Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born to Irish and Welsh parents on February 21, 1946. He attended the Royal College of Art; he wanted to be a graphic artist. At age 26, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art where he spent three years. He first came to America's attention in the theatrical version of "Dangerous Liaisons". His first major film was Die Hard (1988), where he was cast as "Hans Gruber". (IMDb)