What is the name of the actor who played Severus Snape?

The actor who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter film series was Alan Rickman. Rickman portrayed the Hogwarts Potions professor in all eight films, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001 to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011.

Rickman was an English actor with a long theatre and film career before joining Harry Potter. He had already become internationally known as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and had received acclaim for roles in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Sense and Sensibility, Michael Collins, Love Actually and Sweeney Todd. His controlled voice and imposing presence made him a distinctive Snape.

A common mix-up is that other actors played younger versions of Snape in brief flashbacks: Alec Hopkins played teenage Snape, while Benedict Clarke played him as a child. Rickman, however, played the adult version throughout the main film story. Rowling also told Rickman important information about Snape’s character before the books had revealed it.