His Name: Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman

I am greatly saddened by the news of the passing of Alan Rickman. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a bit of an Anglophile. I love theater, and the art of acting. My favorite actor.... Alan Rickman. There was a quiet Brilliance in his work that changed the way we look at villains today. He was a storyteller, a true artist, and a down to earth person. I had the supreme pleasure of meeting him in 2004 when I was in the B.A.D.A. (British American Drama Academy) studying abroad in the UK. When I found out we were going to meet him, I think I stopped breathing for a minute. I had just bought a picture of him from his days at the Royal Shakespeare Company while I was in Stratford upon Avon. My friend Hiro had to listen to me blab for three days about Alan Rickman. I would drone on and on about how other students only knew him as Professor Snape from the Harry Potter Movies.... blah blah blah. Let me step back in time for just a moment. I became aware of Alan Rickman like most people in movies like Die Hard as the villain Hans Gruber, and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves as the Sheriff. However, as an actor I discovered his true brilliance in one line in the 1995 movie Sense and Sensiblity, which was directed by Ang Lee. In the line "Give me an occupation, Miss Dashwood, or I shall run mad." it was as if he wasn't acting, but telling his characters truth. This one line lead me down an Alan Rickman rabbit hole i which I found the independent film Closet Land (1991) The entire movie is set in one place and there are only two people in the entire movie.  Madeleine Stowe and Alan Rickman held this movie together with strong character portrayals and storytelling. It is a brilliant lesson in storytelling for any actor. So, I looked at meeting him, like meeting royalty. However, when the time came I found him to be so utterly human, and so wonderfully himself. When it came time for autographs I sat frozen in my seat. I did not want to be one of the ones who took a piece of him for his fame. I was content with the memory of the wisdom he had given me. But, my friend Hiro said I owed him for him listening to me talk constantly about Alan Rickman for the the three days prior. So, I walked about three feet away from him in a crowd of people staring at the picture I had bought. I suddenly heard a deep voice say, "Well, I haven't seen that in quite sometime." he smiled the warmest smile and laughed. He took the picture from my hand and asked my name. He signed that photo even though I didn't ask him to. He made me feel special in a crowd of people. I was happy with that. Later my friend Hiro pulled me to the side and presented me with a glass. In the commotion of autograph signing he had take the glass that Alan Rickman drank from, and presented it to me as the greatest gift. I laughed so hard. I didn't need that, but the gesture was so wonderful it filled my heart that day. Tragically the glass never made it back to the States. But, this memory is what I am left with today. A supreme feeling of joy and gratitude that I had this moment in time. There is a deep feeling of sadness that I feel also. My condolences to his wife Rima who had been with him longer than I have been alive. Rest in Eternal Peace.