fiennes—aka Voldemort himself—in real life.

In a video posted to his Instagram, Kevin Smith reflected on how his friendship with Alan Rickman extended well beyond the Dogma set. Whenever the Silent Bob performer found himself in England, the Sweeney Todd actor would make an effort to attend his shows, showing his support in a way that always surprised the director. It was during one of these visits in London that Rickman shared a particularly amusing concern about his new apartment in New York City.

The Red State filmmaker fondly recalled a conversation with the scene-stealing Die Hard villain actor. Alan Rickman shared that he had finally caved and bought an apartment in New York but quickly realized there was a catch—he hadn’t considered the potential downside of moving into the same building as his friend and fellow star of the Harry Potter movies, Ralph Fiennes. As the Tusk filmmaker tells it, the late actor began:

It’s both a hilarious and slightly terrifying thought—imagine the chaos if fans had discovered their favorite on-screen rivals/allies were neighbors. Kevin Smith laughed at the memory, calling the whole situation:

And honestly, I agree with him. It’s an absolutely adorable story about the late, great English actor. Many arguably just know Alan Rickman for his stern and commanding portrayal of Severus Snape, which is understandable considering his iconic portrayal in the Harry Potter series. However, the Cop Out helmer's story captures a more playful side of the actor that we fans didn't often get a glimpse of—one who was very aware of the impact of his work on his admirers but still maintained his unique sense of humor about it all.

For fans of the Galaxy Quest star, this tale is a small but endearing insight into the man behind the characters they loved. While you can’t get your hands on a copy of Dogma without throwing down some major money, you can revisit Alan Rickman’s work in the HP franchise, as all movies are streamable with a Peacock subscription.

As for Kevin Smith's latest film, The 4:30 Movie, is just hit theaters as part of 2024 movie schedule. It's also available on all streaming platforms where you rent your movies.

Sometimes an actor just explodes on the scene with their first movie. Many of the people on this list have even been nominated and won awards for their first roles. Most, of course, have gone on to have long, successful careers, so let's look back at these actors who absolutely crushed it in their first roles. 

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave

It didn't take long for Kenyan native Lupita Nyong'o to make a huge splash in Hollywood. After a little time working on movie sets behind the camera, she studied acting at Yale and landed her seminal role in 12 Years A Slave almost immediately after graduating. The performance speaks for itself, and Nyong'o deservingly took home an Oscar for it. Amazingly, three years later, she won a Tony in her Broadway debut in Eclipsed.

Sean Penn - Taps

Sean Penn has had a long, storied career and while many may assume his breakout role came as the stoner Spicoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but a year before cracking up audiences in that cult classic, he played a very different role as a would-be soldier at a military academy in Taps. Notably, Tom Cruise also made his breakthrough role in the movie alongside Penn. 

Reese Witherspoon - The Man In The Moon

Over the last 4 decades or so, Reese Witherspoon has not only become one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, but a major force behind the scenes as a producer. It all started for the Nashville native with her debut in The Man In The Moon in 1991. It's always impressive when a newcomer can lead a personal film like this, and Witherspoon showed early how good she is by doing so. 

Natalie Portman - Leon: The Professional

There are a few actors in Hollywood who broke big when they were very young. From the moment you see Natalie Portman on screen in her first role as Mathilda in Leon: The Professional, you know she's going to be big. Yeah, it's an uncomfortable movie to watch for obvious reasons - Portman was just 13 - but seeing how brave she was to take on a complicated role like that, it was clear she was destined for greatness. 

Edward Norton - Primal Fear

Has there ever been a more terrifying and convincing debut performance from an actor than Edward Norton in Primal Fear? It's one of the all-time great grifter films and Norton's performance is the major reason why. He's scary, both in character and in talent. 

Florence Pugh - The Falling

It's hard to believe Florence Pugh made her debut in The Falling in 2014. It seems like the actress has been around forever as she keeps picking amazing roles and crushing the performances, just like her first. 

Kevin Bacon - National Lampoon's Animal House

Every actor in Hollywood is connected to Kevin Bacon, as the game claims, and that's because for more than five decades he's been giving amazing performance and amazing performance. His first movie, the classic comedy National Lampoon's Animal House is certainly no exception as he plays a snobby, snarky, frat boy to perfection. There is nothing he can't do.  

Halle Berry - Jungle Fever

In 2001 Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Best Picture Oscar for Monster's Ball. That was just 10 short years after she made he incredible debut in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The former beauty pageant contestant has been one of the most reliably great stars in the years since, starring in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood including the X-Men, James Bond, John Wick, and much more. 

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

After finishing seventh in the third season of American Idol, we all knew Jennifer Hudson could sing. When she was cast as Aretha Frankin-like Effie White in Dreamgirls, it didn't surprise anyone. At least, we weren't surprised until we all saw just how her powerful voice was matched by her powerful acting. She took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her big-screen debut. 

Eddie Murphy - 48 Hrs.

By the time Eddie Murphy starred in 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte in 1982, he was already a bonafide TV star from his time on SNL. Known for his great characters and hilarious lines on SNL, it wasn't clear if he could carry a movie. 48 Hrs. settled that, he definitely could and he's been leading them ever since. 

Marlee Matlin - Children Of A Lesser God

Marlee Matlin has been breaking down barriers since the very beginning of her career. Deaf from the time she was a small child, there must have been many people who told her she could pursue her dreams. Instead, she became not only the deaf actor to win an Oscar in his debut movie, Children Of A Lesser God, but the youngest woman to take home the statue as well. 

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

From the very beginning, Anne Hathaway has been wowing audiences. Her first movie is still one of her most beloved, The Princess Diaries. She even got to star alongside true film royalty. Julie Andrews. She didn't seem intimidated then, and she never has been since. 

Tim Curry - The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tim Curry's first movie has become the dictionary definition of a cult classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a flop when it was released, but in the decades since, it's become one of the most popular movies of all time with a fanbase that is not just dedicated, but rabid in its love for the movie and for Curry's character, Frank-N-Furter.

Emma Stone - Superbad

Superbad is one of those comedies that very really gets old, especially if you grew up with it as a staple of your DVD rotation. Emma Stone's character Jules is not the kind of character you'd expect to be as funny as she is, which makes Stone pretty much perfect for the role, as she is as effortlessly funny as she is effortlessly beautiful. She's gone on to tackle some characters with incredible depth, but she set the foundation in Superbad. 

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

There is really nothing Oprah Winfrey can't accomplish. She was already on her way to becoming the biggest daytime talk show in history by the time she landed a role in Steven Speilberg's classic The Color Purple. It turns out Winfrey can do a whole more than coax the most out of guests on her talk show, she can act really act, earning an Oscar nomination in her film debut. 

Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

It's really hard to believe that Julie Andrews didn't make her true film debut until she was nearly 30 years old, when she appeared as the legendary Mary Poppins in the film of the same name. Of course, Andrews was well-established as a stage actor at that point, but still, it was the golden age of Hollywood, you'd think she would have been cast in something well before Mary Poppins. At least we can be grateful she was cast here. 

Alan Rickman - Die Hard

Hans Gruber in Die Hard is, without a doubt, one of the greatest villains of the 1980s. Knowing that it was the film debut of the incredible Alan Rickman makes it all that more impressive. He plays the role with such confidence and panache, that it's almost too much to believe it was his first movie role, but it was. 

Anna Paquin - The Piano

Anna Paquin won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Piano. She was just 11 years old! Anyone who does that deserves a spot on any list like that. She's the second youngest ever to win an Oscar and in the years since she's continued to wow us with her work. 

Jamie Lee Curtis - Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis basically invented the modern scream queen in horror movies in her debut in Halloween. It's a genre she's only returned to a few times in her long, impressive career, but we're sure glad it's where she got her start. 

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

It's a little remarkable how many young girls pop up on a list like this. One of the most recent examples of a teenager just crushing her film debut is Hailee Steinfeld. Not only did she have the pressure of playing a beloved literary character like Mattie Ross in True Grit, but she also had to act alongside legends like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. She doesn't just hold her own, either, she steals the movie. She rightly received an Oscar nomination for her work.  

Glenn Close - The World According To Garp

Glenn Close burst on the scene with award-winning performances on Broadway before transitioning to film with her debut on the silver screen in The World According To Garp where she picked up where she left off on the stage, getting nominated for an Oscar. She would earn Oscar nominations (but sadly no wins) for her next two movies as well, The Big Chill and The Natural. 

Robert Duvall - To Kill A Mockingbird

Robert Duvall's career goes all the way back to the 1950s, when he first appeared as Boo Radley in one of the most beloved movies about the American South, To Kill A Mockingbird. He only has a small role, as the character with an outsized effect on the plot who is only seen at the end, but he embodies the character so many kids learn to love when they first read the book in high school. 

John Malkovich - Places In The Heart

There is no question that John Malkovich is one of the finest actors of his generation. He's completely fearless in all the roles he plays and that's true going all the way back to his first role as a blind World War I vet in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart alongside Sally Field, Danny Glover, and Ed Harris. 

Lily Tomlin - Nashville

Though she was already a comedic legend on TV, having appeared on Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, Lily Tomlin showed what range she really had as a gospel singer and mother to two in Nashville. She's continued to show those skills over and over in the decades since. 

Gal Gadot - Fast & Furious

Gal Gadot is best known as Wonder Woman these days, but she made her debut in another giant Hollywood franchise when she appeared in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the Fast And Furious series. The ex-Israeli army veteran has impressed fans of the movies in each of her 3 appearances by performing most of her own stunts.  

Kerry Washington - Our Song

Our Song is an underrated movie that is everything great about independent filmmaking. It's an intensely personal story about a unique moment in time for the characters and the audience. Kerry Washington simply blows audiences out of the water with her powerful and heartfelt performance. It's incredible how good she was in her first movie. 

Dustin Hoffman - The Graduate

So, technically Dustin Hoffman had already had a small role in a film before The Graduate (a movie called The Tiger Makes Out). For all intents and purposes, he introduced himself to the world with an Oscar-nominated performance in one of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history, The Graduate. It's a movie people still love talking about and lauding, even nearly 60 years later. 

John Cazale - The Godfather

The incredible and tragic story of actor John Cazale is well-known among movie buffs. Cazale only starred in five movies before he died of cancer at just age 42. All five of those movies won the Oscar for Best Picture The first, his first, was, of course, The Godfather. Though his character, Fredo, would play a larger role in the sequel, he still established himself as one of the greatest of his generation before we all lost him too soon.  

Gabrielle Union - She's All That

Actor Gabrielle Union has definitely made her mark not only on Hollywood but on the world with her stellar performances and her charity work outside of film. HE burst onto the scene in She's All That and she's never slowed down since. 

James Dean - East Of Eden

The great James Dean is one of the biggest "what ifs" in Hollywood history. Though he did have some uncredited roles in a few movies, the young actor starred in just three movies, including his first East Of Eden. For that role, he would receive an Oscar nomination, though he wouldn't live to see it, as he was killed in a car crash before being nominated. A feat that would be repeated the next year with Giant.

Jason Schwartzman - Rushmore

Though Jason Schwartzman comes from a prominent Hollywood family, that didn't guarantee success. Instead, he went out in his first movie role, in Rushmore, and absolutely embodied his character of Max. It's every bit as impressive as anything his mom Talia Shire has done, and that is no small feat. 

Keisha Castle-Hughes - The Whale Rider

When Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar at just 12 years old for The Whale Rider, you knew she was one to watch for. She was, at the time, the second-youngest person nominated for an Oscar and not only was the nomination well-deserved, but she's continued to justify the voters' confidence in her with her roles over the last couple of decades. 

Few fictional teachers have been as impactful as the complex and enigmatic Professor Severus Snape. Played with a captivating blend of mystery and intensity by the late Alan Rickman, Snape's true allegiance remained one of the saga’s most gripping mysteries. Now, recent revelations from the book series author, J.K. Rowling, shed light on an intriguing behind-the-scenes interaction that helped shape this iconic performance. And, apparently, Rickman was the only actor on set in the know.

In an upcoming interview set to be published on her website, the writer offers fans a peek into the off-camera chats that helped shape one of the film series' most pivotal characters. According to a preview of the interview in today's Times of London (via jkrowling.com), J.K. Rowling recalls a key conversation with the Die Hard star. Alan Rickman apparently reached out to Rowling because he had some keen questions about his on-screen alter ego. She shared:

After having a role under his belt like one of the most iconic cinematic villains of all time, Hans Gruber, the British sstar had his trepidations about playing another villain and almost passed on the Potter franchise. Luckily for the actor -- and fans -- Professor Snape was a far more layered character. Further detailing their conversation, J.K. Rowling explained the dual nature of the Potions Professor’s role to Alan Rickman:

This early insight was pivotal for the actor, allowing him to shape a character who was not just a simple antagonist but a deeply conflicted figure driven by lost love and enduring bitterness. From the first film to the last, the Galaxy Quest actor’s portrayal of Snape consistently hinted at the character's intricate allegiance and tormented past, elements that were pivotal to the saga’s ultimate revelations. Snape’s transformation from Harry’s tormentor to his protector, clandestinely battling against Voldemort and his forces, is one of the series' most captivating narratives.

J.K. Rowling’s interview also touches on the emotional toll of writing the Harry Potter series, particularly the deaths of key characters. She reflects on the necessity and pain of these plot developments, stating:

Alan Rickman, who passed away in 2016, portrayed Snape throughout all eight films of the best-selling book series. His multifaceted portrayal of Severus remains a standout in cinematic history, becoming a fan favorite. The actor was clearly enriched by his early, exclusive insights into Snape’s loyalties and motivations. 

As for J.K. Rowling, she is currently working on finishing two more books in her detective Cormoran Strike series and has plans for six more. Her upcoming interview will touch on writing and will be posted on her website this Monday, May 6. As the world’s bestselling author, with over 600 million books sold, her insights into her writing process and character development are intriguing for fans and enlightening for aspiring writers and creatives.

Of course, the Harry Potter franchise remains her crowning achievement, and the film series it inspired worked especially well due to the efforts of actors like Alan Rickman. If you’d like to revisit Rickman’s iconic work in the movies, all eight of them are now streaming. All you need to enjoy them is a Max subscription, or for the die-hards, with a Peacock subscription, you can enjoy the extended versions of the films. Also, check out our 2024 movie schedule to see what movies are headed to a theater near you.

Of all the mysteries of life, one that continues to confound us is what, exactly, lies beyond our planet. After thousands of years of peering into outer space as far as we could, we began to look for those answers in a very concrete way by sending people to the stars, and our movies have reflected our desire to know more, meaning that a number of humanity’s biggest and brightest stars have played space-faring individuals on screen. Here for you now are 32 famous actors who’ve played astronauts.

Sandra Bullock (Gravity)

Let’s start with one of the more harrowing views of space travel, Gravity, which garnered a number of Academy Award wins after its 2013 release. Sandra Bullock stars as Dr. Ryan Stone, who’s on her first space mission in order to help upgrade a telescope. But, things very quickly go wrong when she’s doing a spacewalk, and debris from a recently deactivated satellite hits the shuttle and leaves her stranded with many of her crew dead, Ryan floating through space, and desperate to find a way back to earth all on her own.

Brad Pitt (Ad Astra)

A space trip that doesn’t go too much better involves Brad Pitt’s Roy McBride in 2019’s Ad Astra. When Roy is tasked with traveling to Mars to see if the crew of a mission that was searching for other intelligent life, which was led 29 years earlier by his father, is still alive, he’s unwittingly thrust into a situation that’s far more dangerous than even standard space travel is known to be.

Ryan Reynolds (Life)

Noted comedic actor and big-screen superhero talent Ryan Reynolds has also donned a space suit for the very much not comedic Life, a 2017 ode to terror in space. After a probe returns to the International Space Station with soil samples from Mars, what is at first a dormant cell quickly turns into, well, life, and begins to cause a lot of horrific trouble for Reynolds’ engineer and the rest of the crew.

Halle Berry (Moonfall)

If you’re starting to sense a theme here, that outer space is dangerous, congratulations, because you really are paying attention. In the sci-fi disaster epic, Moonfall, Halle Berry’s NASA deputy director has to investigate when the moon begins to leave its orbit and come closer to Earth, threatening all of civilization. When she digs deeper into the mystery, however, she finds a government cover-up that goes back many decades and is forced to head back into space with a small crew to take care of the growing problem herself.

Michael Peña (A Million Miles Away)

Considering the incredible number of films we have where those who head into space are prominent characters, there are actually relatively few based on the lives of real people. A Million Miles Away stars Michael Peña as José M. Hernández, a Mexican-American engineer who served as a migrant worker when he was a child and went on to become an astronaut who worked aboard the International Space Station.

Viola Davis (Solaris)

There are many sci-fi films of the mind-trip variety and Solaris is no different. Viola Davis portrays one of the last surviving members of a space station crew orbiting the titular alien world, who must then try to help George Clooney’s visiting psychologist understand the truly strange phenomena that led to the death or disappearance of most of the crew. If you enjoy a twisty ending that leaves you with lots of questions, you’ll enjoy this one.

Mark Wahlberg (Planet Of The Apes)

You know this story; you love this story. Planet of the Apes saw Mark Wahlberg take over the role of an astronaut who crashes on a foreign planet, only to find that apes are now the dominant species, while humans are mostly without speech and used as slave labor. 

Chris Evans (Sunshine)

And here we have yet another space movie where a mission does not quite go as planned. Sunshine features stars like Cillian Murphy, Michelle Yeoh and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans as the crew of a ship that’s been tasked with traveling to our dying sun to deliver a bomb in the hopes of reigniting it so that our planet can avoid another catastrophic ice age.

Adam Driver (65)

Ever wonder what Earth was like about 65 million years ago when dinosaurs still ruled the land? Well, that’s what alien astronaut Mills (Adam Driver) accidentally finds out when his ship is struck by a large field of asteroids and crashes on our planet, leading him to have to protect the only other survivor as they flee many dangerous beasts in an attempt to get to a faraway escape pod so they can return home.

