"Talent is an accident of genes, and a responsibility."

Tributes and condolences have poured in today after the sad death of acting great Alan Rickman. Aged 69 – the same age as the much-missed David Bowie – he leaves behind a legacy in British theatre, and over 40 international movies. But he also had a hard-earned reputation as the best baddie in the business.

Ever since his first role playing Tybalt, the bad-tempered antagonist in a TV adaptation of Romeo & Juliet in 1978, Rickman was never more at home than when playing the arch, sneering villain of the piece. And here are his six most memorably evil moments…

1. HANS GRUBER – Die Hard (1988)

Rickman was hired after director John McTiernan attended a performance of the play Dangerous Liaisons, in which Alan Rickman played the evil Vicomte de Valmont. Leading to, aged 41, his feature film debut. But hey - what a debut. 

Smirking, ruthless and almost constantly annoyed, his role as terrorist/robber Hans Gruber was as career-launching as Bruce Willis's John McClane. And this despite his natural aversion to guns – he visibly winces when he shoots Takagi in the boardroom. Bonus fact: the scene in which Gruber and McClane meet was inserted into the script after McTiernan noticed that Rickman was great at mimicking American accents.

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2. SHERIFF GEORGE OF NOTTINGHAM – Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

"That's it then. Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings. And call off Christmas!"

Rickman actually turned down the role twice – until he was assured he could pretty much do what he liked with the character. Leading to one of the most memorable baddies of the 1990s: a spitting, fuming, pantomime despot that entirely eclipsed Kevin Costner's wussy American-accented Robin Hood. So much so, in fact, that Costner was rumoured to request some of Alan Rickman's scenes cut when he realised just how much his co-star was upstaging him.

3. ALEXANDER DANE – Galaxy Quest (1999)

Ok, so he's not quite a "baddie" in this Star Trek parody – but Rickman is deliciously grumpy throughout. That's because he's effectively playing himself: a Shakespearean actor who miserably resents being typecast forever more as a villain. In this case, Dr. Lazarus of Tev'Meck, a member of the "Mak'tar" alien race renowned for... oh who cares. Just remember the moment his shoulders sag, his face slumps, and he dutifully mutters his hated catchphrase: "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged."

4. PROFESSOR SEVERUS SNAPE – Harry Potter series (2001 - 2011)

It's testament to Rickman's knack for sneery bastardry that when it came to adapting her books for screen in 2001, Harry Potter author JK Rowling wanted no-one else. It had to be the British actor in the role of the creepy Severus Snape, who's hostile to young wizard Harry from the moment he arrives at Hogwarts. Over the course of the franchise, Snape is revealed to be a more complex, complicated character than previously thought. Alan handles it all with typical aplomb.

5. HARRY – Love Actually (2003)

Starring opposite Emma Thompson as the adulterous managing director of a design agency, Rickman is such a convincing bastard as Harry that he probably couldn't walk down the street for months after the film's 2003 release without getting thumped with handbags by angry viewers. Harry's been married to Thompson's Karen for years, but begins an affair with his secretary Mia that casts a shadow over the couple's Christmas.

6. JUDGE TURPIN – Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2008)

It's a supporting role Rickman plays in this Tim Burton spin on the legend of Sweeney Todd, but he still packs plenty of unpleasantry into his little screen time. Turpin essentially ruined Todd's life, so while it's tempting to call Johnny Depp's murderous hairdresser the villain of the piece, it's Rickman's character who sent him on that spiral into darkness. A nasty piece of work, played with skilful surliness as only Alan knew how.