Written by Alan Rickman

 He was a marvelous actor and a most charming man. I had the extreme pleasure of interviewing the late, great Alan Rickman on my VH1 show back in the 80s. The network had been running spots that promoted rock star tour dates. I asked Rickman, "If you could be any rock star in performance for a concert, who would it be? With that wonderfully throaty, majestic voice of his, he immediately drawled "Tina Turner." And he was serious.

Rickman had this sweet down-to-earth quality. You'd not be surprised to see him on a London or Broadway stage performing the classics. And, yet, you should not have been surprised to see him sit next to you at the counter in a diner and order a chicken salad sandwich and a cup o' tea. That was the warm vibe he gave us in the VH1 studio that day.

There's a new book available titled MADLY, DEEPLY: the diaries of ALAN RICKMAN. The book has the actor's personal musings on acting, politics and life. It has a foreword by Emma Thompson. 

1988's DIE HARD put Rickman on our American entertainment radar. After that, he had film roles in ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY co-starring Emma Thompson, LOVE ACTUALLY also co-starring Emma Thompson, GALAXY QUEST and the HARRY POTTER movies.

I just wanted to mention my favorite Alan Rickman movie. It's a tender romantic comedy from 1990 called TRULY MADLY DEEPLY. It's rarely -- if ever -- shown on TV and it doesn't usually get listed in entertainment articles about his film career. However, this movie will touch your heart and make you laugh. If you liked GHOST, you will love TRULY MADLY DEEPLY. Alan Rickman plays the dead husband who appears to his widow. She's been in such a deep, immovable state of grief that she's unable to move on with her life. Here's a trailer.

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY is very original and beautifully played by everyone in it. If you were an Alan Rickman fan, and if you've never seen this film of his, please see if you can find it streaming somewhere. It's absolutely delightful. As was he.