Sigourney Weaver (Alien)

It’s possible we’d have far fewer of these “if it can go wrong on a space mission it will” science fiction films without what many consider one of the best horror movies of all time, Alien. The classic stars Sigourney Weaver as Ripley, one of a seven-person crew who unknowingly stumble upon the ultra-dangerous xenomorphs that would go on to become legendary in sci-fi horror, which quickly leads to pretty much nothing but increasingly bad times on their doomed mission.

Tom Hanks (Apollo 13)

We’ve hit upon another story based on some real-life adventures! In Apollo 13, Tom Hanks stars as Commander Jim Lovell who, along with Command Module Pilot Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon) and Lunar Module Pilot Fred Haise (Bill Paxton), board their 1970 mission to the moon in order to become the third American crew to land there. However, trouble starts almost immediately.

Natalie Portman (Lucy In The Sky)

While not completely a true life story, 2019’s Lucy in the Sky is billed as being “loosely inspired” by the life of NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak. The plot concerns Natalie Portman’s Lucy, who has just returned from her first space mission, which had such a huge impact on her that she no longer feels connected to her family or life here. As she pushes herself to return on the next mission, she undergoes a mental breakdown that sends her life into a tailspin.

Glen Powell (Hidden Figures)

While the amazing biopic, Hidden Figures, focuses on three Black women (Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) who worked as NASA mathematicians during the height of the Space Race in the 1960s, we do still get an astronaut in this film. Twisters star Glen Powell plays John Glenn, who became the first American in orbit in 1962.

Robert Pattinson (High Life)

You’d think a movie called High Life would finally focus on some good times in space, but…nahhhhh. Robert Pattinson is a member of a crew of convicts on death row who’ve been sent to retrieve energy from a black hole, with the experiments of their commander leading to a child being born on board while crew members spiral out of control.

Tom Cruise (Oblivion)

Tom Cruise’s 2013 film, Oblivion, features him in a twisty plot that involves a post-apocalyptic Earth, evil A.I., even more evil aliens, and his character trying to figure out exactly what’s going on with his assigned mission. This is a good one that people hardly ever talk about.

Jodie Foster (Contact)

Based on the 1985 novel by Carl Sagan, Contact stars Academy Award winner Jodie Foster as a scientist who specializes in the search for extraterrestrial life, and finds a big clue toward that goal when she locates a radio signal that appears to be sent from a distant star, and is eventually chosen as the person to make first contact with the alien race behind the signal. Contact is an amazing film that is a must-see for sci-fi and space movie lovers.

Colin Farrell (Voyagers)

This movie is a real (space) trip. Voyagers stars Colin Farrell as the leader of a crew of very young adults who were bred away from humanity and had some of their hormones and emotions suppressed in the hope of keeping them manageable. But, when two of the crew realize what’s been done to them and convince everyone to stop taking the chemical, well, the proceedings get extremely emotional and tension doesn't let up for quite some time.

Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar)

By now, it’s probably pretty clear that our idea of space travel and exploration is mainly one of danger, especially from the unknown, and Christopher Nolan’s wildly successful Interstellar is certainly another addition to the film canon that shows us that. In it, Matthew McConaughey plays a former NASA test pilot who’s chosen to lead a mission through a wormhole that is hoped to lead to at least one habitable planet for humanity, which is dealing with a global famine that’s threatening an extinction event. 

Idris Elba (Prometheus)

Those Alien xenomorphs just won’t leave us alone, will they? In Prometheus, we get their origin story as a crew following an ancient star map searches for the beginnings of humanity, but instead finds…you know, a secret plot and lots of terror. Idris Elba portrays Janek, the heroic captain of the doomed spaceship.

Adam Sandler (Spaceman)

If you’ve ever gotten the sense that space travel can be kind of lonely, Adam Sandler’s Spaceman turns that idea up to 11. His astronaut is six months into a solo mission that sees him missing his wife and the unborn child he left behind, when he realizes he has a stowaway: an alien creature who can communicate telepathically with him, and seeks to understand humans while helping alleviate the astronaut’s loneliness.

Ryan Gosling (First Man)

This biographical drama sees Ryan Gosling play Neil Armstrong, who became the first man to walk on the moon in 1969. The story follows Armstrong, his wife Janet (Claire Foy), and other astronauts and NASA figures as they prepare for the famed Apollo 11 mission that led to Armstrong making history.

Angela Bassett (Supernova)

Even two-time Oscar nominee Angela Bassett has taken a turn at playing a space explorer whose time there does not go as planned. When she and her crew answer a distress call from thousands of light years away during their deep space mission, things go from bad to worse at, well, the speed of light.

Matt Damon (The Martian)

Matt Damon famously starred in one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, playing astronaut Mark Watney, who’s forced to survive on Mars alone after being accidentally left behind when he’s presumed dead by the rest of his crew as they’re forced to evacuate. 

Bruce Willis (Armageddon)

Possibly the best non-traditional astronaut movie ever made, Armageddon stars good guy Bruce Willis as an oil driller recruited to go into space with a team of his mean so that they drill into a massive asteroid, implant a nuke in it and blow it up in the hope of stopping it from destroying the planet and human civilization as we know it. I got excited just writing that!

Laurence Fishburne (Event Horizon)

In space, no one can hear you scream. Unless you’re on a spaceship with other people that’s destined to run into loads of trouble, then, you know, all of those people will probably be able to hear you. There’s lots of screaming in 1997’s Event Horizon, which stars Laurence Fishburne as the captain of a rescue ship that goes to answer a distress call sent by a ship that disappeared several years prior. There’s a vivisection in this one. I’m starting to think we should just leave space alone.

Robert Duvall (Deep Impact)

You must remember Deep Impact, as it was released about two months before the more popular Armageddon, but featured a comet being on a collision course with our precious homeworld. Robert Duvall plays the pilot for the crew that’s dispatched to (you guessed it) drill into the comet and nuke it to smithereens. The mission does not go off without a hitch, and that’s why they call this a disaster movie.

Ethan Hawke (Gattaca)

In a society where most babies are created with genetic altering to make sure they have only the best traits of each parent, a man (Ethan Hawke) who was born without that practice poses as a man who was altered so that he can reach his dream of becoming an astronaut without all of the discrimination that people like him suffer in a society where people are expected to be “perfect” to have the best opportunities in life.

Sam Rockwell (Moon)

Ok, so maybe being in space, in general, isn’t always terrible. But it definitely seems like being alone in space for an extended period could be a bad sign for your future. Such is the case with Moon, where Sam Rockwell plays the lone human operating a mining facility on the titular celestial body, who comes to a startling revelation as he nears the end of his three-year work term.

Clint Eastwood (Space Cowboys)

Clint Eastwood has portrayed a number of (basically) good guys, so it makes complete sense that he would have stepped into the shoes of an Air Force pilot who retired long ago, but ends up leading a mission of other retired pilots to fix an old Soviet communications satellite that’s in danger of crashing to Earth.

Liv Tyler (Space Station 76)

As you’ve likely noticed, there are not a lot of comedies among this bunch, but Space Station 76 is definitely one of them. This “retro-futuristic” parody stars Liv Tyler as the newly arrived station’s co-pilot, who soon comes to realize that the apparently utopian lives of those on board are hiding some very real problems.

Alan Rickman (Galaxy Quest)

Here is another comedy that’s been a cult hit pretty much since its release in 1999. Galaxy Quest focuses on the cast of a fictional Star Trek-like series who are pulled into a hilariously real war between alien races, when the kind, gentle aliens have seen their show and believe it’s a documentary.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Cloverfield Paradox)

The Cloverfield franchise grew with this 2018 entry, which stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as an engineer aboard an orbiting space station where the plan is to test a particle accelerator in the hope of using it to provide the planet with infinite energy. You know what happens, right? Things don’t go as planned.

Many of our finest actors have pretended to travel in space for our entertainment, and this list gives you a number of amazing options should you decide to launch an astronaut movie binge session.

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe focuses on franchise heroes, and the MCU is often seen as having less than memorable villains, some characters have demanded the attention of fans. Chief among them has been Tom Hiddleston’s Loki, who started out as a side character and the bad guy, before becoming a reluctant hero at the center of his own story. Hiddleston says that he studied other charismatic villains when he first brought on the role, including Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber in Die Hard.

Speaking at PaleyFest 2024 (via People) on a panel dedicated to Loki, Hiddleston specifically referenced Alan Rickman’s Die Hard villain, as well as James Mason’s role in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest as characters he loved growing up. He studied them before taking on Loki because they were characters that drew the audiences attention even though they weren’t the focus of their stories. Hiddleston explained…

While I’m not sure I ever would have compared Tom Hiddleston’s Loki to Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber, hearing that the criminal mastermind inspired the trickster god isn’t that surprising looking at the two characters. They are certainly both very charismatic villains. While the “bad guy” in a movie is frequently a dark and angry character, in these cases, both Loki and Hans are clearly very happy with the people that they are, even if who they are is terrible. And the actors certainly had a fun time playing the parts, that much is quite obvious. This is despite the fact Rickman originally turned down the Die Hard role.

The end result also matches up. You can’t talk about how great a movie Die Hard is without talking about Alan Rickman’s best performance. He’s a big part of the reason that movie works as well as it does. The same has to be said for Hiddelston’s Loki. The first two Thor films especially are not generally seen as among the best of the MCU, but Loki is a clear bright spot in both.

Loki became such a popular part of the MCU that he eventually did get the chance to be the center of a story, in two seasons of Loki on Disney+. At this point, following the Loki Season 2 ending it’s unclear if we’ll see the character again in any upcoming Marvel movies or series, but he has certainly made his mark on the franchise, just as Hans Gruber did in the Die Hard movies. 

It’s been almost 13 years since the final Harry Potter movie was released, but those books and films still live on in the hearts of fans around the world. The stars of the franchise have gone on to other projects, with Daniel Radcliffe notably taking on many shows on the Broadway stage like Equuis, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and most recently, Merrily We Roll Along. The actor recently opened up about his Potter years and working with the late great Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape. Apparently, Radcliffe was very intimidated by Rickman throughout, until they bonded later on. 

The Harry Potter actor recently sat down with Josh Horowitz of the Happy, Sad, Confused Podcast, where he chatted alongside his Merrily We Roll Along co-stars about their current successful Broadway run. During the conversation, the host showed Daniel Radcliffe a snippet from before Alan Rickman passed away in 2016, during which he complimented the Miracle Workers actor on his talents as a performer. Radcliffe was flattered by the compliments but also noted how deep and intimidating the later actor's voice was, saying:

Alan Rickman did indeed have an ominous cadence to him, so I can see why his younger co-star would believed that he disliked or even hated him at the time. Even though Daniel Radcliffe may have been intimidated by him while making the early films, the two became close as the former child star grew up and started taking on more serious and adult roles. The bond turned into a special one for Radcliffe, who appreciated the amount of support he received from the veteran actor while he was alive. The Weird star went on to explain how stage-acting served as a key connecting rod between him and his colleague:

The Kill Your Darlings star wasn’t the only member of the Harry Potter cast intimidated by the Snape actor while on the set. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the films, also has opened up about how scared he was of Alan Rickman when he first started out. It’s no surprise that the young actors felt this way. Rickman was tall and stoic and, of course, that voice was larger than life. Given the character he played, that aura likely also made him even more intimidating. Rickman from Snape were two different people, of course, but the actor played that role very well.

However, it seems like this intimidation changed a lot over the course of the films and as the child actors became fully formed adult performers. The deceased actor's diaries were published in the years following his death, and they were very complimentary towards the cast. That was especially when it came to Daniel Radcliffe, who responded lovingly to those thoughts. The Die Hard icon also gave the core actors great advice when the movies ended, encouraging them to do theater. That clearly stuck with Radcliffe, who has become a prolific theater actor. It's wonderful that he was not only able to flex his acting muscles on stage but also that said work sparked a special bond between him and his initially intimidating co-star.

Fans can revisit Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films, which are all now streamable with a Max subscription. You can also currently see Radcliffe on stage alongside Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez in Merrily We Roll Along on Broadway, which just had its run extended through July 7, 2024. 

Some movie teachers genuinely change not only the characters' lives but our lives as well. Today, we'll be talking about a specific kind of movie character – the teachers from movies that have made a real impact. Here are thirty-two fictional teachers who left their mark, whether on the character or the world. 

John Keating (Dead Poets Society)

When I think of the best fictional teachers out there, there is no one better to bring up than John Keating from Dead Poets Society. In one of his best roles, Robin Williams delivered the performance of a lifetime as John Keating and made us all want to have a teacher like him who taught us lessons and inspired us to do more in our lives. To go after what we believed in. 

Ms. Frizzle (The Magic School Bus)

As someone who grew up watching The Magic School Bus, there were many days when I wished that Ms. Frizzle was my science teacher or that science was nearly as cool as she made it out to be. With her school bus that seemed to morph into anything for her lessons, Ms. Frizzle was the teacher we all wanted, making teaching look like the adventure of a lifetime. 

Ms. Rain (Precious)

Precious is an Academy Award-winning movie about a young woman from a troubled background hoping to reroute her life, and the first person who helps Precious is Ms. Rain. Played by the incredible Paul Patton, Ms. Rain teaches Precious the essentials she needs to know. She has been an encouraging source from day one and helps her through everything. She was sweet, kind, and all Precious needed when it felt like the world had given up on her. 

Professor Stromwell (Legally Blonde)

As someone who could spend years watching the best Reese Witherspoon movies, Legally Blonde is most certainly one of them. And the best teacher in that was, hands down, Professor Stromwell. While strict at first, Elle comes to care for Professor Stromwell, as the teacher pushes her to her limits so she can be at her best. 

Mr. George Feeny (Boy Meets World)

Out of everyone, we all know Mr. George Feeney in Boy Meets World. While Feeny was a strict man, he had a heart of gold underneath his grumpy exterior and became one of the best mentors. Everyone still tears up when he says in the finale, "I love you all. Class dismissed." Jeez, I'm still getting emotional. 

Mr. Miyagi (The Karate Kid)

While not the kind of teacher you would meet in a school, Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid franchise is as much of a teacher as anyone else here. Because of his patience, diligence, and skill, he taught Daniel LaRusso the art of karate and truly made him into the man we know all these years later in Cobra Kai. His teachings live on, even if the actor who played him, Pat Morita, passed on in 2005. 

Pete Dixon (Room 222)

Room 222 was an ABC series about the life of students and teachers at a Los Angeles high school and focused on Pete Dixon's history class most of the time. Lloyd Hanes played Pete Dixon, the kind, innovative, and educational teacher who always seemed to have the best lessons for his students and viewers, especially on relevant topics at the time. The series lasted five seasons, and Pete Dixon cemented his name in history. 

Gabe Kotter (Welcome Back, Kotter)

Sitcoms were some of the biggest television shows in the 1970s and Welcome Back, Kotter was one of them, telling the story of Gabe Kotter (played by Gabe Kaplan). He's a teacher who returns to his alma mater to teach a remedial class of troubled students, but his attitude and teaching methods win him favor with the students. In the end, many of these kids end up doing so well because of him. 

Erin Gruwell (Freedom Writers)

I recall watching Freedom Writers as a kid and respecting Erin Gruwell, played by Hilary Swank. As someone who has had a lot of trouble with patience and perseverance, I admired Gruwell's persistence and tenacity to never give up on her students despite them hating her initially and making her feel unwelcome. Ultimately, because of her diligence, everyone was given the chance to graduate and live successful lives. 

Mr. Hand (Fast Times At Ridgemont High)

There's something about history and English teachers in movies and T.V. because Mr. Hand, the history teacher from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is one of the most memorable. While he usually had a frown on his face, he was a softer person underneath that gruff exterior. He will do anything to help his students succeed, even spending time after school to help his kids understand lessons, which I'm sure they appreciate. 

Severus Snape (Harry Potter)

As someone who loves the Harry Potter franchise, I couldn't make this list without including Severus Snape, played by Alan Rickman in one of his best roles. While Snape was a bit of a jerk to everyone, there's no denying that underneath that, he was an older man with a lot of trauma and someone who did everything in his power to protect the students and those he cared about. Even in the end, he could give Harry his tears to show him that he always loved Lily, Harry's mother. 

Dr. Frank Bryant (Educating Rita)

Michael Caine has delivered some incredible performances over his time in Hollywood, and personally, Dr. Frank Bryant in Educating Rita, is one of my favorites. The story is about a woman going back to university years later, and the movie shows that sometimes, all a teacher needs to rekindle their love for their subject is that one student, and watching how both Bryant leaves his impact on Rita (Susan) and vice versa is lovely to see. 

Mr. Collins (The Wonder Years)

The Wonder Years is one of the most iconic sitcoms of the '80s and '90s, and of course, I must mention Mr. Collins. Steven Gilborn played the teacher and worked with the main character, Kevin Arnold, to push him to be the best he could be, never quitting for a single moment. Gilborn was a professor before becoming an actor, making this role more special. 

Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter)

Minerva McGonagall was one of the most impactful teachers in Harry Potter's life in the Harry Potter movies. I mean, not only did she teach him several lessons in magic, but it was because of her that he could do so many things – join the Quidditch team, get him a broomstick, etc. Plus, she did everything she could to protect the students of Hogwarts during the war, consistently putting her life on the line as one of the best witches there. 

Coach Fredericks (Freaks And Geeks)

Are there teachers in Freaks and Geeks? Of course, there are, but I have to give this spot to Coach Fredericks, played by Tom Wilson. He starts as a pretty stereotypical bad guy P.E. teacher, but throughout the show's one season, we get to know the teacher and understand who he is as a person. 

