If there's one thing you can say about actor Alan Rickman, it's that every recent generation has their specific memory of him. For a lot of older adults, he'll always be Hans Gruber from 1988's Die Hard. Generation Y members will remember him as the Shakespearean actor-turned-sci-fi star of 2000's Galaxy Quest, or the sarcastic angel from 199's Dogma. And millennials will remember him indefinitely as the tortured Professor Snape of the Harry Potter movie series.

No matter how you remember him, today is a day of mourning for his fans. Rickman passed away after a battle with cancer at the age of 69.

Theatergoers will remember his extensive and incredible stage work. His breakout was his Tony-nominated performance in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (which was later remade into the Glenn Close movie Dangerous Liaisons.) He never won an Oscar for his film work, though he got the British equivalent -- the BAFTA -- for 1991's Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. He also nabbed an Emmy and a Golden Globe (both for Rasputin).

“Talent is an accident of genes, and a responsibility,” Rickman once said. He was one of the most refined and talented actors to grace the screen -- and he could play anything. He served his talent well, and he will be sorely missed.

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