Rich, sonorous, fruity, hypnotic... many adjectives have been deployed to describe the voice of Alan Rickman, writes BRIAN VINER.

The actor and director became a household name on the big screen after appearing to huge critical acclaim as Hans Gruber, Bruce Willis’s sardonic adversary, in Die Hard.

Alan Rickman, who died yesterday aged 69, recorded a voiceover for a Save the Children and Refugee Council joint charity appeal in what is thought to be one of his last ever pieces of work.

An album of evocative photographs showing Rickman's starting steps in the dramatic world has come to light after it was released by his alma mater, Latymer Upper School in West London.

As thespian friends pay tribute to the late Alan Rickman, a further poignant detail emerges. The star, pictured, was planning to buy a new house, writes SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE.

The star died yesterday at a London hospital, surrounded by friends and relatives including his wife Rima, after waging a secret fight with the illness.

A clip featuring late stars David Bowie and Alan Rickman in an episode of The Simpsons has resurfaced and has been posted online as a tribute.

In a 2011 interview the actor, who died last week aged 69, said author Rowling had given him a 'tiny, little, left of field' detail to help his portrayal of antihero Professor Severus Snape.

It features the Harry Potter and Robin Hood actor alongside glam rock legend David Bowie and rock star Lemmy Kilmister - all of whom have passed away from cancer within the space of three weeks.

His last work was lending his trademark dulcet tones to the character of the Blue Caterpillar in the sequel to 2010's Alice In Wonderland.

The musician and actor, who both passed away aged 69, will be honoured with screenings of their iconic films, The Man Who Fell To Earth and Sense And Sensibility at the event, in February.

She's worked with a range of esteemed actors during her long and varied career. And Helen Mirren was able to star alongside the late Alan Rickman in her new film - one of the last he made - Eye in the Sky.

It has been revealed that the Alan Rickman left £4million in his will including legacies of £100,000 to charity.

He left £100,000 to charity when he passed away to cancer in January. 

Director Richard Curtis revealed that the upcoming Love Actually Comic Relief special will not pay tribute to the late Alan Rickman, after he tragically passed away last year.

Getting drunk and embarrassing yourself used to be part of the Christmas party season job description but there has been an unwelcome crackdown festive fun and those days are over.

They’re young, female and very funny… Emily Hill meets the rising stars of British comedy

The actor, who died in 2016 aged 69 from pancreatic cancer, reveals his misgivings in his archive of personal papers covering more than 40 years on stage and screen.

Lynda La Plante's classic TV series Widows is set to be released as a movie in November. Now she wants Freddie Flintoff to play the role of Spencer Gibbs from series Prime Suspect in her next TV show.

Richard Curtis who wrote Four Weddings and a Funeral said at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in Gloucestershire that he had wanted Alan Rickman but was outvoted.

In 2003's Love Actually, cheating husband Harry - played by the late Alan Rickman - gifts his wife Karen (Emma Thompson) Jon Mitchell's album Both Sides Now which fans say is a mistake.

A study by Zhejiang University, China, found patients in the early stages of the disease have higher levels of two types of bacteria in their mouths, while another two bugs are notably lower.

The author, 54, made a touching tribute to the late star, who tragically died in 2016 of pancreatic cancer, when a Harry Potter fan gushed about his portrayal of Severus Snape in the film franchise.

EDDIE HEARN: The heavyweight world is total carnage right now. Tyson Fury did an incredible job to shake up the division last year but now he has done it again without even stepping inside the ropes.

EDDIE HEARN: You probably have seen the video of Dereck Chisora and Dillian Whyte going at each other. That's made us think very carefully about how put them face to face in the build up to their fight.

EDDIE HEARN: There is a fine line between hyping a fight and going against the codes of conduct of the sport. Dereck Chisora went too far and now there will be a British Boxing Board of Control meeting.

EDDIE HEARN: With just a fortnight to go until the biggest fight in British boxing history, Wladimir Klitschko has began to crank up the mind games ahead of his clash with Anthony Joshua.

EDDIE HEARN WRITES EXCLUSIVELY FOR SPORTSMAIL: Here we go. The moment of truth. I can't lie – every morning since Monday I have been waking up with butterflies in my stomach about this.

EDDIE HEARN: How about that, then? It’s one thing filling out Wembley Stadium and breaking box office records, but to do it with one of the best heavyweight fights ever seen was truly special.

EDDIE HEARN: We are making good progress and we know the fourth defence of his IBF world title and the first defence of his WBA crown will be against the IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.

EDDIE HEARN: This is the first time Aanthony Joshua has has had any disruptions during his camp and it hasn't been ideal. It's been a pretty long road to Saturday's showdown in Cardiff.

EDDIE HEARN: There’s been a lot of fun and games from Joseph Parker’s camp and they are doing a great job in driving up interest in a massive unification fight with Anthony Joshua.

EDDIE HEARN: Deontay Wilder had a very exciting dust-up with Luis Ortiz at the weekend. It was easily the biggest test of Wilder's career and credit to him for coming through it. In the seventh he was gone.

EDDIE HEARN: You are probably reading this column to find out what's next for Anthony Joshua - I can tell you there is only one fight on his mind - WBC champ Deontay Wilder.

EDDIE HEARN: Over here, we are thinking about what next for Tony Bellew. He has emerged as a real stand-out star of British boxing in the last few years.

EDDIE HEARN: The stage is set for a heavyweight war at the O2 this Saturday. It’s one neither fighter needed to take, one neither fighter should be taking but it’s the one they both wanted to take.

COLUMN: After the camp Joshua had, it was a great outcome. He had a back problem after about two weeks and eight weeks out it was 50-50 over whether he would even be able to fight.

EDDIE HEARN: I had written him off but that was a very impressive display. I had him winning by about two rounds but aside from how well he boxed, that really was an amazing recovery in the 12th.

EDDIE HEARN: I have had a lot of people asking for an update on Joshua and as ever a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes. We have made offers to the major heavyweight contenders.

Tom Daley, 25, walked with the push chair while he joined his husband Dustin Lance Black, 44, and son for a family stroll, in London on Sunday.

Elsa Hosk looked loved up with her man Tom Daley when they were spotted cosied together during in New York on Saturday. Elsa cuddled up to her boyfriend, while her beau gave her a loving kiss.

The pair looked every inch the happy couple as they attended the Romeo and Juliet gala night in London on Sunday.

The diver, 25, went for a 'spiritual meditation' experience at a waterfall and documented the day on his YouTube channel.

The catwalk Queen, 27, looked stunning in a white crop top as she posed with Tom Daley at the launch of Adidas LDN, the new flagship store opening on Oxford Street, London on Thursday.

The pair looked every inch the happy couple as they attended the Pride of Britain Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Monday.

SEBASTIAN SHAKESPEARE: Tom Daley's knitting hobby, which he took up to deal with self-isolation, is not going down too well with his husband, film producer Dustin Lance Black.

In a segment aired on 60 Minutes on Sunday night journalist Tara Brown defended her crew's involvement in the botched child abduction of Sally Faulkner's two child in Beirut, Lebanon.

Tara Brown was even supposed to board a getaway boat with three TV crew members following the abduction of Sally Faulkner's children in Beirut earlier this month.

The Brisbane mother at the centre of the 60 Minutes kidnapping attempt now has no contact with her children. Sally Faulkner's estranged husband has stopped all contact.

Adam Whittington's Gold Coast family has called on Channel Nine to front up the US$500,000 so Ali Elamine (pictured) will drop the kidnapping charges against him and three others.