Mark Thackeray (To Sir, With Love)

Starring Sidney Poitier, To Sir, With Love is a British drama film about Mark Thackeray, an immigrant who takes a teaching position despite never teaching before, to find some income where he is told to teach delinquents who have been rejected from other schools. And through his teaching ability, he wins over the class, treating them more like adults than children, trying to reach them on a different level. 

Miss Honey (Matilda)

Whether you watch the 1990s version of Matilda or you check out the underrated Netflix musical version, Miss Honey in both is the kind of teacher that we hear about in fairytales. Not only is she sweet as honey and teaches her children so many things, but she takes it upon herself to raise Matilda at the end of both films because she cares that much about the girl, giving her the life she always wanted. 

Lydia Grant (Fame)

I'm one of the biggest fans of the best dance movies, but watching dance on television is also a great pastime, and Fame gave me that and more. In Fame, a show about high school students at a performing arts school in NYC, we meet Lydia Grant, a dance teacher. Indeed, her moves and teaching style are memorable, keeping her kids in a tight line and making sure they were the best they could be. 

LouAnne Johnson (Dangerous Minds)

Michelle Pfeiffer is LouAnne Johnson in Dangerous Minds, the story of a former marine who takes on a teaching position where she must handle a classroom of low-income, challenging teenagers involved in gangs and drugs. I think what makes Johnson such a great teacher is that she goes out of her way to teach with unconventional methods, such as giving everyone an A that they must maintain or using the lyrics of Bob Marley to get into poetry. That's what makes her extraordinary. 

Mr Chips (Goodbye, Mr. Chips)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a movie from the classic period of Hollywood and stars Robert Donat as Mr. Chips, an aging teacher who reflects on his life through the decades. There's too much here to say how Mr. Chips was a great teacher, as he impacted not only one student's life but many over several years. 

Remus Lupin (Harry Potter)

Harry Potter had some great teachers, and one that most certainly comes to mind is Remus Lupin, one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts Teachers in the series. While his time as the teacher only lasted for a year (as is tradition with most teachers there), Lupin left his mark on Harry as the kindest DADA teacher he had and taught him one of the most valuable charms there is – the Patronus charm. 

Jaime Escalante (Stand And Deliver)

Starring Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver is all about Jaime Escalante, who becomes the math teacher at a high school in East Los Angeles and has a class full of Latino students. Through his teaching methods, he can make them achieve great things in calculus and stand up for them when no one else will. 

Joe Clark (Lean On Me)

Joe Clark in Lean On Me, played by Morgan Freeman, is a teacher who does not mess around with his students. The movie is based on a true story about a teacher named Joe Clark, who becomes the principal and uses his past and much more to bring his school up to standards. While radical at first, the students grow to care for him in all that he does, both in the school and outside. 

Ms. Norbury (Mean Girls)

Mean Girls is more of a comedy than anything else, but Ms. Norbury, played by Tina Fey, is a great teacher. She's one of the few who stands up for Cady, and in the end, she still stands by her side despite what Cady wrote about her in the Burn Book, leading to Norbury being investigated as a drug dealer. 

Mr. Medina (Gilmore Girls)

Gilmore Girls had plenty of grown-up characters, but Mr. Medina, played by Scott Cohen, was one of the most prominent. He was Rory's beloved English teacher, who taught her many valuable lessons and ended up getting romantically involved with Lorelai. 

Dr. Larabee (Akeelah And The Bee)

Akeelah and the Bee stars Keke Palmer and Laurence Fishburne, and this film focuses on the relationship between Akeelah and her mentor, Dr. Joshua Larabee. And while their partnership at first is tenuous, they grow because of each other and truly leave an impact. 

Manish Kulkarni (Never Have I Ever)

Never Have I Ever is a hilarious Netflix teen romance series; Devi's English teacher is a great part of that. He is the definition of an excellent and honest teacher who sugarcoats nothing – and what's even better is that he winds up dating Devi's cousin later anyway. 

Dewey Finn (School Of Rock)

While he initially faked his way into the role, having no teaching experience, Dewey Finn left his impact on his students in School of Rock, so much so that a new program was created for students for music. It's undoubtedly one of Jack Black's best films. 

Annalise Keating (How To Get Away With Murder)

Played by the talented Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder introduced audiences to Annalise Keating, a law professor and criminal defense attorney, who not only leaves her mark on her students but works with them to solve a murder case together. And through it all, she aims to keep them safe and sound despite everything turning upside down. 

Sister Mary Clarence (Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit)

Sister Act 2 saw Whoopi Goldberg return as Sister Mary Clarence, now serving as a choir teacher who takes a group of students from a failing school and turns them into a choir that could knock the socks off of anyone out there. 

Miss Bliss (Good Morning, Miss Bliss)

Many people know Saved By The Bell, which was a spinoff of Good Morning, Miss Bliss. The one-season Disney Channel series is all about Miss Bliss, a junior high teacher who is a great educator and a source of calmness and delight to her students, who often turn to her for the problems they face. 

Glenn Holland (Mr. Holland's Opus)

Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Mr. Holland's Opus is the definition of a movie teacher that left an impact. The movie follows a high school music teacher who makes his music, but throughout the film, we see how much his dedication to his craft has impacted his students. Guaranteed, you will cry. 

We could talk about many excellent teachers in movies and on TV, but these truly stand out as some of the best. Now, I need a movie and a T.V. marathon to appreciate them again—time to grab a box of tissues. 

As a profession, acting is something that somebody can do at virtually any age, as such few actors ever bother to retire, and simply continue to make films until the day comes that they can't anymore. As such, it's basically impossible to know when a given film will be the last performance of one of the greats. From those who tragically die young to those who continued to work for decades, This is a look at the sometimes surprising final movies by some of the world's biggest movie stars.

A couple of caveats to the forthcoming list. As the title states, we're looking at the final movies that certain actors and actresses worked on, which is not necessarily the last movie that was ever released, as sometimes movies that had been in development earlier get completed years and even decades later. We're also only considering theatrically released films, and not television movies or series. 

Heath Ledger - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 

Ledger's legacy is most closely tied to The Dark Knight for which he won a posthumous Oscar, but he had already moved on to filming Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus before he died. The script was modified and saw Ledger's character "transformed" at various points, allowing three of Ledger's friends, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Firth to all step in to collectively help complete the movie. 

Marilyn Monroe - The Misfits

Marilyn Monroe's role in the drama The Misfits was not the sort of performance that made her famous, yet her final performance, given more than a year before her death, is considered one of her best by critics today.  Monroe had been involved in another movie, Something's Gotta Give at the time of her death, but so little of the movie had been completed that production was simply halted.

 James Dean - Giant 

James Dean was an up-and-coming star when he died in a single-car accident in 1955. He only made three big screen movies before his death with East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and his final film, Giant which was released the year after his death.

John Candy - Wagons East 

Wagons East sees John Candy as a wagon master who has agreed to take a group of settlers who have decided the West isn't for them back to the East. Candy died of a heart attack during production, and stand-ins were used to finish the film so it could be released a few months later. 

Paul Walker - Furious 7

The death of Paul Walker in a tragic car accident took place during the filming of Furious 7. The movie's ending was modified to give his character a proper sendoff and his brother, along with CGI, was used to recreate Walker's likeness for a final farewell.

Bruce Lee - Enter The Dragon 

Bruce Lee's Game of Death uses a combination of the actor and a double as the martial arts expert passed away before he could finish it. However, all of Lee's scenes were shot prior to the film going on hiatus so he could film Enter the Dragon, making this the final film he shot before passing away. 

Katharine Hepburn - Love Affair

Katharine Hepburn was a four-time Oscar winner when she passed away in 2003. She was largely done with the big screen by the 1980s, but she did appear in a small role in Warren Beatty's Love Affair in 1994, the last year she worked before retiring for good. 

 Brandon Lee - The Crow 

The son of Bruce Lee was well on his way to following in his father's footsteps when his life was tragically cut short. A prop gun on the set of The Crow malfunctioned firing a projectile into Lee, which caused his death. His final scenes were filmed with stand-ins so that the movie could be completed. 

Robin Williams - Absolutely Anything

Robin Williams' death in 2014 broke the hearts of millions of fans. There would be two more chances to see (and hear) him at the movies, however. Williams' final appearance was in A Night at the Museum: Secrets of The Tomb which was released just months after his passing. His final project, however, would be as the voice of Dennis the dog in the Simon Pegg-led comedy Absolutely Anything.

Brittany Murphy - Something Wicked

Actress Brittany Murphy died unexpectedly in 2009 and her death has remained a subject of controversy to this day. Her final performance, in the psychological horror movie Something Wicked would not be seen for years as the film was not officially released until 2014.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was not an actor who often appeared in major franchise movies but two of his final performances would come in the two-part finale of The Hunger Games. Mockingjay - Part 1 would be released shortly after his death in 2014. By that point the majority of his role in Mockingjay - Part 2 had been completed, making his final on-screen performance a year later.

Judy Garland - I Could Go On Singing

While Judy Garland would continue to perform right up until she died in 1969, her last years were spent on stage rather than screen. Her final film role would be in 1963's I Could Go on Singing, where she played a successful singer who attempts to bond with her estranged son.  

 John Wayne - The Shootist 

John Wayne's final film role in 1976's The Shootist was in many ways the culmination of his entire career. In the film, he plays a former Western lawman who is dying of cancer, the same disease that would take Wayne's own life three years after the film was completed. 

 Angela Lansbury - Glass Onion 

Angela Lansbury had the sort of career that many actors can only dream of. She was a beloved star of both the big and small screen. Her final appearance in a movie was on an even smaller screen, as she appears on Benoit Blanc's laptop in Glass Onion, as one of four celebrities that Daniel Craig's detective is playing video games with. 

Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom 

Few people knew of Chadwick Boseman's colon cancer diagnosis, which made his death in 2020 a surprise to many. His final movie, An adaptation of the August Wilson play Ma Rainey's Black Bottom for Netflix would earn the actor a posthumous Oscar nomination. 

Audrey Hepburn - Always

The iconic star of Breakfast at Tiffany's and My Fair Lady made only a handful of films once the 1960s were over. In her final film, she was directed by Steven Spielberg in one of his largely overlooked dramas, Always, in which she plays a spirit named Hap who sets recently departed Richard Dreyfuss on the right path. 

Marlon Brando - The Score 

Marlon Brando was famously difficult to work with, something that remained true up to his final performance. 2001's The Score reportedly required co-star Robert De Niro to direct his old friend, as Brando refused to be directed by Frank Oz. Brando would pass away in 2004.

Ingrid Bergman - Autumn Sonata

Most famous for the role of Ilsa in Casablanca, Ingrid Bergman starred in Autumn Sonata, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman (while the two get famously confused, there is no relation). She was nominated for her seventh Academy Award for the role. 

Dennis Hopper - The Last Film Festival

Dennis Hopper passed away during during the production of The Last Film Festival, an indie comedy in which he plays a producer who has been blackballed from every other film festival, and thus attends one in a small American town. The movie turned to Kickstarter to raise the funding needed to complete the project, which they did. 

River Phoenix - Dark Blood

For years it seemed River Phoenix's final film would be the country music drama The Thing Called Love. Phoenix was in the middle of filming the movie Dark Blood when he died in 1993, but his death seemingly ended the production. In 2011 the director picked up the unused footage and reedited it into a complete film. Dark Blood was released in 2014, after making a film festival run in 2012. 

Bette Davis - Wicked Stepmother

Bette Davis was one of the all-time greats of the silver screen, but her final appearance was maybe not up to her previous standards, which is why she reportedly left in the middle of filming. 1989's Wicked Stepmother sees Davis as a witch who marries into an unsuspecting family. The plot shifts part way through to focus on the daughter of Davis' character after the All About Eve star left the film.

Vincent Price - Edward Scissorhands

Vincent Price was one of the fathers of the modern horror movie, so it's fitting that his final big screen outing was as the father of Edward Scissorhands, a movie that blended the horror with the heartwarming in a way that only Tim Burton could. 

Sidney Poitier - The Jackal

Sydney Poitier made history as the first Black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor in 1964. More than 30 years later he would make his final silver screen performance, as the head of the FBI in 1997's The Jackal with Bruce Willis and Richard Gere. He did do one last television movie, released in 2001 called The Last Brickmaker in America before retiring from acting. 

Humphrey Bogart - The Harder They Fall 

Humphrey Bogart created iconic screen characters from The Maltese Falcon Sam Spade to Casablanca's Rick. His character in 1956's The Harder They Fall, Bogie's last role, isn't nearly as well remembered, but Eddie Willis, the down-on-his-luck sportswriter who gets involved in a boxing scheme to throw fights is just the sort of character that Bogart did so well.

Natasha Richardson - The Wildest Dream

Natasha Richardson's death from injuries sustained in a skiing accident in 2009 shocked the entertainment world. Her final screen performance where she would be seen was 2008's Wild Child but her final work came as a voice in the documentary film The Wildest Dream which followed the story of the first man who attempted to scale Mount Everest, and the climber decades later who found his body.

Elizabeth Taylor - The Flintstones  

The live-action Flintstones movie does not exist in particularly high regard among fans, but if it is remembered at all it will likely be because it contains the final theatrical appearance of Elizabeth Taylor. She played Pearl Slaghoople, Fred Flintstone's mother-in-law.

Charlie Chaplin  - A Countess From Hong Kong 

Charlie Chaplin was one of the first movie stars the world had ever seen. When he started movies didn't even have sound. By the end they had gained, voice, color, and so much more. 1967's A Countess From Hong Kong is a work of Chaplin's primarily behind the camera, as he wrote and directed the film which stars Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren. However, he does appear briefly on screen, for one final time, in a cameo as a ship's porter.

Alan Rickman - Alice Through the Looking Glass 

Alan Rickman will be forever linked to his role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise for a generation of movie fans. He made several more movies in the five years after that story ended. The final one, a sequel to Disney's live-action Alice in Wonderland, Alice Through the Looking Glass, where he reprised his role as Absolem, the caterpillar.

Paul Newman - The Meercats 

Paul Newman received his ninth Oscar nomination the last time he appeared on screen in 2002's Road to Perdition. His voice would remain in movies, however. In 2006 he would voice Doc Hudson in Pixar's Cars. Two years later he would narrate the documentary film The Meerkats, which would be his final performance.

Natalie Wood - Brainstorm

Natalie Wood spent her life acting. She appeared as a child in the original Miracle on the 34th Street and as an adult she wowed audiences, becoming the youngest actress ever (at the time) to be nominated for three Oscars. She died tragically by drowning in 1981 during a break in filming the sci-fi thriller Brainstorm. The movie was almost canceled, but as Wood had completed most of her major scenes, it was finished and released.

Ray Liotta - Dangerous Waters 

When Ray Liotta died in May of 2023 he was in the middle of filming the thriller Dangerous Waters. The movie would be released that October. Liotta plays the movie's villain, a man known simply as The Captain.

Ginger Rogers - Harlow

Ginger Rogers would become famous as a dancer and the frequent screen partner of Fred Astaire. Her final performance, however, would put her in a very different place. In the 1965 biopic of another great actress, Jean Harlow, Rogers plays the star's mother, who takes advantage of her daughter's fame to benefit herself.

Some final performances of great actors rank among their best. Others are clearly forgotten movies for a reason. Either way, anybody interested in the complete career of some of Hollywood's greatest will want to seek these out, if only to see how the story ends. 

While playing a protagonist can make an unknown actor into a major star, it seems like many performers have the most fun playing villains. Thanks to antagonistic characters, viewers have seen some of the best acting performances of all time, and some of the most sinister portrayals are the most memorable. A recent user on Twitter (or X) asked their followers to name some of their favorite performances from actors playing terrible people, and I could not be happier to see Alan Rickman mentioned so frequently.

There are several iconic performers that have played villains, like Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Bastards, Heath Ledger's work in The Dark Knight and of course, Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs. These actors all got love in the X thread for sure, but Alan Rickman was another commonly mentioned name that couldn’t be overlooked. His number of villainous portrayals over the years have made him a true icon, and one of the best character actors of his generation. One user, @quantumbiosis, said: 

This recognition is particularly meaningful because Alan Rickman passed away in 2016 following a private battle with cancer. Even after his death, his movies and performances have remained in the hearts of fans who were touched by his work. We are fortunate to have such a robust, varied body of work from him to look back on. The actor’s journals were published by his family last year, so fans also have access to some of his thoughts and feelings while taking on these iconic roles. @Nostalgia150360 said of Rickman:

Of course, fans would be remiss not to mention Severus Snape from the Harry Potter movies. @ryanpropz said: 

I think many Potterheads would reject the idea that Serverus Snape wasn’t a bad person, despite being redeemed later on in the series. Snape's status as a villain is hard to nail down, and the character’s morality and motivations are some of the most discussed and controversial elements amongst fans. These debates are a result of fully fleshed out, multifaceted and complex character moments, which are brought to life on screen due to an incredible performance from Alan Rickman.

Of course, all of the characters in these posts deserve to be mentioned. They are certainly stand-outs, but I personally want to add in the late actor's "Harry "character from Love Actually. His act of betrayal towards Emma Thompson in that movie leads to one of the most devastating breakdown scenes in rom-com history. I’m not the only one who feels strongly about that either, as @willowspuppy said of the moment from the film:

With Die Hard, Harry Potter and Love Actually in the mix, ’tis the season to be angry with Alan Rickman characters. I say this with love, of course. It’s his incredible performances that make these characters so memorable. He is so dearly missed, and clearly loved by many. This Christmas, be sure to revisit some of the films that made him so special. Notably, Love Actually is available to stream for Netflix subscribers, and all of the Harry Potter films can be accessed with a Max subscription. 

There have been some funky viral TikTok trends surrounding Harry Potter this year – the Ron Weasley EDM remix I’m looking at you – but Sexy Severus Snape takes the cake. While we’ve seen AI-generated Wizarding World art before, and sometimes it can be really cool and even emotional, this is different, and many fans are appalled by it. 

