Hans Gruber

Hans Gruber - the villain of Die Hard (1988) was played by Alan Rickman, a widely-beloved English actor (the later generation often knows him through his role as Severus Snape in Harry Potter).

Hans Gruber is a criminal mastermind and cunning thief from Germany, who held everyone hostage to take 640 million USD from the bearer bonds. However, his clever plans are foiled by the protagonist John McClane, who was involved in Hans' scheme by mistake.

Ever since his appearance, Hans Gruber has always been regarded as among the most iconic villains ever, often making his way into many lists of the greatest villains in action movies. It's also been considered the best role played by actor Alan Rickman. To be more specific, Empire Magazine ranked Hans at #17 on the list of "Greatest Characters of All Time"; he also landed in No 4 spot on Empire's compilation "Greatest Movie Villains" - only after Loki, Joker, and Darth Vader.

Due to Hans Gruber's immense popularity, Alan Rickman earned another villain role in the movie Robin Hood (1991), which was also highly praised by critics. As a result, he is often stereotyped by the audience as a guy who only plays villains, and that only changed when he took on the role of Severus Snape in Harry Potter.

Movie: Die Hard (1988)

Actor: Alan Rickman