Alan Rickman Net Worth

Alan Rickman tragically passed away in 2016 at the age of 69 after a private battle with cancer. 

Over his decades-long acting career, Rickman starred in numerous popular films, including Die Hard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Sense and Sensibility, and the Harry Potter franchise. 

Originally a classically trained stage actor, Rickman successfully transitioned to Hollywood and became one of his generation’s most acclaimed character actors. With his distinctive voice and ability to portray complex villains, Rickman left an indelible mark on cinema before his death. 

In this article, we look at Rickman’s net worth and earnings over his prolific career on both stage and screen. 

Alan Rickman’s net worth, salary, and will for the family

Alan Rickman amassed an impressive net worth of $16 million over his acclaimed decades-long acting career. 

Starring in numerous popular films like Die Hard, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility, and Robin Hood, his on-screen work grossed an astounding total of $10.8 billion, making him the 20th highest-grossing movie star in history. 

While his per-film salaries were variable, the Harry Potter franchise contributed significantly to his wealth. 

Though his pay for playing Severus Snape across 8 Harry Potter films was not publicly disclosed, the series itself grossed $7.8 billion total – with the majority likely going to lead stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. 

Still, Rickman’s critical role likely earned him a sizable share. His earnings from non-Potter films totaled $3 billion.  

Alan Rickman tragically passed away at the age of 69 (Source: The Guardian)

Outside of acting, he also owned valuable real estate, including a $1 million loft in New York’s West Village, which was listed for $1.69 million after his death. 

In his will, the generous actor bequeathed £100,000 to be divided among several charities, including Saving Faces, International Performers Aid Trust, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and Sponsored Arts for Education. 

He left £25,000 each to his three nieces. Most of his estimated £4 million in British assets went to his wife, Rima Horton. Additional assets were held in the United States and Italy.

So, while taken too soon, he left behind a substantive financial legacy matching his creative one – providing lasting support for his wife and selected charities. 

His millions in net worth immortalize a life and career marked by memorable performances, critical acclaim, and philanthropic generosity.

Alan Rickman career summary

Rickman was a renowned British actor with a career spanning over 30 years across film, television, and theater. 

After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), Rickman worked extensively with experimental theater groups in productions of plays like The Seagull and The Grass Widow. 

His breakthrough role came in 1982 when he played the villainous Reverend Obadiah Slope in the BBC’s The Barchester Chronicles, which brought him wider notice.

In 1985, Rickman took on the lead role of the Vicomte de Valmont in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. His performance was critically acclaimed, earning Tony and Drama Desk award nominations when it transferred to Broadway in 1987. 

He debuted his feature film playing the iconic villain Hans Gruber opposite Bruce Willis in 1988’s action classic Die Hard. 

Alan Rickman in ‘Die Hard’ (Source: Koimoi)

Over the 1990s, Rickman defied typecasting as merely a villain, taking on diverse leading and supporting roles ranging from a romantic ghost in Truly Madly Deeply to Colonel Brandon in the hit adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. 

He continued working steadily in film, TV, and theater, directing projects like The Winter Guest in 1997 while appearing in popular movies like Galaxy Quest, Dogma, and the first Harry Potter. 

In the 2000s, Rickman further cemented his association with the Potter franchise, playing the complex Severus Snape across all eight films released between 2001 and 2011. 

Meanwhile, he continued acting in projects like Nobel Son, Sweeney Todd, Bottle Shock, and Alice in Wonderland, garnering award nominations and critical praise.  

Before he died in 2016, Rickman’s final projects included the Broadway play Seminar in 2011 and films like Gambit and Eye in the Sky, released posthumously. 

With over 100 acting credits reflecting his versatility and magnetism, Rickman built an illustrious body of work spanning comedies, dramas, thrillers, and fantasy.

Alan Rickman as Snape in the ‘Harry Potter’ series

Rickman’s casting as the grim, sharp-tongued Potions Master Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series was a masterstroke. 

Though cold, bitter, and bullying towards young Harry, Snape emerges throughout the saga as a profoundly complex and conflicted character whose loyalties and motivations remain shrouded in mystery until the climactic finale.

It is revealed that Snape was motivated by his unrequited lifelong love for Harry’s mother, Lily, with whom he fell in love as a child. Though he defects from Death Eaters, he continues to resent Harry for being the son of James, who bullied Snape in school and won Lily’s heart. 

This fuels his ill-treatment of The Boy Who Lived even as he protects him. Rickman was uniquely qualified to convey Snape’s complexity and hidden emotions.

Remarkably, Rickman was the only cast member to whom author J.K. Rowling confided the entire arc and future of Snape’s character from the very first film. 

This allowed Rickman to imbue even his earliest scenes with subtle hints of depth and truth to come to light eventually.

Critics and fans praised Rickman’s emotional depth and skill in revealing Snape’s motivations. Elizabeth Hand wrote Rickman gave the “most heartbreaking, surprising and satisfying” performance across the entire Potter canon. 

Through the icy veneer, Rickman injected Snape with a vulnerability and redemption that left audiences weeping at his true allegiances. 

Alan Rickman’s diaries were published as a book after his death

Rickman privately kept handwritten diaries for over 25 years with the intention that they would one day be published. 

After the acclaimed actor’s death from cancer, his 27 volumes of witty, candid thoughts spanning his explosive career were edited into the book Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman, which was released in 2022 by publisher Canongate.

Rickman began the diaries in the early 1990s when he was already a star of stage and screen. The diaries capture his sharp observations on acting, politics, friends, and behind-the-scenes stories from his films, including the Harry Potter franchise.

Alan Rickman on the cover of his book published posthumously (Source: The New York Times)

His widow, Rima Horton, selected Scottish book editor Alan Taylor to condense the voluminous journals into a singular book, describing it as “anecdotal, indiscreet, witty, gossipy and utterly candid.” 

The published diaries provide remarkable insight into Rickman’s life and mind, written chatty and intimate “as if speaking to a close friend.”

Fans get rare access to the real Rickman behind the camera – his critiques of peers, his commitment to Labor Party politics, his enduring partnership with his wife Horton, and little-known tales from his most famous sets and productions. 

The diaries bring Rickman’s sharp personality and observational skill to life, showing his devotion to craft and the arts.

Canongate publisher Simon Thorogood said Rickman fans “are in for a rare treat” getting to know the man behind enigmatic characters like Hans Gruber and Severus Snape. 

The book received great anticipation from audiences who missed Rickman’s singular screen presence and hoped to understand his private passions and creative drive.