Out of all the Harry Potter cast, @alanrickmanstan7 made their viral TikTok about Severus Snape. Alan Rickman’s wizard has some epic moments, and there’s great reason to make fan art for the beloved character. However, this Sexy Snape video is hilariously unexpected, and many fans were not thrilled about it as they pointed out in the comments. The video has over 5.4 million views and features AI-generated audio of the character making a sexy comment and lots of photos of the wizard with his shirt unbuttoned and fully tattooed posing as if he was just named Sexiest Man Alive.

Personally, I was confused watching this AI-generated TikTok. Turns out, fans of the Harry Potter movies were too. Take Delaney Obraztosva for example, their comment on the video got over 43 thousand likes as they made their disgust for the video of the late Alan Rickman clear:

Hannahadnerson963 was also appalled by the video of the Harry Potter cast member as they posted:

Some, like s., attempted to understand the appeal of this video but ultimately couldn’t as they posted:

Others were incredibly shocked by the TikTok. I’m in the same boat as them, that AI-generated voiceover of Alan Rickman was a literal jump scare, and the music was unexpected. A few comments that made this point of view known were:

• The way it just like jumped straight into it 😂 no warning. No time to lower volume no time to react 😳 😂🤣 -Rebecca Morris 
• I beg your finest pardon?!😳 -Morgan Duke 
• WHAT HAPPENED TO HELLO?? HOW ARE YOU?! -Rebecca Ostrander 
• JAIL! Who did this?! I’m so conflicted I could have went my whole life without this one. 😂 -Marie_the_Sea 

There truly is a surprise factor to this video, especially if you aren’t expecting it. Picture this: you’re scrolling through your FYP and a video of Sexy Snape with the caption “do it for daddy” comes up. How are you supposed to react to that? I think these comments captured the general reaction many had when they landed on this viral TikTok while going through their For You Pages:

• I’m upset and will never be the same -Carlyjanis 
• The scream I just scrempt -Amy 
• PROFESSOR?! -HoneyNastay 
• I literally just opened this app...😂 -Red Brie 

While many made their disgust and shock and occasional horror known, others commented about accepting that this was a fate they bought on themselves. After all, our FYPs are curated based on what we watch and like. Here are a few highlights from this shared perspective in the comments:

• Gotta remind myself that my fyp was my doing and only mine. But dear Christ all mighty -Emily North 
• I have to remember I curated my own fyp -minichickenquesadilla 

I’d like to leave you with my personal favorite comment underneath this possibly cursed TikTok. Bringing the hilarious chaotic energy that the video has, lmmy_kay commented: 

Girl same, I don’t think I’ll be the same either. This video was unexpected, but, also hilarious, especially when you go through the comments.

If you are looking to see Alan Rickman’s real-life, masterful performance as Severus Snape, you can stream all the Harry Potter movies with a Max subscription. 

It’s hard to not ponder the questions that surround “What if…” when it comes to Harry Potter, especially when thinking about the most heartbreaking deaths in the Wizarding World. For years, there have been alternate stories, posts and art made about endings fans have wished for, and now AI art has been made that reimagined the endings for characters like Snape, Fred Weasley and more. Let’s just say, I’m really in my feelings over this.  

When it comes to alternate endings for various Harry Potter characters, my mind immediately goes to the people who met tragic ends in the series. This AI art did too. Along with posting images on Instagram crafted by artificial intelligence that shows couples that could have been, they also noted people they wish would have survived. Check it out: 

Thinking back on the Harry Potter movies, I do find myself wishing and wondering about Snape and Fred specifically. 

I know one of Severus’ biggest and best moments is when he dies and we truly learn he wasn’t the villain all along. However, I’ve always dreamed about him living through that moment, and being able to explain his feelings for Lily to Harry. Luckily, this art gives us a fantastical glimpse at what could have been with Alan Rickman’s character, and I think I might need some tissues if I look at this happy and glowing image any longer.

Along the same lines, Fred Weasley living is something I wish could have happened. Fred and George were attached at the hip through the entire series, and the Weasley family was so close, so losing him hit everyone really hard, the audience included. Seeing this image of the twins laughing together brought up all the emotions, and it really makes me wish this beloved wizard had a happier ending. 

Hedwig living was another example of a desired outcome, and the creator added some references and images to the events that led to Harry becoming the chosen one too. Personally, I would have loved to see the alternate timeline where Remus Lupin raised The Boy Who Lived instead of the Dursleys. Another alternate flashback included Sirius forgiving his brother Regulus, which would have been a welcomed reconciliation. Overall, most of these images (with the exception of the couples like Harry and Hermione, which I’m not really on board for) show us an idyllic parallel reality of Harry Potter that I like thinking about. 

However, there is a reason Harry Potter is a classic, and every moment, both happy and sad, had to happen for the story to get to its ultimate ending. While we can only imagine alternate endings like these, we can always go back and relive the magic of the eight Harry Potter films with a Max subscription. 

On the 36th anniversary of the role that catapulted him to stardom, the late great Alan Rickman was honored with a Google Doodle. The Emmy award-winning actor, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer in January 2016, had already crossed his early forties when he played Vicomte de Valmont in the play Les Liaisons Dangereuses, which eventually led him to bag his debut film role as the villainous Hans Gruber (a part he originally wanted nothing to do with) in one of the best action movies of all time. Die Hard was a massive hit, almost instantaneously making the Galaxy Quest alum a global sensation. Harry Potter and Die Hard fans took to social media to share their thoughts, and most of them shared other cherished Rickman performances in response to the Doodle. You can take a look at the heartwarming Google drawing, which was created by artist Helene Lerou, below.

The Google Doodle sparked a conversation among fans of the performer, with many taking to Twitter to express their thoughts and feelings about Rickman's work. Playwright and screenwriter Melissa Leilani Larson said she got a little “misty” and who can blame her? 

Youtuber @LunaPhoebeQuinn thinks fans should check out the late actor’s part in a Kevin Smith comedy. I have to agree with the user. Rickman as the genitalless angel Metatron is a pretty great performance. 

One admirer with the username of @shithlord highlighted some of Rickman’s best period piece work. This is a fair recommendation because The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy performer's strong screen presence made him particularly suited for period dramas. 

On the day of remembrance of the actor, one user wrote that they can only think of the performer's turn in the comedy/drama Truly Madly Deeply. User @rentonifyable also included an adorable gif from the movie. 

Rickman fan and doctor @marklewismd mourned the actor's loss while also bringing awareness to Pancreatic cancer. Lewis pointed to the need for better treatment for the deadly disease that took the legendary actor far too soon. 

The actor's intense performances landed him numerous roles in both period dramas and contemporary ones. Besides portraying Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility and the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which were more in line with his breakthrough performance in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, he also excelled in comedic roles, such as the aforementioned Love Actually, Dogma, and Galaxy Quest. Though Alan Rickman was perfect for the tragic Severus Snape (see our 5 reasons) and the villainous Hans Gruber, there was seemingly no genre or character the actor couldn’t embody, which is why many longtime fans pointed to some other great performances of his that should they believe should be remembered. 

The Google Doodle honoring Alan Rickman was a touching tribute to a beloved actor who left a lasting impact on the entertainment industry. His performances in both Harry Potter and Die Hard continue to resonate with fans, but there are no shortages of great parts to choose from when determining Alan Rickman’s best roles. His legacy will undoubtedly live on for many years to come, especially since fans continue to celebrate his life and work.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all your movie and entertainment news. Also, make sure to check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to plan your next trip to the cinema. 

The Harry Potter franchise has been a vibrant part of pop culture for years now, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. But as the Wizarding World expands, the eight movies are absolutely beloved. A number of stars from the franchise have passed away over the years, including Snape actor Alan Rickman. And franchise star Daniel Radcliffe lovingly responded after seeing Rickman’s diary entries from their time on Harry Potter.

Alan Rickman passed away back in 2016 at the age of 69, with his generations of fans mourning that loss. Recently pages from his journals were published, in a book titled Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman. Some of these entries include complaints about time on the Harry Potter franchise, including the young cast. Daniel Radcliffe recently appeared on Watch What Happens Live, where host Andy Cohen asked his reaction. The 33 year-old actor responded sweetly, saying:

How heartwarming is that? It looks like Daniel Radcliffe was touched to read Alan Rickman’s accounting of their time together, both on and off of the Harry Potter sets. Even if that sometimes included a complaint about himself or his young co-stars. After all, the late actor was only human in the end.

Daniel Radcliffe’s comments come as he appeared on Watch What Happens Live alongside his co-star Evan Rachel Wood to promote their new movie Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Of course, his time also included some talk about Harry Potter and the Wizarding World, which he seems happy to do. Hey, it’s better than going over those rumors about him replacing Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. Since Madly, Deeply has been making headlines, host Andy Cohen was wise to get his two cents on the matter.

Alan Rickman had a long and celebrated career, with iconic roles in projects like Die Hard, Galaxy Quest, and Love Actually. But his name remains synonymous with his eight-movie run as the complex Professor Severus Snape in Harry Potter. And it’s for this reason that excerpts of his book revolving around the Wizarding World quickly went viral online. 

Daniel Radcliffe has spoken candidly about how much he learned and took away from working with the great adult actors of the Harry Potter franchise. In addition to lessons taught by the great Alan Rickman, he was also influenced greatly by the likes of Gary Oldman. He also admitted to having a crush on Helena Bonham Carter back in the day, with the two reuniting to film Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: return to Hogwarts. 

It’s currently unclear if the Fantastic Beasts franchise will have its final two installments, although Warner Bros. seems committed to more Harry Potter projects. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. As for Daniel Radcliffe, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is out now on the Roku channel. And he’s traded a wand for an accordion. 

There are popular franchises, and then there’s Harry Potter. The Wizarding World has entertained the public for decades, starting with J.K. Rowling’s novels and growing into an eight-film movie franchise, theme parks, and even stage plays. But the movies will always have a special place in fans’ hearts, partly thanks to the great performances given by the cast. Although there was a time when Harry Potter’s Alan Rickman was hit by “day-long melancholy” while working on The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Late actor Alan Rickman played Severus Snape to pitch perfection throughout the Harry Potter movies, being privy to his character’s true nature years before the books made it public knowledge. But that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have struggles during his years in Hogwarts. An excerpt from his journals (acquired by The Guardian) reveals that Rickman had some issues while filming the third movie in the franchise, The Prisoner of Azkaban. As the Die Hard icon mused,

Shot fired. Movie sets are a notoriously grueling place, and when it comes to a major franchise like Harry Potter, the stakes could not be higher. And sometimes those long hours and tricky material can make even the most experienced actor cranky. Case in point: Alan Rickman’s journal entry while filming the third movie in the Wizarding World.

Alan Rickman’s journal entry helps to show what it’s actually like working on a major blockbuster like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sometimes there are stressors involved, including long hours, language barriers, or issues with one’s co-star. Regarding the latter complaint, Rickman seemed to take umbrage with the diction of Hermione Granger actress Emma Watson. Of course, she was still a young child actor at the time of filming the threequel.

In the end, Alan Rickman starred in all eight of the Harry Potter movies as Severus Snape, giving a complex and heartbreaking performance in his last few appearances. And while he might have been melancholic for a day or two during his tenure as Hogwarts’ Potions Master, the cast and crew have universally praised their time with the late actor. 

Alan Rickman passed away in January of 2016 at the age of 69, with countless fans mourning him and celebrating his acclaimed work on the big screen. In the years that followed more icons from Harry Potter have passed away as well, most recently Hagrid actor Robbie Coltrane. Although their legacy lives forever with the generations of fans.

The Harry Potter franchise is currently streaming on Peacock. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Alan Rickman was a legendarily versatile stage and screen actor. He was comfortable slipping into the skin of slimy villains, as well as taking on comedic parts. The late star played the iconic terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard (a role he originally wanted nothing to do with) and Sheriff Nottingham in the gloriously campy Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. His sarcastic turn as the angel Metatron in Kevin Smith's Dogma is an example of him not being afraid to embrace any role and giving it his all. There is no shortage of excellent Rickman roles to watch. The world lost a great with his passing in 2016. Perhaps the actor's most iconic part may be his heartbreaking take on Severus Snape. A role Harry Potter fans took no time paying tribute to after his untimely passing at the age of 69 after a quiet battle with pancreatic cancer.

Thanks to the newly published Madly, Deeply: The Diary of Alan Rickman (a compilation of diaries the Harry Potter star began keeping in the 1990s), we are getting new insights into how the actor felt about his time on the Potter set. It appears Rickman was no fan of the original script of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and how Dumbledore's death scene was handled in particular–mainly that the scene lacked drama. 

According to extracts from the diaries shared by Insider, the Snape actor had this to say about Dumbledore's final scene: 

While the sixth book and film are often overlooked in people's ranking of all the Harry Potter films, The Half-Blood Prince is pivotal in revealing Severus' true nature. He was never the villain we are led to believe he is with his killing of Dumbledore–the clues are all there if you know where to look. 

The book version of Dumbledore's death is slightly different than the film version,  including a scene where Snape promises Draco Malfoy's mother that he will watch over her son-- a line Rickman fought to remove from the script. Rickman felt that the nature of book adaptations needing to deflate some of the narratives in large books for screenplay format, any dialogue between Snape and Malfoy's mother would muddy up the character's motivations for the audience and ruin the flow of the scene. 

Ultimately this is a brilliant choice and insight on Rickman's part. Famously, J.K. Rowling (the Harry Potter series author) shared Snape's real intent with Rickman years prior. The actor was keenly aware presenting Dumbledore's death in stark silence would be far more dramatic and a better setup for paying off the Snape reveal in the next installments of the franchise. 

If you want to see what else the late actor had to say about the last two decades of his career or his fellow actors (such as his critique of Emma Watson's acting), you can pick up Madly, Deeply: The Diary of Alan Rickman, which is available now from Canon Gate. All Harry Potter movies are currently available to stream with a Peacock subscription.

Tom Felton famously portrayed Draco Malfoy in the iconic Harry Potter film franchise. Draco is a troubled child of evil parents who often spends time with the villains of the series. As such, Felton had many scenes with legendary actor Alan Rickman, who portrayed the enigmatic Professor Snape in the films. While it certainly was an opportunity for a young actor like Felton to get to perform alongside Rickman, an iconic veteran of the stage and screen, one incident led to Rickman getting upset with Felton while shooting a scene in Harry Potter. So much so, the Die Hard alum dropped an F-Bomb. 

In a recent Instagram video, Felton promoted his new memoir Beyond the Wand which details different moments and memories from his acting career, including those from the Harry Potter films. Felton, nostalgic from his time with the franchise, shared a charming story about a moment with Alan Rickman. However, the story may not have been so charming at the time, as Felton revealed: 

I certainly understand why Rickman was upset with Felton, as it seems like everytime the young actor would step on Rickman’s cloak, it would nearly choke him. And Rickman in character as the daunting Severus Snape must’ve been incredibly intimidating, so it’s no wonder Tom Felton may have been spooked by the incident. He clearly was doing his best not to step on the cloak, however based on the framing of the scene, it must’ve been very difficult. 

Lots of stories about the veteran actor have been circulating, as Rickman's family recently published the diaries the actor kept throughout his life. Alan Rickman sadly passed away from cancer in 2016, but his memory lives on. His co-stars from the Potter films have been sharing stories about his sense of humor, and how generous he was giving acting advice to the child actors on the films. While it was recently revealed he was often frustrated working on the movies, there was clearly a lot of love there, and Rickman made a strong positive impact in their lives. 

Tom Felton clearly loves getting in touch with his Potter roots, I’m so happy he shared this story with us. He has said how much he loves answering fan questions about the films, and recently returned for the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, which is available now for HBO Max subscribers. The special was chock full of stories from behind the scenes of making the Harry Potter films, including the fact that Felton and Emma Watson had crushes on each other while filming. While nothing came out of this young budding romance, the cast visibly have a lot of lasting affection for each other. 

Tom Felton will certainly be sharing more stories like this one in Behind the Wand, which hits bookstore shelves on October 7th. You can also read Alan Rickman’s own recount of his experience filming the Harry Potter movies in Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman which is out now. In addition, fans can revisit both actors in the Harry Potter films, now streaming with a Peacock subscription.

The eight-film Harry Potter franchise is still very much connected with pop culture, as fans re-watch the fantasy series over and over again. While the young cast like Daniel Radcliffe grew up before our eyes, some stellar U.K. actors were hired to play the adults of the Wizarding World. Case in point: the late Alan Rickman who gave an outstanding performance as Snape. And it turns out that Rickman gave his co-star Jason Isaacs hilarious advice while filming Quidditch scenes. 

Jason Isaacs made his debut as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, appearing in a total of six movies throughout that original franchise. During that time he got to work with Alan Rickman, although he admits he was a bit intimidated by the Die Hard actor at first. Isaacs recently shared an A+ story about Rickman to The Guardian, specifically related to the Quidditch scene from Harry Potter 2. As he put it,

I mean, how can you not love this story? Despite Alan Rickman’s skill as an actor, it looks like he kept things simple when filming Quidditch scenes. Namely because they weren’t actually watching anything while filming scenes at Hogwarts’ pitch. All of that would be added in post, which is partly why Jason Isaacs was so desperate for advice from the late actor.

Jason Isaacs’ story about Alan Rickman showed what a great sense of humor the Love Actually actor had. It also peels back the curtain on what it’s really like working on a big project like a Harry Potter movie. Because while we get to see a finished product, sometimes actors are filming with green screens or sharing a scene with a tennis ball on a stick. The Wizarding World is full of effects that are added in post, Isaacs’ confusion has probably occurred before. Later in this same interview, the Patriot actor offered more about his interactions with Rickman, saying:

They say never to meet your idols, but it looks like things worked out pretty well when Jason Isaacs became co-workers and friends with Alan Rickman during the Harry Potter movies. And he’s just one of many people who have shared stories about his talent and humor since the legendary actor passed away back in 2016. Luckily his work continues to be watched and adored by the generations of Harry Potter fans out there.

