Alan Rickman: The Unauthorized Biography

Alan Rickman is that rarest of creatures: an internationally acclaimed Hollywood movie star, and an actor whose skills are praised by critics and cinemagoers alike. His performances are marked by brooding intensity and a languid yet menacing charm. With his glittering eyes and striking looks, Rickman's presence on stage or screen is truly unforgettable.Catapulted to stage stardom in Les Liaisons Dangereuses after more than ten years' hard work in theatre and television, Alan Rickman's face and distinctive drawl are now well-known around the world. In Die Hard and Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, his irresistible villains stole the movie, and a string of other films testify to his seemingly endless talents: Truly Madly, Deeply; An Awfully Big Adventure; and the sensationally successful Sense and Sensibility.From West London working-class roots to Hollywood stardom, Alan Rickman has come a long way: but now that this committed socialist finds himself working in the dream factory of capitalism, what has been the cost to his beliefs and ideals?Author Maureen Paton has talked to Rickman's friends and colleagues to build a perceptive portrait of this very private man. As she charts his career and hard-won success and explores his enigmatic personality, Alan Rickman's complex character is revealed more fully than ever before.