Alan Rickman (1946–2016) was a British actor whose iconic portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films became legendary, blending menace, mystery, and heartbreaking depth. With his velvet voice and piercing gaze, Rickman transformed J.K. Rowling’s complex potions master—a character shrouded in moral ambiguity—into a cultural touchstone, revealing Snape’s tragic love for Lily Potter and his double-agent heroism only in the saga’s final moments. Rickman’s performance, guided by secret insights Rowling shared with him early on, elevated Snape from a seeming villain to one of literature’s most unforgettable antiheroes, leaving fans forever divided between "Always" and "Turn to page 394." Beyond Potter, Rickman’s career spanned Shakespearean theatre (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), blockbusters (Die Hard’s Hans Gruber), and whimsical roles (Galaxy Quest), but it’s Snape—a role he called "a gift"—that cemented his legacy as a master of layered, melancholic brilliance.