As for Jason Isaacs, his movie Mrs. Parris goes to Paris is still in theaters, and he’s got a number of projects in the works. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Celebrity can be a blessing, and a curse. An up-and-coming actor trying to establish themselves in the business likely would love to have a signature role, something that turned them into a household name and led to higher-profile gigs. But the downside to an iconic role like that is that no matter where you go, or what you continue to do, you might have to answer questions about that character for the rest of your life. Here’s a quick example. While watching television recently, my wife and I saw a commercial for Mayim Bialik hosting the upcoming round of Celebrity Jeopardy. My wife referred to Bialik as Blossom. Always will. And for the late, great Alan Rickman, that signature role was Hans Gruber, the legendary villain of the original Die Hard. 

Alan Rickman kept a running diary of his work and play, jotting down notes that chart the progression of his professional acting career. A number of the notations shared recently by The Guardian cover Rickman’s commitment to and work on the Harry Potter franchise, where he memorably played Professor Severus Snape (and, according to the diaries, almost chose to quit the series). But as you scan through the entries, you eventually catch up with Rickman’s treatments for an aggressive form of prostate cancer – which eventually led to him having his prostate removed. This became known after the actor died in 2016, and it was during those treatments that Rickman apparently had to field a few Die Hard questions from his doctors. As Rickman noted:

Perhaps it was an effort to distract Alan Rickman from his cancer treatments. Or perhaps the doctors sincerely wanted to know how Rickman, Bruce Willis and director John McTiernan pulled off the magic trick that concludes one of the best action movies ever committed to film. Either way, it’s sweet that Rickman was still telling Die Hard stories in 2005, nearly 20 years after it changed the landscape of action blockbusters, and made Rickman a household name. 

Hans Gruber is, without question, one of Alan Rickman’s best roles. And the story that I heard about how and why the actor looks so surprised in the above scene is because McTiernan didn’t tell Rickman when he was going to drop him (in the harness to which he was attached), so the filmmaker captured a genuine look of surprise as gravity won out over Rickman. 

The Gruber name would return to the Die Hard franchise in the third installment, but no actor made as much of an impact on Die Hard as Rickman, so we understand why he endured inquiries about it throughout the length of his too-short life.

The Harry Potter movies wouldn’t have been as much of a resounding success as they were without the skills of the late Alan Rickman. As anyone with a Peacock subscription can tell you, part of the joys in revisiting those eight films is watching Professor Severus Snape act as both a help and a hindrance to young Harry’s adventures. Apparently, we almost didn’t get to see Rickman in later installments of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, as the actor considered quitting the series halfway through. His reasoning was solid, as part of the decision was due to him undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. 

Coinciding with the lead up to production on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the late actor’s diaries show that he was hesitant to continue Snape’s journey. Based on excerpts published by The Guardian, Alan Rickman’s decision came down to a single piece of wisdom and advice he was given: 

It was no secret that the acclaimed actor was frustrated with the Harry Potter saga from day one. Interestingly, he was once also reticent about Die Hard type casting him as a villain. Other diary entries highlighted in the source above had the star venting even more frustrations during the production of Goblet of Fire. Those concerns, and intense treatments for prostate cancer, would naturally lead anyone to potentially take their exit while they could.

Seeing Severus Snape’s story through to the end was the choice that Alan Rickman ultimately made though, and it’s not only because he felt a sense of duty to do so. Singled out as one of the only people J.K. Rowling trusted with knowledge of the future, the Harry Potter author told the man who would be Snape about some important developments, which ultimately fueled his performance. Rickman reinforced this fact in the following diary entry pertaining to reading Deathly Hallows upon release:

It's clear that he felt compelled to make Professor Severus Snape’s cinematic legacy his own, and the world was eventually blessed with Alan Rickman’s nuanced performance as a whole. By time Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II had been released in 2011, the performer saw himself give five more years to the legacy he’d helped create. It may not have always been easy, but Rickman enriched the lives of his co-stars, and his fans, by seeing it through. 

Fans who want to enjoy the totality of the Wizarding World streaming will have to be patient, given the current state of things. At the time of this writing, Harry Potter movies are all available on Peacock Premium; meanwhile the Fantastic Beasts saga is currently streaming on HBO Max. Keep that in mind as you clear your calendar, and prepare to return to Hogwarts and beyond in the near future.

The Harry Potter franchise has been a vital part of pop culture for decades, and shows no signs of slowing down. This is partly thanks to the beloved eight movies, which made the young cast into household names. The adult cast was also top notch, and we recently learned the great advice Alan Rickman gave Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and company as Harry Potter was ending.

Alan Rickman played Snape to pitch perfection throughout the Harry Potter movies, being privy to the character’s fate long before the public was. The younger stars seem to have treasured their time with the late actor, including Ron Weasley himself Rupert Grint. While appearing on the In The Envelope podcast, the Servant actor shared some advice that both he and Daniel Radcliffe took from Rickman about acting. As he put it,

Talk about good advice. While being a film actor is a slightly different craft, the dedication and immersion necessary to give a great theater performance has been known to benefit countless actors. So Alan Rickman wanted to make sure that Rupert Grint and company would flex those muscles as Harry Potter was ending its triumphant run in theaters.

That advice was definitely heard by both Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. As the latter actor mentions, he did a Broadway play shortly after wrapping Harry Potter. He starred in It’s Only a Play alongside legends like Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, and Stockard Channing. And he maintains that it was a helpful exercise as a performer.

Of course, Daniel Radcliffe also has done a number of high profile theatrical productions over the years. He infamously bore it all for the revival of Equus, while also appearing in the Broadway revival of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. So far Radcliffe has four Broadway credits to his name.

Later in that same podcast appearance Rupert Grint went on to share how Alan Rickman’s advice helps him to avoid corpsing on camera. Corpsing is also known as breaking, where actors laugh, smile or otherwise ruin a take. Apparently Rickman offered some advice on the subject, as Grint shared:

Rupert Grint likely has had to use that advice plenty of times, especially while starring in the Apple series Servant. The M. Night Shyamalan series pivots between comedy and horror, both of which might cause an actor to break aka corpse. 

Rupert Grint will once again collaborate with Shyamalan on his mysterious upcoming movie Knock at the Cabin. Although some fans are hoping he’ll eventually play Ron Weasley again in a Cursed Child movie. In the meantime check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

As a fan of the Harry Potter movies, I feel inclined to say that there are a lot of characters that deserve the spotlight on them for their amazing moments and big scenes that either make you scream, cry, cheer, or all of the above. And one of those characters for me is the famous Severus Snape, the man, the myth, the legend, played by the great Alan Rickman. 

However, with eight movies, and plenty of iconic moments, it might be hard to pick just one. Today, we are going to go over Snape’s biggest and best moments throughout the Harry Potter film series, starting from the beginning to the very end. 

When Snape Was Secretly Trying To Save Harry On The Quidditch Pitch (Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone)

While it was hinted at in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that Snape was a bit of a morally-gray character, that wasn’t necessarily revealed until the end of the film. When Quirrell was telling Harry all about his big-bad plan to get the Sorcerer’s Stone for Voldemort and trying to kill the boy, he revealed that during Harry’s first Quidditch game, Snape was the one who was trying to save Harry, not harm him. 

This was a huge change, considering the Golden Trio -- Harry, Ron and Hermione -- thought Snape was the one who was enchanting his broom to knock him off, showing that Snape, despite his biases against Harry, does genuinely care about the boy in some way. 

When Snape Kills The Snake During The Dueling Club (Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets)

Dueling is something that I feel was so underutilized in the Harry Potter series, but for the one scene we got of it in the movies, it was iconic in every way for Severus Snape. 

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry starts speaking to the snake that was summoned during the duel between him and Draco Malfoy, seemingly sending it in the direction of another student, Severus takes it upon himself to get rid of the snake after Gilderoy Lockhart fails to do so. 

It’s a quick moment, but the fact that Snape had thought so quickly to make sure that snake was gone so it didn’t harm an innocent child speaks volumes about his character. 

When Snape Tries To Protect The Trio From Werewolf-Lupin (Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban)

Personally, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my personal favorite Harry Potter film, from the time travel with the Time Turner to its fantastic music and scenery, but one moment I love from the film is Severus protecting the Golden Trio. 

It’s even better when you remember that Snape had followed them down to the Shrieking Shack moments before to confront both Lupin and Sirius and was then knocked out by Harry - he still makes an effort to keep the kids safe when Lupin turns into his werewolf form because he didn’t drink his potion that night. 

The Head-Shoves (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire)

You just have to love Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, from the combination of weird teenage feelings to the character of Cedric Diggory, there are many reasons to love the fourth Harry Potter film. But this one just makes me laugh every single time. 

Severus isn’t really even one of the highly featured characters of this film, with most of that going towards Harry and his competition of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but during this scene, when Harry and Ron are discussing the upcoming Yule Ball, Snape has just had enough of their crap and practically forces their heads back into their books to stop them from talking, smacking them several times. 

It’s just so funny and shows that this man has so much sass. I wish I could see it more.

When Snape Teaches Harry Occlumency (Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix)

I can see why Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is Daniel Radcliffe’s favorite movie out of the bunch, because there are fantastic moments like this. When Voldemort starts to see his way into Harry’s mind, it is decided that Snape is going to teach Harry occlumency, a way to block access to his mind from Voldemort. 

However, this ends up backfiring one night when Harry is able to break into Snape’s mind, and he sees a memory of James Potter (Harry’s father) and his friends bullying Snape as a teenager, revealing a big reason as to why Snape is so hard on Harry - due to the past biases he has with his father. 

It’s heartbreaking to witness, and even worse when Snape demands Harry get out afterwards. 

When Snape Kills Dumbledore (Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince)

Albus Dumbledore is a fantastic and complex character with a wild backstory that is sure to be explored in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, however, his end was certainly one of the memorable parts of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. 

In the climax of the film, when it is revealed that Draco was the one who was assigned to kill Dumbledore by Voldemort but he can not do it, Snape steps in, fulfilling his Unbreakable Vow that he made with Narcissa Malfoy. In just two words, one spell, he kills Dumbledore, who falls from the Astronomy Tower. It gnaws at your heartstrings and I’m pretty sure my eleven-year-old mind was crying her eyes out. 

And When It’s Revealed Snape Is The Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince)

Throughout the entirety of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry has been constantly learning new magic from a textbook that said it was property of the ‘half-blood prince.’ Throughout the story, we're left to wonder who exactly this person was, until it was revealed at the end that it was actually Snape who owned that book, years ago. 

Harry tries to use a spell he learned from the textbook on him as he is retreating with the other Death Eaters, Sectumsempra, but Snape easily combats the move and sends Harry flying to the ground, revealing that it was his own magic that Harry was learning to use. What a powerful moment and one that spoke volumes for Snape. It gives me shivers every time. 

Snape’s Final Moments (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2)

At this point, pretty much every fan thought that Snape was a villain. He killed Dumbledore, he hurt Harry, and ran away with the Death Eaters. However, his final moments of life in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 are telling for his character. When Voldemort confronts Snape as to why the Elder Wand is refusing to serve him, he believes that it was because Snape had been the one to kill Dumbledore. 

Thanks to how wands work, Voldemort believes he must kill Snape in order for the Elder wand to serve him, so he does so, having his pet snake, Nagini, do as he says and murdering the man. But afterwards, when the Golden Trio arrives and tries to find a way to help him, Snape instead gives Harry one of his memories, and the way he looks at Harry as he’s dying - oof, that look gets me every time. You can tell he’s thinking about Lily. Which leads me directly into my next and last moment. 

Snape’s Memories (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2)

Always. 

Come on, you cried too. It was during this moment we all collectively realized that Snape was, indeed, not a villain. After Snape passes away and Harry returns to the Pensieve in the headmaster’s office, he views the memory that Snape had given him, and it’s revealed that while Snape did hate Harry’s father, he loved his mother, Lily, always. 

After her death, he worked as a double agent against Voldemort and the Death Eaters in order to protect Harry from Voldemort. Harry also learned from the memories that Dumbledore was dying and they had planned for Snape to kill him.

It’s a bombshell of a moment, one that completely turns Snape’s character upside down as we knew it and made us all look at him in a different light. And now, I know for a fact that I can never listen to “Lily’s Theme” without crying ever again. 

What are some of your favorite Snape moments from the Harry Potter saga? Alan Rickman was certainly the best option out of everyone to play him, and his portrayal will forever be iconic.  

Among the most heartbreaking Hollywood deaths in recent memory was when Alan Rickman died at the age of 69 in 2016. The incredible talent, known portraying fan-favorite villain Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies, had been diagnose with cancer after suffering a minor stroke in the summer of 2015. Many of his colleagues have shared their fond memories of Rickman in the past and, now, his Wizarding World colleague, Timothy Spall, has shared his own impressions of the late actor. 

Timothy Spall played Peter Pettigrew/Wormtail in Prison of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, Half-Blood Prince and both the Deathly Hallows movies. The British actor recalled what it was like having Alan Rickman as a collaborator on set with these words: 

During his interview with Looper, Timothy Spall shared some sweet memories of the late Harry Potter actor, sharing that he was very different in real-life than his often menacing roles. Spall recalled Alan Rickman being “warm” and “genuinely kind.” And apparently, on days when he wasn’t working, he was practically holding tours for friends to show them the incredible Wizarding World sets. 

Prior to Potter, the late star was well known for playing Hans Gruber in Die Hard, another villain. And when it came to taking up the role of Severus Snape, he didn’t want to be typecast. In order to convince him of the role, J.K. Rowling actually confided in him about the character’s full arc and he took it on as a result. Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets director Chris Columbus recalled the actor making specific choices on set in the early films to go with the character’s full backstory, despite being the only one on set with this inside knowledge. 

Timothy Spall also got to work with Alan Rickman in Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street along with both of them sharing voice credits in Disney’s live-action Alice in Wonderland movies. When looking back his memories of the late actor, Spall also remembered a good memory of the time Rickman met his wife and mother-in-law and was “absolutely charming” with them. He called Rickman one of the “best actors of his time” and shared how grateful he was to work with him. These are memories he's sure to cherish for the rest of his life, and they also further solidify why fans adored the late performer in the first place.

The magical film franchise was recently revisited through the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, which paid tribute to Alan Rickman. If you haven’t already, you can check it out with an HBO Max subscription. 

The Harry Potter franchise has been entertaining audiences for decades. This started with J.K. Rowling’s beloved novels, before growing into movies, theme parks, and even Broadway plays. The cast of the eight-film franchise recently reunited to film HBO Max’s Harry Potter Reunion, which had a special ending that paid tribute to the late Alan Rickman.

A number of Harry Potter actors have passed away since the movies ended with The Deathly Hallows- Part 2. They are appropriately memorialized throughout Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, although Snape actor Alan Rickman got one special tribute at the very end of the special. Namely through his character’s heartbreaking line “always.”

Snape is one of the most fascinating characters in Harry Potter lore, originally seemingly like a villain before being revealed as the ultimate double agent and unrequited love of Lily Potter. A flashback shows him famously tells Dumbledore that he’ll “always” love her. And that same line reading by Rickman the last thing seen in Return to Hogwarts before the credits roll.

Ending Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts with “always” is an emotional way to end the HBO Max special, and pay one final tribute to the legendary Alan Rickman. The folks I watched the reunion with had an audible reaction to that final line, and smart money says that was the intention. After all, Rickman’s performance as Hogwarts' Potions Master has aged like fine wine.

Throughout the course of Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, a few members of the beloved cast mention how Alan Rickman was the only one who knew his character’s full story upon signing onto the film franchise. After all. J.K. Rowling’s books were still being released at the time. But Rickman got insider information, leading to his layered and moving performance throughout eight movies. As a reminder, you can check out the iconic “always” scene below,

Aside from paying tribute to Alan Rickman, ending Return to Hogwarts with “always” is also effective because it encapsulates how the generations of Harry Potter fans feels about the Wizarding World. Generations have been brought up on the magical franchise, with the OG Potterheads now grown and passing it down to their children. As such, we should expect more emotional reunions as the years go by.

Of course, some fans are holding out hope that the cast of the Harry Potter franchise might reunite on the big screen sometime down the line. Namely a film adaption of The Cursed Child, the stage plays which serve as sequels to the main franchise. But there aren’t currently any plans for a movie version, and it’s unclear if names like Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson would be interested in playing their characters again.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is streaming now on HBO Max. Be sure to check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

While there are many who still feel compelled to refute this (including its star, even), I still believe that Die Hard does count as a Christmas movie. It is set at the right time of year, features a soundtrack of wonderful holiday tunes, and it has a happy ending that reminds you it is also a love story. In fact, no matter what persecution I may face for it, I consider it my favorite Christmas movie of all time. 

What makes the 1988 critical and commercial hit about a New York cop (Bruce Willis) forced to singlehandedly stop deadly thieves who have taken corporate Christmas party guests hostage in an LA high-rise such a timeless holiday classic is that it does not necessarily need to be watched during the holidays. As a result, the Die Hard cast is one of the most beloved and recognizable ensembles in an action movie. What better time than now to take a look at what they have been up to lately?

Bruce Willis (John McClane)

Bruce Willis would return to play John McClane in four more Die Hard movies (as recently as 2013) and a DieHard batteries ad that aired in October 2020. The role of an average cop turned reluctant hero would launch the former Moonlighting star into a stunning action movie career that seems far from over. 

The star released seven titles in 2021 alone (such as Midnight in the Switchgrass, also starring Megan Fox) and there are even more upcoming Bruce Willis movies in the pipeline. For instance, a sequel to one of his latter 2021 films, Fortress, already has a sequel in the works, and he is set to reunite with with Cosmic Sin co-star, Frank Grillo, for A Good Day to Die (which has nothing to do with A Good Day to Die Hard, thankfully).

