Fellow actors pay glowing tributes to Alan Rickman

Actress Emma Thompson has led tributes to her Love Actually co-star Alan Rickman, who has died aged 69 after suffering from cancer.

The much-loved British actor first shot to stardom in 1988 when he played Bruce Willis’s adversary Hans Gruber in Die Hard, and he went on to gain a new generation of fans for his role as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films.

A family statement said: “The actor and director Alan Rickman has died from cancer at the age of 69. He was surrounded by family and friends.”