'Die Hard' and 'Harry Potter' Star Alan Rickman Dies at 69

One of cinema's most iconic stars of the past 30 years has died. Alan Rickman, who broke out with his first big-screen role as the villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard, passed away this morning at age 69. He'd reportedly been suffering from cancer.

The London-born Rickman got his start in the theater, was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and received a Tony Award nomination for his Broadway debut in 1987. From there, he went to Hollywood and played one of the most popular action-movie bad guys of all time opposite Bruce Willis.

After making a huge mark in Die Hard, he went on to play more villains in the movies. He played the Sheriff of Nottingham in 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and another underrated baddie in the Australian Western Quigley Down Under. Later, he portrayed the Judge Turpin in Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Although he showcased a knack for comedy in Dogma and Galaxy Quest as well as a softer side for films like Truly Madly Deeply and the criminally underseen Snow Cake, Rickman's greatest notoriety as a villain made him perfect for the part of the mean and dubiously aligned Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise.

This May, he will be heard reprising his role as the Blue Caterpillar in the Burton-produced sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass, which appears to be his final movie. The movies won't be the same without his talent and particularly his voice.

Watch some of his most memorable roles and performances below.

Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988)