Bonnie Bedelia (Holly Gennaro McClane)

John McClane’s estranged wife, Holly - who has been going by her maiden name since she moved to Los Angeles to work at Nakatomi Plaza - was played in Die Hard and 1990’s Die Hard 2 by Bonnie Bedelia. Her biggest role prior to playing the female lead of the action movie was, arguably, the female lead of Salem’s Lot - the cult favorite horror miniseries based on the novel by Stephen King.

Some of Bedelia’s best-known work since Die Hard is joining the Parenthood cast as Camille Braverman, and later playing the mother-in-law of action star Kiefer Sutherland on Designated Survivor. Following her role on the Amazon Prime series Panic, she has a new Christmas movie in the works (Netflix’s The Noel Diary) and will star opposite Dennis Quaid and Scott Glenn in the baseball biopic The Hill.

Reginald VelJohnson (Sgt. Al Powell)

The only person on the ground and with a badge who is on John McClane’s side during the whole ordeal in Die Hard is Al Powell. This beloved fan favorite character, whom Reginald VelJohnson would play again in Die Hard 2 and in a Christmas episode of Chuck, is just one of many cops he has notably played throughout his career, starting with 1984’s Ghostbusters, as a jail guard. 

In 1989, VelJohnson became the lead of the Family Matters cast, Carl Winslow, and in Turner & Hooch he played David Sutton - whom he reprised on the Disney+ series remake, starring Josh Peck, in 2021. That same year, the actor returned as the voice of God on Adult Swim’s Lazor Wulf and also lent his voice to the Invincible cast as the principal of Reginald VelJohnson High School. How fitting.

De’voreaux White (Argyle)

Of course, there is one other person on the ground who has John McClane’s back (but does not have a badge) in Die Hard, and that is his friendly limo driver Argyle. De’voreaux White would return to this role (his most iconic cinematic character) when reuniting with Bruce Willis for the aforementioned DieHard batteries ad.

The action-packed commercial is actually the most recent credit for the actor, who had also appeared in the Carl Weathers-led thriller, Action Jackson, the same year as Die Hard and supposedly poked fun at the Argyle role previously, on a 2014 episode of Workaholics, in which he played an Uber driver. White is also known for debuting on an episode of The Jeffersons at 12, trying to rob Ray Charles’ music shop in 1980’s The Blues Brothers, for his recurring role on Little House on the Prairie, and playing Aristotle McKenzie on the original Head of Class, which was rebooted for HBO Max in 2021.

William Atherton (Richard Thornburg)

Among the many people on the ground who do prove to be a real thorn in John McClane’s side, we have TV reporter Richard Thornburg, whom William Atherton would also reprise to no less redemptive effect in Die Hard 2. In fact, the actor essentially made his living playing memorable movie jerks in the ‘80s, including Walter Peck in the original Ghostbusters, and Professor Jerry Hathaway in Real Genius, opposite Val Kilmer. 

Atherton’s penchant for villainy continued to follow him into the 21st Century, such as with his recurring role as Viceroy Berto Mercado on Syfy’s Defiance, but he did get to playing one of the few meritorious characters of the Netflix original thriller, Clinical, in 2017. His most recent acting credit, released the following year, was another film about average people reluctantly embroiled into a violent situation, called Bad Company (not to be confused with the 2002 Michael Bay film.

Hart Bochner (Harry Ellis)

Another despicable Die Hard character who does not make things any easier for John (or anyone else) while being a hostage himself, is Holly’s co-worker, Ellis. Absolutely nailing this role is Hart Bochner, who had previously appeared in 1984’s Supergirl movie as the titular hero’s human love interest. 

He would go on to also make a name for himself as a filmmaker, directing feature-length comedies in the 1990s like PCU and High School High and, later, episodes of NCIS: New Orleans - which, surprisingly, is not one of the many hit TV shows he has guest starred on in recent years. Bochner was recently cast on a thriller series led by scream queen Lin Shaye called Ellen, and will portray real-life entrepreneur Larry Ellison on The Dropout - Hulu’s miniseries biopic about Elizabeth Holmes - in 2022. 

Clarence Gilyard Jr. (Theo)

Another Die Hard cast veteran who would return for the aforementioned DieHard batteries ad was Clarence Gilyard as Hans Gruber’s most tech-savvy henchman, Theo. Of course, the actor is even better known as Chuck Norris’ onscreen partner, James Trivette, on Walker, Texas Ranger - which is actually one of a few cop shows the actor has starred on, including CHiPs and Matlock.

Since that action-packed battery commercial, Gilyard starred in another short thriller called The Legacy of a Spy, which is expected to come out in 2021. He is currently filming a made-for-TV drama called Eleanor’s Bench and has a film called The Driver in the works. 

Alexander Godunov (Karl Vreski)

Hans Gruber’s toughest and most vengeful henchman was easily Karl, played Alexander Godunov, who was a Russian ballet dancer before becoming an actor. His first non-balletic screen credit is the 1985 Harrison Ford film, Witness (a role he poked fun at in the 1994 Bruce Willis comedy North), followed by the hilarious 1986 cult classic The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. He would also star alongside fellow Die Hard cast member Robert Davi (Big Johnson) in the 1995 action thriller, The Zone, before his untimely death at the age of 45, which a physician ruled as “natural causes.”

James Shigeta (Joseph Takagi)

Another Die Hard cast member who is, unfortunately, no longer with us is James Shigeta, who led an impressive career in film and TV before playing Nakatomi President Joe Tagaki. His notable credits afterward include the voice of General Li in 1999’s Mulan (one of the best '90s movies on Disney+), and “Old Wanderer” on 2005 episodes of Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. His final acting credit was in the 2012 sex comedy, The People I’ve Slept With, before he passed away at the age of 85 due to pulmonary failure.

Paul Gleason (Dwayne T. Robinson)

Another Die Hard cast member famous for playing antagonistic characters in the 1980s is Paul Gleason, who was best known as the cunning Clarence Beaks in one of the best Eddie Murphy movies, Trading Places, and the ruthless Principal Vernon in 1985’s The Breakfast Club, before he was cast as the stubborn, absent-minded Deputy Chief Dwayne T. Robinson. 

His performance as Vernon would actually be what defined many of his latter career highlights, including National Lampoon’s Van Wilder starring Ryan Reynolds and Not Another Teen Movie, in which he appeared as Vernon again. However, Gleason did get to play a cop in his final acting credit - 2011’s The Passing, which came out five years after his death, which was due to mesothelioma, at the age of 67.

Alan Rickman (Hans Gruber)

Last, but certainly not least, we have Alan Rickman, who actually made his feature film debut as Hans Gruber - one of the best ‘80s movies' villains (or all-time best villains, even) - in Die Hard. The Golden Globe-winner would channel that same ominous energy into one of his more (otherwise) sympathetic, iconic, and widely beloved roles: Severus Snape in the Harry Potter movies. Fans of the magical franchise were especially mournful when Rickman died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 69 in 2016.

Last we heard, a planned prequel to Die Hard, called McClane, was cancelled following Disney’s merger with Fox. I don’t know about you, but I am very thankful for this, because I am pretty sure we already saw John McClane’s origin story as a reluctant hero in the first Die Hard. 

Besides, there is no better way to revisit Bruce Willis in action than by rewatching him and the rest of the Die Hard cast in the original film with your family around the holidays. At least, that’s my tradition. 

When most Harry Potter fans think of Severus Snape, Alan Rickman is the only image that comes to mind. For eight films, Rickman inhabited every word, action and reaction J.K. Rowling ever poured onto the page. Out of all the characters, the actor’s portrayal still holds a special place in their hearts. But Rickman almost didn’t take the role of Professor Snape. While fans might be surprised, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus revealed how the late actor’s role in Die Hard almost stopped him from bringing Snape to life.

It has been five years since Alan Rickman passed away from cancer. Despite starring in multiple films, Rickman left an impression on moviegoers as the complex Professor Severus Snape. Another iconic role in his repertoire was that of Hans Gruber in Die Hard. Playing such an iconic villain along with other hardboiled roles left the actor wary of the Harry Potter film series. Chris Columbus opened up to AV Club about how the late actor played hardball over dinner.

Playing such despised villains would leave any actor not wanting to play another iconic villain. At least, Alan Rickman wasn’t the only actor who needed some schmoozing. While it was an uphill battle to convince Rickman, Chris Columbus revealed what finally led to the late Harry Potter alum joining the cast.  

Well, Alan Rickman got to learn how Severus Snape’s arc played out before avid readers of the books did. If J.K. Rowling hadn’t stepped in, there’s no telling if Rickman would’ve been comfortable playing the beloved professor. Rowling revealing Snape’s fate influenced the actor’s portrayal while shooting the film series. This led to a full-circle moment for Chris Columbus years after helming Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Of course, Alan Rickman’s performance made sense to Columbus after reading the final Harry Potter book. It just proved how much of a thespian Rickman was to think that far ahead. The late actor wanted to make sure the readers received the portrayal they deserved. In doing so, Professor Snape was allowed to evolve through the popular film series. If you want to relive some of Rickman’s best Snape moments, you can stream the entire Harry Potter film series on HBO Max.

Hans Gruber wouldn’t break onto a list of all-time great movie villains. Not when the likes of Darth Vader, Hannibal Lecter and Lord Voldemort exist. But you DAMN well better select Gruber when you are singling out Alan Rickman’s greatest villainous role, and not the damn Sheriff of Nottingham, as this Twitter user dared to do.

On the one hand, this is a harmless poll meant to generate a conversation on social media. Which of these villains, played by Heath Ledger, Christoph Waltz, Alan Rickman and Anthony Hopkins would qualify as “the best”? It’s totally objective, completely dependent on one’s own opinion. And here’s mine: You can’t single out Alan Rickman, and not make the choice Hans Gruber, his brilliant villain from the action classic Die Hard.  

Director John McTiernan’s Die Hard isn’t Alan Rickman’s first role, but it definitely is the one that catapulted him to stardom. Seeing him match wits against blue-collar New York Cop John McClane (Bruce Willis, back when he really cared about the roles he accepted) was as thrilling as any of the action set pieces in the explosive action classic. There’s a reason why this simple verbal interaction tops almost every major fight scene or action beat in the entirety of Die Hard… even though the whole movie is flawless, from start to finish.

The other choices in the poll check out. Hannibal Lecter has to qualify as Sir Anthony Hopkins’ most iconic villain. Christoph Waltz might have Blofeld from the James Bond franchise to replace his Inglourious Basterds role, but I’ll allow that choice. And the late Heath Ledger won a posthumous Academy Award for playing the legendary DC villain The Joker opposite Christian Bale’s Batman in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.

So yeah, three-quarters of this poll nails it. But for the late Alan Rickman, they go with The Sheriff of Nottingham from Kevin Reynolds’ Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner. Which is… fine. But not correct. Rickman has so many amazing roles from which to choose. And some of them are even villainous. I almost would argue for Severus Snape, even though -- by the time we reach the end of the Harry Potter series -- his motivations prove to be protective and not hostile. But until that happens, Snape cuts a terrifying figure, and scared me more than the Sheriff of Nottingham.

So, with the choices given here, which of these four would you choose? And do you agree with me that Hans Gruber belongs in the Alan Rickman slot over the Sheriff? This seems cut-and-dried, but it’s Twitter, so rules of logic typically don’t apply.  

Harry Potter’s Matthew Lewis has come a long way since the storied film franchise ended back in 2011, having put in some strong performances over the past few years. One can imagine that Lewis has looked to veteran actors over the course of his career, and this was the case when it came to late co-star Alan Rickman. The accomplished actor has been gone for over five years now, but his legacy lives on. And Lewis recently recalled a sweet moment he shared with Rickman on the late actor's last day on the Harry Potter set.

Matthew Lewis seems to have had an interesting relationship with Alan Rickman. While the two shared the screen for over a decade, Lewis admitted to being too shy to really connect with the late actor until the last Harry Potter film. He spoke on his last day with Rickman on the set:

Hearing Matthew Lewis speak about his time with Alan Rickman is bittersweet and, admittedly, it's sad to hear him beat himself up for not connecting with Alan Rickman sooner. Still, it's nice to know Rickman gave Lewis some career advice, which was a wonderful way to cap off their time together.

During his interview on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast, Matthew Lewis cherished the small moment he shared with Alan Rickman. Lewis said about his brief time with his co-star:

One can only imagine what it's like to get advice from a performer as accomplished as Alan Rickman. The man was an absolute legend, having starred in films like Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Sweeney Todd on top of his perfect role as Severus Snape in Potter. Needless to say, Rickman built quite a legacy, one that Matthew Lewis clearly admired.

Aside from Alan Rickman’s keen advice, Matthew Lewis has been discussing information about his time filming the Harry Potter series. Despite loving his tenure as Neville Longbottom, the actor revealed some of the less glamorous parts of it, like wearing body padding and fake teeth during his teen years as the films continued. He's also revealed that he had a tough time getting out of the shadow of the franchise after it was over. Still, it wasn't without its perks, as Lewis even admitted to stealing a cool memento from the set of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

Matthew Lewis’ time on Harry Potter proved to be very fruitful for his current career, and it’s nice to know Lewis was able to conquer his fears and create a moment with Alan Rickman. As a result of his courage, he now has a memory that he'll likely hold on to for the rest of his life.

This year marks an entire decade since the cast of Harry Potter said goodbye to the Wizarding World with Deathly Hallows Part 2. The cast is getting older and moving to their own projects away from the franchise, but they’ll always be part of the Harry Potter family. With this, they have the memory of the late Severus Snape actor Alan Rickman in their thoughts, and fellow House Slytherin Tom Felton recently reflected on his first impressions of the late actor.

Recently, Tom Felton took over Peacock TV’s TikTok to watch the first Harry Potter movie with fans and answer questions about the making of the movie. During the livestream, Felton was asked what it was like working with Alan Rickman during Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and he offered his first impression of the late talent with these words:

Makes sense. We are talking about Die Hard’s Hans Gruber here. Alan Rickman definitely had an intimidating aura about him in the Harry Potter movies that must have come to life on set too. Felton expressed feeling a bit “terrified” by him in his younger years, but later he started to appreciate him and likely had much deeper conversations than an awkward "hello."

Alan Rickman is also quite well known for being a method actor, with other members of the young cast also expressing some intimidation from Severus Snape, including the film’s director, Chris Columbus. Rickman’s Snape has one of the most intriguing arcs in the Harry Potter series. The actor must have been a great mentor and figure to actors like Tom Felton on set, as the Draco star also remarked that working alongside him was a “real privilege.”

Tom Felton recently caught up with his Harry Potter “dad” Jason Isaacs, who hilariously called their house “Slotherin.” Isaacs, of course, played Lucius Malfoy and has since kept in touch with his movie son. Felton has been staying busy on the acting front, recently starring in Netflix’s A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting as the movie’s villain, and he has a number of dramas lined up for the near future.

Of course, the Harry Potter series won’t stay in the past foreve,r considering how massive of a property it is. We’ve heard word that HBO Max is in early development onf a TV show based in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. There's also the Fantastic Beasts franchise that's still underway and, during a recent studio meeting, WarnerMedia Chief Jason Kilar seemingly teased the arrival of more Harry Potter content in the near future.

But no matter where the movies (or rumored TV shows) go next, there will “always” be one Severus Snape, and that is Alan Rickman’s unforgettable adaptation of the character.

As of last Christmas, Galaxy Quest celebrated its 21st anniversary of irreverent science fiction comedy, with the Tim Allen-led ensemble comedy still holding up. Over the years, there’s been talk of both a cinematic and television continuation of the adventures of the NSEA Protector, a Star Trek-style ship brought into reality by an alien race mistaking a TV series as historical record. But sadly, the passing of fellow cast member Alan Rickman affected the production of a Galaxy Quest 2. Because as Allen recently revealed, Rickman's character plays a major part in the sequel.

The earliest word on Galaxy Quest 2 spans as far back as 2014, when an oral history on the original film yielded several interviews with the cast indicating that the script was written and ready to go. If it wasn’t for Alan Rickman’s passing in 2016, the project could have moved forward in one incarnation or another. However, as Tim Allen recounted to EW, Rickman’s absence is the greatest stumbling block, with the following details laying out the current plot of the potential sequel:

Tim Allen’s reasons for Galaxy Quest 2 not moving forward just yet line up with the knowledge that was previously revealed by Galaxy Quest cast member Sam Rockwell. With Amazon ready to go into production on the sequel in 2016, Alan Rickman’s passing in January of that same year was a moment of mourning that pressed the pause button on continuing the story of Rickman’s Dr. Lazarus and Tim Allen’s Peter Quincy Taggart. Though, as the Last Man Standing star pointed out, there’s always room for revising the current draft into a way forward.

When last we’d heard of where the Galaxy Quest TV series was going to go with the story, writer Paul Scheer described a hybrid model that introduced a new crew, while leaving the door open for the older crew to take part in the fun. The lack of movement on that TV spinoff, as well as the cinematic sequel, means there are a lot of adventures the NSEA Protector could have in the future. Tim Allen even suggested in his recent interview that with a creative sci-fi fix, the hope for a Galaxy Quest 2 still flickers on. It’s just a matter of whether or not the creative team feels a world without Alan Rickman’s character is worth bringing into production.

As it stands, the world of Galaxy Quest exists in that first film alone, but who knows what the future may bring? In any event, stay tuned to CinemaBlend for any future developments as they transpire.

Alan Rickman was one of those actors who was always worth watching on screen. While he made millions of fans as part of the Harry Potter franchise, the actor played many roles that fans grew to love, and now fans will get a real look at the man himself as his diaries are set to be turned into a book, and his widow could not be more thrilled.

Alan Rickman began keeping a diary in the 1990s with the express purpose that they would one day be published. The actor's career was in full swing by then, and so the diaries will give readers a look behind the scenes at the work the actor was doing. But as Alan Rickman's widow, Rima Horton, told The Guardian, they will actually give fans a great deal more. According to her, the diaries show who Alan Rickman was as a man, including his humor and his perspective on the work he was doing. Horton explains...

