Damn man, this one stings...He was a great actor. I loved Hans Gruber and Professor Snape (Grew up with those guys) I didnt even know he was sick
Hans Gruber got me interested, Rasputin got me hooked, and Alexander Dane (Galaxy Quest) cemented his versatility for me. I never got into Harry Potter or Robin Hood, but his casting in those roles were brilliant.
What I thought was really cool about Rickman is how you knew roughly what you were going to get out of him but the characters were so different. He put his own touches on each role but he didn't just play the same guy over and over again, like Schwarzenegger or Costner. A true character actor, and yes both Schwarzenegger and Costner did occasionally put a different touch on a character but Rickman did it with every role.
You can add Jason Bateman in that club as far as the more recent actors go. Always the same sad-sack, beaten by the man, insecure character. Drives me nuts lol
He does the voice for the robot (sorry, I forgot it's name) in Hitchikers guide to the Galaxy. It is a wonderful voice acting job too..... RIP Alan Rickman. You will be missed!