Just a few days after the death of David Bowie, another legendary British star has passed away. Actor Alan Rickman, best known for playing Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and the iconic villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard, has died after a fight with cancer. His illness had not been made public, making his death a shock to many. His final role on-screen will be providing the voice for Blue Caterpillar in the upcoming Alice in Wonderland sequel, Alice Through the Looking Glass. As it turns out, he was the same age as David Bowie when he died: just 69 years old.

Rickman got his start as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, appearing in several stage productions and BBC mini-series. He received a Tony Award nomination in 1987 which led to him being cast in Die Hard, marking the start of his Hollywood career. He then appeared in Truly Madly Deeply, Quigley Down Under, and played the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Some of his other credits included Sense and Sensibility, Galaxy Quest, Dogma, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Love Actually, but it is probably the Harry Potter series that he will ultimately be remembered for. What are your favourite Alan Rickman performances?