It's one thing to see a favorite actor on the screen but it's quite another to really get an idea of what was going on inside their head when they were creating that role. It6's interesting to know that Alan Rickman wrote a diary with an expectation that it would be published one day. On the one hand, you have to wonder if there were things that he didn't say because he knew other people would read the words. At the same time, if he was completely honest there's a potential for understanding that we just would not be able to have otherwise.

And almost certainly, because he wanted to see his diaries published, he's giving information that he believes is valuable, whether it's about himself, the performance he's working on, or whatever else. The diary should be instructive not simply as a look into the mind of Alan Rickman but potentially for anybody who wants to learn about his acting process.

The diaries cover the period from the early 1990s until his death in 2016, which means they'll cover the entire Harry Potter franchise, which by itself will likely make a lot of fans want to dive into this. The complete diaries actually cover 27 handwritten volumes, so they're being condensed into a single book. Still, there's the potential for more books if there turns out to be a lot of interest in this one.

Authors find inspiration in plenty of random places and, when it comes to the world of Harry Potter and the characters that inhabit it, J.K. Rowling is no different. In fact, one of the inspirations for a fan-favorite character was so random it took her a while to even realize that it had inspired her at all.

In the past couple of weeks, J.K. Rowling has been entertaining fans on Twitter by sharing anecdotes about how Harry Potter came to be. First, she dispelled some popular rumors about her inspiration for some of the novel’s most iconic settings and moments.

Then, she revealed -- with photographic evidence -- that one of the most notorious characters in the series was named after a sign she frequently went past:

It’s kind of funny to think that Severus Snape, easily one of the most significant characters in the entire Harry Potter universe, a character that fans have spent considerable time debating and dissecting down to the last detail, was named after a random sign. Especially since she didn’t even realize where she’d found the inspiration at first.

The bigger takeaway from a lot of J.K. Rowling’s recent revelations is that creating a story like Harry Potter maybe isn’t as magical as it might seem. Despite common fandom misconceptions, a lot of the impetus for the series was a lot more ordinary than we may have assumed. Or, as she told another fan -- a tour of the inspirations for Harry Potter would probably be pretty impossible:

At least we have The Wizarding World of Harry Potter to help us pretend, right? J.K. Rowling has found some pretty innovative ways of keeping the Harry Potter mythology alive, considering the fact that she finished writing the original series more than a decade ago. Some fans appreciate the fact that she regularly engages us by offering details about the world and creating new content. Others sometimes find it hard to reconcile the information she’s revealed with their original understanding of her stories. She’s also faced some backlash for expanding on some characters’ backstories, like Dumbledore, in a way that feels a bit haphazard.

Some might argue that J.K. Rowling is better off revealing more behind-the-scenes tidbits -- or just creating new works altogether -- than she is adding to the Harry Potter canon. After all, there’s less of a chance of her destroying the image that fans have of a character or a moment by revealing how she came up with it. Still, it’s her series, and she can choose to do what she will with it. For now, that means more of the prequel series, Fantastic Beasts -- and probably some more random facts, too.

All eight Harry Potter films are now available to stream on HBO Max.

Camila Cabello was just on camera the other day performing with Shawn Mendes for the One World Together At Home concert on network TV. I didn’t notice her bangs being too long, but they were kind of swept to the side for the event and Cabello says they’ve gotten so bad they make here “look like Snape.” Yes, the greasy-haired fan-favorite from the Harry Potter franchise.

No shots at Alan Rickman there, but while Professor Snape may have one of the most satisfying arcs in the Harry Potter movies, he’s certainly not known for having the best haircut or most fashionable look. Weird side bangs is obviously not the look Camila Cabello is going for -- or was before hair salons closed -- so she made a tough decision: She ultimately let her own mother cut her bangs. That some real pressure on her mother, who is probably the unsung hero of this story, just like Snape was in J.K. Rowling's stories.

It should be noted that Camila Cabello is not the first celebrity to embark on this sort of haircutting adventure. She joins the likes of Carson Daly and more, because for whatever the reason there is something highly watchable about celebrities trusting their loved ones with their hair. It’s engrossing, it’s harrowing, it’s usually a disaster. Right now it's basically a national pastime. Take a look.

This time around, she’s just messing with the bangs, so things could obviously be worse for Camila Cabello… and her mother too, given how much pressure is involved with haircuts as well as hair coloring these days. For everyone reading at home, please remember though: bangs are a choice!

Regardless, when it was finally all over, the bangs trim ended up being fine enough, although Cabello kept nit-picking at her mom's horizontal cuts. The good thing? Camila Cabello no longer resembles the well-known Harry Potter character and his awkward long side bangs. I do kind of see her point initially though.

Ultimately, there are worse things than Camila Cabello likening herself to a famous Harry Potter character. As for Alan Rickman, may he rest in peace, the actor probably knew Snape's haircut wasn't the most attractive, and intentionally. So, all's well that ends with a bangs trim and some love for your Momma.

Meanwhile, I did mention there have been some wild celebrity looks recently. If you haven't checked out Carson Daley or Armie Hammer yet, I definitely suggest that be your next task. What else do you have going on?

This poll is no longer available.

When J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter play The Cursed Child first hit the stage back in 2016, it was an especially tough year for fans of the series. Severus Snape actor Alan Rickman had earlier in the yeardied at the age of 69, making it a devastating time for the Wizarding World community.

As you can imagine, the loss was still fresh for the Harry Potter author, and she has now opened up about an emotional moment during rehearsals for The Cursed Child. Check it out:

The sad, yet very sweet anecdote was shared by J.K. Rowling on her Twitter after an Italian Harry Potter fan took the time to thank the author for the character of Severus Snape and convincing the late Alan Rickman to play him while she was watching a rerun of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on television.

The story is certainly enough to get fans all in our feels again about the memory of Alan Rickman and the iconic Severus Snape. Alongside his role of Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the actor will always be remembered for playing the Hogwarts professor, with Harry Potter, who spent most of the series at odds with Snape, eventually realizing that he was "the bravest man he ever knew."

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes place nineteen years after the events of The Deathly Hallows, but a time turner in play allowed the story to explore alternate scenarios within the events of the seven-book series. During the runtime of Cursed Child, Severus Snape makes an appearance in a timeline where he survives the Battle of Hogwarts instead of Harry Potter.

J.K. Rowling spent many years on the sets of Harry Potter movies, and when she saw a black wig and long robe, it’d be Alan Rickman underneath it all. It’s easy to imagine a different actor taking over the role for the play might have played mind tricks on the author.

Alan Rickman was one of the few actors in the Harry Potter franchise that J.K. Rowling actually disclosed information about his character before the storylines had been written. Rickman had often been typecast as the villain and he was growing weary of it. Rowling didn’t disclose everything she had in mind for Snape to Rickman, but she did tell him “what lies behind the word ‘always’” – the character’s famed line in the franchise.

J.K. Rowling allegedly just finished recovering from COVID-19, saying she had the symptoms, but was never tested. Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has also been victim to rumors of being the first celebrity with the virus. Rowling recently launched a website called Hogwarts At Home for quarantined fans, and an audiobook version of her collection of stories The Tales of Beedle the Bard came out last week.

Fantastic Beasts 3 is expected for a November 21, 2021 release date, but its planned shooting schedule has been delayed due to the coronavirus, along with many other movies. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more Harry Potter news.

Imagine your parents want you to sit down with them to watch one of their favorite ‘80s movies. Being a modern individual, you reluctantly agree, until one of the starring characters appears and you realize, Hey, I just saw that celebrity in a movie last week! Or imagine you are one of those parents wanting your kids to give an eighties movie a shot--what better way than to pick a movie that kicked off an a-lister's career?

From Tom Cruise to Tom Hanks, many of the biggest A-list celebrities of film and television today were also the biggest stars of the Regan-era. Indeed, witnessing the beginning of a lasting career in the spotlight is one of the greatest things about revisiting classic ‘80s movies.

Discover, or rediscover, these ‘80s movies with a few familiar faces. These are just a few films from that revolutionary decade that launched the careers of Hollywood’s best.

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Drew Barrymore)

Drew Barrymore has been a producer, director, and one of Charlie’s Angels. Her most often-referenced and widely celebrated work came when she was just seven years old and Steven Spielberg cast her as little Gertie in one of the most beloved ‘80s movies, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Steven Spielberg’s heartwarming sci-fi spectacle about the friendship between a young, lonely boy (Henry Thomas) and a lost alien became the highest-grossing film of 1982 and won four Academy Awards out of the nine it was nominated for. Since then, Drew Barrymore has become one of the few child stars to maintain her relevance.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Sean Penn)

Normally it is a slam dunk to refer to anything out of John Hughes’ filmography as the greatest that ‘80s high school movies had to offer. Amy Heckerling’s 1982 feature-length debut, from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, is one major exception to that claim.

Future two-time Academy Award-winning (Mystic River, Milk) actor and director Sean Penn is masterful in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Jeff Spicoli, a Southern California student with straight A’s in the subjects of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll. Fast Times, which was also a major turning point for stars like Phoebe Cates, Forest Whitaker, and a young Nicolas Cage (more on him later) is one of the most quotable, hilarious, and formerly rewound ‘80s movies.

Night Shift (Michael Keaton)

This does not sound like the premise of a film starring a future Batman or from the director of Oscar-winning masterpieces like Apollo 13, but here its goes: after a local pimp is brought to the morgue, late night attendants Chuck (Henry Winkler) and Bill (Michael Keaton) take a liking to one his prostitutes, Belinda (Shelley Long), and decide to help her and colleagues by turning the morgue into a brothel.

It was Michael Keaton’s scene-stealing performance as fast-talking, perverted-yet-charming Billy Blaze in 1982’s Night Shift, one of Ron Howard’s earliest directorial efforts, that made him one of Hollywood’s most sought after comedic actors, potentially later helping him nab iconic roles in hilarious ‘80s movies Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice. The Academy Award-nominee has since played a Spider-Man villain, led the cast of two Best Picture Oscar-winners in the past decade (Birdman, Spotlight), and is still considered by many to be the best actor to play Batman.

The Outsiders (Tom Cruise)

I could have picked just about any actor from Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s 1967 coming-of-age novel, as it features the likes of Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, and several other A-listers of ‘80s movies and beyond. However, the biggest living star from The Outsiders, undeniably, is Tom Cruise.

Tom Cruise plays the rambunctious Steve Randle in 1983’s The Outsiders, the tragic story of the young men who make up a pair of rival gangs in mid-1960s Oklahoma. Today, you may know Cruise as Jerry Maguire, Top Gun’s Maverick, and death-defying secret agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible franchise, but then he was just one of The Gang.

Valley Girl (Nicolas Cage)

There may not be a more definitive ‘80s movie than this modernized Romeo and Juliet story form 1983. Randy (Nicolas Cage) is an L.A. punk who bumps into Julie (Deborah Foreman), the movie’s titular “valley girl” at a party and spurs a romance with her, much to the chagrin of their shallow friends.

If dark thrillers like Face/Off or Mandy have caused you to forget that Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage is also a comedically talented actor, Valley Girl may be the right film to help remind you. Not to mention, the outlandish fashion choices and killer soundtrack, featuring Modern English’s “I Melt With You,” is sure to give you an invigorating ‘80s nostalgia trip.

BMX Bandits (Nicole Kidman)

Also an Academy Award winner, Australian native Nicole Kidman is an actress of nearly chameleonic talent, blending into her versatile roles almost effortlessly. Unless you refer to her debut in BMX Bandits, in which all of her biking stunts were clearly performed by an 18-year-old male in a wig. See for yourself in the video below:

This 1983 “ozploitation” comedy about three young BMX bike riders who get unwittingly entangled in a bank robbery has earned cult status over the decades for its over-the-top, lighthearted action, but more due to the fact that it stars a then 16-year-old Nicole Kidman. If you need a more convincing recommendation, Quentin Tarantino has referred to BMX Bandits as the Australian equivalent of this other kid-friendly ‘80s adventure:

The Goonies (Josh Brolin)

Of course, this leads to The Goonies. Josh Brolin has starred in some of the most respected films of the last few decades and has even wielded of the omnipotent Infinity Gauntlet as Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Still, the 51-year-old actor is proud to be a Goonie.

The star of No Country for Old Men made his feature film debut in 1985 as Brand, who reluctantly joins his little brother Mikey (Lord of the Rings’ Sean Astin) and his friends on a dangerous hunt for treasure, which greedy criminals are also looking to get their hands on. From executive producer Steven Spielberg, The Goonies is an iconic, family-friendly 1980s movie that remains a timeless classic for past and present generations.

Conan The Barbarian (Arnold Schwarzenegger)

Before he made a living off of governing the state of California, for some time, Arnold Schwarzenegger made a living off of his body. That is all the former Mr. Universe title holder needed to be cast as the hero of Conan the Barbarian.

Director John Milius’ 1982 fantasy epic, based on the short stories of 1930s pulp-fiction writer Robert E. Howard and co-written by Oliver Stone, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as a former slave who seeks vengeance for his parents’ murderer, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones). Conan the Barbarian became a hit which would later inspire a 2011 remake starring Jason Momoa and spawn a direct sequel in 1984, the same year that Schwarzenegger’s most iconic film was released, The Terminator.

Splash (Tom Hanks)

Perhaps Ron Howard is just a good luck charm for stars of ‘80s movies as many of the actors he has cast throughout the decade have gone onto tremendous success. Just ask Tom Hanks, who was already a hit on television with the sitcom Bosom Buddies, but made his first big “splash” with this 1984 romantic fantasy.

In Splash, Allen Bauer (Tom Hanks) is saved from drowning by Madison (Daryl Hannah), whom he instantly falls in love with, not realizing that she is really a mermaid. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, but, obviously, it would not be the last trip to the Oscars for Hanks.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Johnny Depp)

In 1984, we met Robert Englund's grotesque, unhinged, and unpredictable antagonist, Freddy Krueger and one of the most iconic horror franchises was born. However, as the casual horror fan may not realize, Wes Craven’s A Nightmare On Elm Street was also the beginning of a very prolific career.

Johnny Depp plays Glen Lantz, the boyfriend of Nancy Thompson (Heather Lengenkamp), a high school student terrorized in her dreams by the aforementioned boogeyman. Obviously, Depp's performance is not the most memorable, but if you ask any A Nightmare on Elm Street fan, his explosive death scene is the stuff of legend.

Weird Science (Robert Downey Jr.)

Before he was saving the world in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Iron Man, two-time Academy Award-nominee Robert Downey Jr., believe it or not, was a Saturday Night Live cast member from 1985-1986. Around the same time, he starred in his biggest film role to date as the high school equivalent of Thanos in Weird Science.

In what is easily John Hughes’ strangest and most uproarious comedy, lifelong losers Gary Wallace (Anthony Michael Hall) and Wyatt Donnelly (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) cannot catch a break in high school, thanks in part to a pair of bullies (Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Rusler). That is until Gary and Wyatt use their computer to magically create the perfect woman, Lisa (Kelly LeBrock), who also happens to be a genie who can make their wildest fantasies come true.

Empire of the Sun (Christian Bale)

If you ever wanted to see The Dark Knight’s Batman, Christian Bale, in a role that allows him to use his natural Welsch accent, you have to go way back. I mean, all the way back to his first introduction to America as a teenager in 1987.

In one of director Steven Spielberg’s more lighthearted films dealing with the subject of war (by comparison), Empire of the Sun, based on J.G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel, tells the story of a young, privileged English boy named James Graham (Christian Bale) and his struggle to survive in a confinement camp after he is separated from his parents following the Japanese invasion of Shanghai during World War II. The film is not without its heart wrenching moments, but also makes for a great family movie night.

Mystic Pizza (Julia Roberts)

Is it safe to call Julia Roberts America’s sweetheart, not just because she was in the movie America’s Sweethearts, but because of her unflinching charm in films like Pretty Woman, My Best Friend’s Wedding, or Ocean’s Eleven? The beginning of that charm was in a small town pizza parlor.

Mystic Pizza is about three young women (Julia Roberts, Lily Taylor, Annabeth Gish) learning harsh truths about love while working at a pizza place in Mystic, Connecticut. Fun fact: this was also the first movie of Matt Damon, who would later reunited with Roberts on screen in 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven.

Beetlejuice (Winona Ryder)

Winona Ryder has played characters of various time periods from the 15th century in The Crucible to the 24th century in Alien: Resurrection, but the best moments of her career are tied to the ‘80s (especially if you count Stranger Things), starting with this outrageous, visceral 1988 comedy of grim and ghostly proportions.

In Beetlejuice, which arguably set the tone for director Tim Burton’s following career, Winona Ryder plays Lydia, an oddball teen whose clueless parents (Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O’Hara) clash with the recently deceased owners of their new home (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis), who erroneously enlist the help of the vile, but hilarious, title character, played by Michael Keaton. That same year, Ryder starred in the lead role of another legendarily dark comedy, Heathers.

Die Hard (Alan Rickman)

Obviously, the star of the Die Hard franchise is Bruce Willis, but he was already well-known for the hit television series Moonlighting before 1988. The action movie is also famous, however, for being the first film of the late, great Alan Rickman.

Alan Rickman brilliantly plays Hans Gruber, a German thief who has no trouble getting violent to get what he wants, especially when New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) incidentally proves to be a real “fly in the ointment” for him. Before his untimely death in 2015, Rickman went on to several more iconic roles, such as in Galaxy Quest, Love Actually, and, most notably, Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise.

Any other stars of ‘80s movies you think are worth mentioning? Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple? John Cusack in Better Off Dead? Kevin Costner as a dead body in The Big Chill? Let's talk it out.

It’s been almost 20 years since the first movie adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World hit the big screen in the form of 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Since then, the fantasy franchise has spun seven sequels, a completely new film series called Fantastic Beasts, and a highly popular land in Universal Studios.

