Alan Rickman dead: Daniel Radcliffe pays tribute

Daniel Radcliffe has joined J.K. Rowling in paying tribute to Alan Rickman, remembering the man who played Severus Snape to his Boy Who Lived in the eight Harry Potter films.

“Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with,” Radcliffe wrote Thursday on his Google Plus page. “He is also one of the [most loyal] and most supportive people I’ve ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I’m pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn’t have to do that. I know other people who’ve been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say ‘if you call Alan, it doesn’t matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he’s doing, he’ll get back to you within a day.’”

Radcliffe continued, “People create perceptions of actors based on the parts they played so it might surprise some people to learn that contrary to some of the sterner (or downright scary) characters he played, Alan was extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny. And certain things obviously became even funnier when delivered in his unmistakable double-bass.”

As a young actor on the Harry Potter set, Radcliffe added that Rickman was one of the first adults to treat him “like a peer rather than a child.”

“Working with him at such a formative age was incredibly important and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career,” he wrote. “Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.”

Rickman died Thursday at the age of 69. Head here for a look at his best roles.

Looking Back at Alan Rickman’s Life | PrettyFamous