Actor Alan Rickman poses during a photocall for the movie Une Promesse, directed by Patrice Leconte, during the 70th Venice Film Festival in Venice in this September 4, 2013 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

A graduate of London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Rickman got his big break appearing the Broadway version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in the mid-1980s before making his first major film appearance as Hans Gruber in Die Hard soon afterwards.

That was to be the first of many performances as a villain, including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, for which he won a BAFTA, the British equivalent of an Oscar.

He also won a Golden Globe and an Emmy during his career and despite his reputation for playing the "baddie", he was also acclaimed for more sensitive roles in films such as Truly Madly Deeply, and Love, Actually.

Tributes poured in from fellow actors.

"Another dear friend gone ... Yippe Kaye aye dear chap. We will always have Nakatomi," Bruce Willis said on Twitter, referring to the Die Hard movie.