The phenomenon has been around for nearly a generation, and while the main cast of the classic series have had close to a decade to grow apart from with their iconic roles, it’s always magical to look back at what’s changed between their first trip to Hogwarts to today. There’s been a mix of glo ups, sad passings and exciting projects between the Harry Potter film family between then and now. Let’s take a look:

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Look how far little Harry has come since his humble beginnings living in the Cupboard Under the Stairs! The star wizard of the series scored his famous role when he was just eleven years old and he will always be best remembered as the boy who lived. His first Harry Potter follow-up was the 2012 horror flick The Woman in Black, but he’s also starred in the indie rom-com What If, the box office flop Victor Frankenstein alongside James McAvoy, the critically-acclaimed indie Swiss Army Man and the 'magical' Now You See Me sequel.

Radcliffe also lit up Broadway in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying revival, starred in a two-season television series with Jon Hamm called A Young Doctor’s Notebook & Other Stories, and currently stars in TBS mini-series Miracle Workers as a low-level angel trying to settle a bet with God (Steve Buscemi) and stop the destruction of Earth. The actor has dabbled in just about everything as he nears 30 this year and doesn’t seem to stop pushing the boundaries of his talent each time we see him. Maybe Wolverine next?

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Remember when an 11-year-old Rupert Grint saved all of Hogwarts as Ron Weasley in Sorcerer’s Stone thanks to some expert chess knowledge? Iconic. While the actor recently admitted that he almost called quits on the role after wrapping Goblet of Fire when fame took hold, he stuck it out and without regrets… but what has life been like since?

Rupert took on a few off-beat roles directly after Deathly Hallows Part 2, such as in the action-comedy Moonwalkers with Ron Perlman and the Shia LaBeouf lead drama Charlie Countryman. He’s recently found his place on television in Sick Note with fellow child star (and redhead) Lindsay Lohan, Crackle’s Snatch remake and as Inspector Crome in BBC’s The ABC Murders. The actor is also set to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming Apple show. The actor has kept with the much darker roles he’s drawn to without swinging deep back into the spotlight.

Emma Watson (Hermoine Granger)

For many, Emma Watson’s Hermoine Granger was the nerdy, overachieving bookworm we could finally relate to, so when the actress took on Belle for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast, it felt a bit like she was living in her glory days. In between, the 28-year-old Brit has also challenged herself as an actress, become an outspoken women’s rights activist and created her own feminist book club.

After saying goodbye to Hermoine, Watson took on some edgy roles for The Perks of Being a Wallflower, This is the End and The Bling Ring along with starring in thrillers such as Regression, Colonia and The Circle. Beauty and the Beast was by far her most successful Harry Potter follow-up, as it made over $1.2 billion worldwide. Watson is also gearing up to star in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women with Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep and Laura Dern. Raising your hand in class pays!

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)

Just about every young hero has a bratty bully to face, and Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy certainly fit that bill throughout the Harry Potter franchise. So what was the first role the actor book after a decade as the deplorable villain? You guessed it… another baddie in 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Since then, Tom Felton has earned acting credits in quite a few off-radar films with some big names such as Sebastian Stan, Taraji P. Henson, Oscar Isaac, Elizabeth Olsen and Gemma Chan. His most memorable new role is certainly as Julian Albert in CW’s The Flash in Season 3. The actor has recently floated to a new television show on YouTube TV’s new sci-fi show Origins. The spaceship-set series on the new streaming platform has seen some exciting success, so season 2 could be on the way!

Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)

Ron’s little sister and Harry Potter’s future wife has transformed from an adorable child actress to an all grown-up lady! While to most the actress hasn’t maintained the star status of her fellow Harry Potter stars, she has maintained active in the filmmaking community as an actress, screenwriter and director.

On screen, Bonnie Wright has starred in mainly made-for-television titles primarily geared for a family-friendly audience such as My Dad Is Scrooge, Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg? and A Christmas Carol. She made her debut writing/directorial project with Harry Potter co-star with David Thewlis (he played Remus Lupin) with a 2012 short film and has since developed a handful of other projects under her own Bon Bon Lumiere production company.

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)

Neville Longbottom may start off as a clumsy and laughable kid in Sorcerer’s Stone, but as the franchised progressed, the character became an important part of the team, as he destroyed the final Horcrux by slicing off Nagini’s head clean off. He saved them all! Actor Matthew Lewis became quite the viral sensation as he exited Harry Potter with an unexpected glo up. Yes, those two are the same person…

The 29-year-old actor has since mainly worked in British television shows such as The Syndicate, Bluestone 42 and Girlfriends, along with having a role in 2016 romance Me Before You. Lewis recently got married to Angela Jones, an event planner with Universal who he met at a Wizarding World event in Orlando. We’re not sure what’s next for Lewis other than being perfect and happy. I’d say that’s not a bad real-life ending for Neville!

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

For a character known as "He-who-must-not-be-named," Ralph Fiennes was certainly one of the biggest names in the Harry Potter franchise when he was cast as the main antagonist at the turn of the 21st century. Before taking on Voldemort, Fiennes was a two-time Oscar nominee for Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and The English Patient.

Between and after Harry Potter, the actor kept on keeping on with high-profile roles in The Hurt Locker, Skyfall, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and he had recent voice roles in Kubo and the Two Strings and as Alfred in The Lego Batman Movie. On paper, the iconic role is just one of his many roles (over 70 acting credits) and he’s nearly unrecognizable as the villain in any other movie. Next, Fiennes will be in The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle, the next Kingsman movie and Bond 25.

Richard Harris/Michael Gambon (Dumbledore)

Did you know two actors played Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films? Richard Harris first played the role in Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets before his 2002 passing, after the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia and diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease. Before playing Dumbledore, Harris had roles in quite a few of classics including 1967’s Camelot, Unforgiven and Gladiator.

Michael Gambon took over the role in 2004 and played Dumbledore until the final installment. He turned down the role of James Bond in 1970, though made a name for himself in his roles in The Singing Detective, as president Lyndon B. Johnson in Path to War and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. After playing Dumbledore, Gambon has been in a ton of projects – most notably as the voice of Uncle Pastuzo in the Paddington movies.

Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid)

The bear-huggable Harry Potter character was another accomplished Brit before Hagrid came to him as a famous comedian, with roles all over the map, such as Valentin Zukovsky, a character opposite Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond, and star of the three-season series Cracker.

After playing Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane took on a couple voice parts for Arthur Christmas and Brave and starred in a couple projects involving his Potter family co-stars: an adaptation of Great Expectations with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter, and the Hulu show National Treasure with Julie Walters, who we’ll get to. The 68-year-old actor is also nearly unrecognizable between his husky bearded look in the fantasy films and usually more clean-cut roles in recent years. Though his unmistaken unfamiliarity will stump the untrained eye.

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)

When Alan Rickman stepped into his Harry Potter role, he already had an extremely memorable role as Hans Gruber in 1988’s Die Hard – a Christmas classic. He also starred in Sense and Sensibility and Galaxy Quest. Rickman’s portrayal of Severus Snape is a beloved fan favorite and he offered some franchise highlights. During his time on Harry Potter, he played a part in Love Actually as the breaker of Emma Thompson’s heart and all of ours, starred in Sweeney Todd, Bottle Shock and the caterpillar in 2010’s Alice in Wonderland.

However, his time after the Harry Potter movies ended up being his final years. The actor played meaty roles such as Ronald Reagan in Lee Daniels’ The Butler and King Louis XIV in A Little Chaos among others before he died of pancreatic cancer in January 2016 at the age of 69. The actor certainly had an illustrious career, greatly defined by his time as Snape.

Maggie Smith (Minerva McGonagall)

When Dame Maggie Smith started playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in 2001, she was 67 years old and one of the most famous British actresses of her time. However, her Harry Potter role made her a household name among younger and newer audiences who may not have known about her otherwise.

When Maggie Smith hung up her pointed hat, she starred in even more movies (many of which, critically acclaimed), such as The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movies, Quartet, The Old Lady, The Lady in the Van and the highly acclaimed TV series Downton Abbey as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, whom she will reprise in a planned feature film to follow the television show. Retirement who? Maggie Smith’s star status has only grown since Harry Potter.

Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)

Here’s something crazy about Gary Oldman: while he was playing the father-figure to young Harry, Sirius Black he was also in the thick of playing Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The actor was one of the few who was simultaneously on two monumental franchises of the time and will also be remembered for playing these well-known pop culture characters.

Since, he earned two Best Actor nominations for Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, which he won the golden trophy for in 2018. He’s also starred in a few action flicks including RoboCop, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Among the masses, he is overwhelmingly known as Sirius Black, even though he has played many other memorable parts.

Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange)

Helena Bonham Carter was already defined by her dark roles in fantasy films (primarily from Tim Burton) such as Big Fish, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. So, when she joined Harry Potter in the second half of the franchise, she fit right in as key player, Bellatrix Lestrange. After Deathly Hallows Part 2, she has continued doing a bit of the same in movies such as Dark Shadows, Les Misérables and worked in Disney films The Lone Ranger, Cinderella and Alice Through the Looking Glass.

The actress recently starred in the female-fronted Ocean’s 8 as fashion designer Rose Weil in 2018 and will be taking over the role of Princess Margaret from Vanessa Kirby in the upcoming season of The Crown as Olivia Colman follows Claire Foy’s Queen Elizabeth in her middle-aged years.

Julie Walters (Molly Weasley)

What about the Weasley parents? Julie Walters, a.k.a. Molly Weasley is quite the accomplished actress and her fame has only grown since starring as a mother of wizards. She first really turned heads in 1983’s Educating Rita opposite Michael Caine, which earned the both of them Oscar nominations, before earning another nod for her role in Billy Elliot.

While she was doing Harry Potter, Walters starred in Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia! After the franchise was over, she joined Robbie Coltrane with a role as the Witch in Brave and on the Hulu show National Treasure, played Mrs. Bird in the Paddington movies and recently starred in Mary Poppins Returns as Ellen.

Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley)

To finish off this list of the talented main cast of the Harry Potter films, is the other half of the Weasley parents: Arthur Weasley, played by Mark Williams, who was best known for the BBC sketch comedy series The Fast Show for the six years before nabbing a role on the Harry Potter films.

After playing Mr. Weasley in just about every movie, the actor traded out his red hair and guest starred in Doctor Who in 2012 and then scored his own BBC television series Father Brown. The show, currently in its seventh season, is based on books by GK Chesterton about a Catholic priest who solves mysteries in the English countryside.

Oh, how the time turner… turns! Can you believe how the Hogwarts students have grown and adults have grown more distinguished? What do you think of these career shifts since for the actors, have you been following them or did they take you by surprise? Sound off in the comments below!

While Alan Rickman played numerous great roles in his career, to many he will always be thought of first and foremost as Severus Snape from the Harry Potter franchise. While the general impression has always been that he was very proud of the role that he played over eight films, some newly released letters show that the part wasn't without its frustrations for the actor. One letter, that was written to the actor by producer David Heyman, shows that Rickman's frustrations started as early as the second Harry Potter movie. Written in Heyman's letter...

The frustrations apparently continued from there and were still an issue during Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as the Independent reprints part of a letter Rickman himself wrote which is critical of director David Yates for the way Rickman felt he neglected Snape's storyline as unimportant in order to focus on teen audience appeal.

These remarks come from a collection of Alan Rickman's letters which were being made public before going up for auction. While these might be just a couple of minor cases where Alan Rickman expressed frustration at playing Professor Snape, they show another side to a performance which is generally praised as one of the highlights of the franchise. There were few indications that Rickman had these feelings, so they may have been minor in the grand scheme of things. Clearly, the comments by producer David Heyman are referencing some specific feelings that Rickman had expressed to him at some point previously.

It's not clear exactly what caused the occasional frustration, and it obviously wasn't important enough to become a bigger issue, but it's interesting nonetheless. Alan Rickman's comments about David Yates could point to a conflict between Rickman as an actor and the more commercial aspects of the Harry Potter franchise as a whole. What Rickman was looking for as an actor to help him create the best possible performance is just one piece of a larger machine at the higher levels. Ultimately, the Harry Potter movies need to please a massive fan base so it wouldn't be surprising if Rickman, or some of the other actors, felt like they were getting lost in the shuffle.

Ultimately, Alan Rickman made all eight movies and the fans love the part that he did create. If nothing else, doing so allowed him to treat himself and his friends well, since the part made him a lot of money, and there's certainly something to be said for that.

Hollywood is littered with actors who very nearly took on roles that ended up becoming iconic for other actors. Looking back on it, many find themselves disappointed that they made a "wrong" decision. Once upon a time, Tim Roth was originally offered the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise but he ended up turning it down. How does Roth feel about that now? The actor says that had he played the part, the role of Snape would have looked entirely different, but that he thinks the better man eventually got the role.

At this point, it's probably hard to imagine anybody other than Alan Rickman playing the role of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. Most of us probably picture the faces of the actors from the movies in our minds while reading the books now. However, as Tim Roth explained during a Reddit AMA, everything would be very different if he had decided to take the role. While most of us probably can't picture Roth in the role that Rickman performed, that's ok because Roth would have played the entire role very differently. Our entire view of Snape as a character would likely be very different today. The idea that it could have been better is difficult to wrestle with, but who knows? Maybe it would have been.

Instead of spending a decade working on Harry Potter movies, Tim Roth decided instead to make Planet of the Apes with Tim Burton, which, it has to be said, seems like a really bizarre decision in hindsight. To be fair, from comments Roth has made since, it sounds like the main thing he was actually interested in was working with Tim Burton, which is at least understandable.

However, while Roth may have made a less than exciting movie instead of getting involved in one of the biggest film franchises ever, he seems to have a pretty clear head about the whole thing. While he admits the steady work would have been nice, beyond that it's almost impossible to imagine life had he made the other decision. Literally everything would be different now if he had. As it stands, he appears to be happy with his life where it currently is, so he's fine with the role that got away.

It's been nearly 15 years since Love Actually hit theaters, and in that time the movie has become a holiday staple in plenty of homes. Recently, Liam Neeson revealed the movie we have come to know and love almost looked very different. In fact, he was originally up for the role that Alan Rickman eventually played in the movie rather than the role of Daniel that he took. Here's what ended up happening, according to Neeson.

Apparently, it wasn't Neeson's idea to take on the role of Harry, a besotted manager in a design agency who betrays his wife and buys another woman a necklace. That role was extremely emotional and eventually went to Alan Rickman, who has some very memorable scenes with Emma Thompson in the film. Liam Neeson told EW that he looked through the script and really wanted the gig of Daniel who is raising his stepson Sam by himself after the death of his wife, but at the time James Nesbitt had already been cast. Luckily, the spot opened up, and the much cuter role enabled Liam Neeson to work with then youngster Thomas Sangster. It was also far less heartbreaking than the role of Harry would have been. But it's worth a moment's thought to wonder what Liam Neeson would have been like in the role of Harry, as well as to wonder how James Nesbitt would have been opposite Thomas Sangster.

This wasn't the only instance of casting coming together rather strangely. In fact, Bill Nighy, Andrew Lincoln and Chiwetel Eijofer were all cast because they were in the same play together and people working on the film saw it. And reportedly, there was some question about whether Colin Firth and Hugh Grant should simply exchange roles on the set, which also would have changed things quite a bit, as Grant played the Prime Minister and Colin Firth played a writer who fell in love with a young woman while working in France. This movie really could have looked very different.

These days Liam Neeson is more known for action films than either playing super emotional roles or bumming around with a kid on set. But it's nice to see him in a movie like Love Actually, where he isn't spurting one-liners every few minutes. You can catch Liam Neeson in a slew of upcoming movies, including the announced Marlowe (about a detective) and the Deep Throat movie Felt.

When you think of must-watch Christmas movies, Love Actually most likely falls somewhere on that list. The 2003 movie is an annual re-watch for many people, a rom-com perfectly suited to the holidays. In honor of the Comic Relief charity event Red Nose Day, a mini-sequel of sorts will be making its way onto television with most of the huge cast returning to their roles. There are a few exceptions, however, and Emma Thompson will not be coming back. Thompson's character was married to Alan Rickman's and both she and director Richard Curtis felt that it was simply too soon after Rickman's passing.

In Love Actually, Emma Thompson played a woman named Karen, whose husband (Alan Rickman) begins pursuing another woman. Thompson's role was directly tied to Rickman, who sadly passed away last year from cancer. It'd be next to impossible to include Thompson without explaining Rickman's absence, and that was something no one was ready to do yet. As Emma Thompson told Reuters on the red carpet UK premiere of Beauty and The Beast (Thompson is playing Mrs. Potts), she had discussed coming back with Richard Curtis -- the writer and director of Love Actually who is returning for the sequel -- but both of them felt it would be too sad given Rickman's still recent passing.

While we all might prefer a complete reunion of the cast of Love Actually, we can all agree that this is the appropriate call. The 10-minute sequel is supposed to be for fun and one can hardly blame Curtis and Thompson for not wanting to broach what's still such a sad topic. It would have been nice to see what Karen's been up to since 2003, but there's nothing stopping one of the other characters in the sequel from giving a quick line about what she's doing these days.

There will be no shortage of characters available when Red Nose Day Actually rolls around; the cast includes Hugh Grant, Martine McCutcheon, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Colin Firth, Lucia Moniz, Olivia Olson, Bill Nighy, Marcus Brigstocke, and Rowan Atkinson. The sequel will be written and directed by Richard Curtis, who will once again weave a number of separate stories about love and romance together.

Red Nose Day Actually will air as part of the Red Nose Campaign, which uses a variety of comedy performances and sketches to spread awareness about children in poverty all over the world. We've gotten everything from a Game of Thrones musical to Margo Robbie in a bathtub, so you definitely won't want to miss the show when it airs on May 25 on NBC or, if you're in the U.K., a little earlier, thanks to the BBC premiere on March 24.