Seductive. Magnetic. Transfixing. Transportive. These are just few of the words being used to describe Alan Rickman, who passed away in London this morning at the age of 69. To millions of people around the globe, Rickman is the one and only Severus Snape, and there’s no doubt the menacing and misunderstood potions master, which he played eight times across eight “Harry Potter” films, is his most recognizable and iconic role. But like every great thespian, Rickman has a career that spans over three decades and that is made up of more memorable performances that we can possible count.
As tributes being to pour in from across the Internet, Indiewire mourns the loss of Rickman with a list of some of his seminal performances now available to stream online. There’s no better way to honor the actor today than by sampling his diverse body of work, and hopefully streaming these titles below will remind you just how diverse this acting legend was.
Rest in peace, Mr. Rickman.
READ MORE: Actor Alan Rickman, ‘Harry Potter’ Films’ Severus Snape, Dies at 69
“A Little Chaos” (2015)
Rickman directs Kate Winslet in this delightful romantic drama, in which she plays the strong-willed and talented landscape designer Sabine, who is chosen to build one of the main gardens at the new palace at Versailles in the court of King Louis XIV (a perfectly royal Rickman). In her new position of power, she challenges gender and class barriers while also becoming professionally and romantically entangled with the landscape artist André Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts).
View on HBO Now, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces once again for this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s award-winning musical “Sweeney Todd.” Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, but its Rickman’s villainous Judge Turpin who steals the show with his gothic bravado.
View on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.
“The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”
Garth Jennings’ inventive adaptation of the Douglas Adams radio play gets an added dose of deadpan comedy and melancholy from Rickman, who completely steals the movie as the voice of Marvin, the Paranoid Android.
View on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.
“Galaxy Quest”
Rickman provides the biggest laughs in Dean Parisot’s “Galaxy Quest,” which is both a sly parody of the “Star Trek” franchise and a whip-smart satire of fanboy culture. Rickman plays Alexander Dane, a trained British actor who has come to resent the role and catchphrase that has made him internationally popular, one that so happens to be “Galaxy Quest’s” version of Spock.
View on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play
“Die Hard”
To one generation Rickman is Severus Snape, but to another he is the charismatic and menacing mastermind Hans Gruber, who leads a group of highly skilled criminals in a heist to rob a Los Angeles skyscraper. Gruber meets his match in Bruce Willis’ John McClaine, but rarely are villains as cooly enjoyable and scarily unpredictable as Gruber.
View on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.
“Something the Lord Made”
Rickman gives one of his best performances in this remarkable HBO drama about the intense relationship between cardiac pioneer Vivien Thomas and surgeon Alfred Blalock, the world famous doctor who pioneered modern heart surgery.
View on HBO NOW.
“Sense and Sensibility”
Ang Lee’s wonderful adaptation of the Jane Austen classic stars Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as two sisters — one pragmatic, the other overly emotional. While Rickman is regulated to a supporting role, his turn as Colonel Brandon allows him to shine in ways most of his performances never called for. The actor was known for his cunning grin, but here he exposes a genuine sweetness that lingers long after the credits begin to roll.
View it Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.
“Robin Hood: Prince of Theives”
Rickman was often typecast in villainous roles, but it was a testament to his skills as a performer that he could make each one seem so different from the next. His evil George, Sheriff of Nottingham, in this Kevin Costner-fronted “Robin Hood” is a dark comic delight, full of exaggerated theatricality that makes his madness all the more watchable.
View on iTunes and Amazon Instant Video.
“Love Actually”
Rickman is just one of the many talented actors in this star-studded ensemble classic, and in some ways he’s the primary antagonist of the piece since his philandering character ruins his marriage to Emma Thompson’s Karen. What’s so great about Rickman’s work here is just how unforgiving it is. Christmas movies rarely have irredeemable characters, but Rickman’s Harry is the rare exception, the actor isn’t afraid to go to unlikable lengths to make sure that our sympathies are firmly on Karen’s side.
View on iTunes, Amazon Instant Video and Google Play.
Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
