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Alan was made a Companion by Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.
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Alan won the British Academy Award, Best Supporting Actor for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves in 1991.
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In Alan's opinion the best line he have ever uttered in his career was: "May you both live forever!" to two people who'd just trounced him.
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In April 2005 Alan directed a play called "My Name Is Rachel Corrie" at the Royal Court Theatre in London, and won the Theatre Goers' Choice Awards for best director.
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Alan was
J.K. Rowling's personal favorite to play Severus Snape in the
Harry Potter movies.
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His father passed away when Alan was only 8 years old.
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Alan is 6' 1" (1.85 m) tall.
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Alan worked as the writer and director of The Winter Guest (1997) and also directed the play Desperately Yours.
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For the Edinburgh Festival he appeared in the following plays: The Devil Is an A**, and Measure for Measure (also at the Birmingham, Royal National Theatre and European tour), and the Brothers Karamozov (in Russia and Georgia).
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For the Royal Court Alan appeared in the following plays: The Seagull, The Grass Widow, and The Lucky Chance.
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For the Royal Shakespeare Company Alan appeared in the following plays: The Tempest, Love's Labour's Lost, Antony and Cleopatra, Captain Swing, Troilus and Cressida, As You Like It, Mephisto, Les Liaisons Dangereuses (also at the West End and Broadway). For the Royal National Theatre he appeared in Antony and Cleopatra.
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Alan performed on Mike Oldfield's CD Tubular Bells II (1992), credited as the Master of Ceremonies under the pseudonym "A Strolling Player". Alan announced the various instruments which Oldfield introduces on track 7, "The Bell".
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Alan appeared in the videoclip "In Demand" by Texas (2000).
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Alan failed his California driving test at one point for "driving too cautiously through a green light".
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Alan says Canada is like a second home to him.
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Alan was active in raising funds for the Labour Party in the UK.
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Alan was voted #19 in Empire Magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50.
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For the shot where Hans Gruber falls from the top of the building in Die Hard (1988), Alan was actually dropped by a stuntman from a 20-foot high model onto an air bag. To get a genuine surprised look, the stunt man dropped him on the count of two instead of three.
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Alan was the original voice of Leonardo Leonardo in the 2000 cartoon based on Kevin Smith's film Clerks. (1994), but was replaced by Alec Baldwin, courtesy of ABC.
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When Alan was a child, he had a speech disability: his lower jaw was very tight, causing his words to be indistinctive and muffled.
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Alan was made the Vice-Chairman of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2003.
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Alan is the second of four children in his family. He has an older brother, a younger brother and a younger sister.
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Alan was given the role of Professor Severus Snape in
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) only after
Tim Roth backed out.
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Although a highly successful film actor, Alan has frequently passed up film offers to return to the theater, a place and activity which he calls "magical" and his "first love".
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Alan has been in a relationship with Rima Horton since 1965. The two have never married but have lived together since 1977.
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Alan ranked #59 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
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Alan was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#34), in 1995.