Alan Rickman

Born to Irish and Welsh parents in London on Feb. 21, 1946, Alan Rickman aspired to a career in graphic design and attended the Royal College of Art before winning an acting scholarship at age 26 to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

After years of stage work, Rickman made his American film debut in 1988 as the villainous Hans Gruber opposite Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Adept at playing "the heavy" in movies, Rickman has gone on to etch memorable roles in Quigley Down Under, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and the Harry Potter films.

The classically trained actor can also play comedy -- most memorably as Kevin Kline's eccentric painter friend in The January Man.

Eye in the Sky

2015 R

Leading an operation to nab a terrorist and her collaborators in Kenya, Col. Katherine Powell ends up in a political and moral quagmire as the mission changes and a drone strike is ordered, putting a young girl at risk of becoming collateral damage.