Alan Rickman, beloved British actor, died at the age of 69 on Jan. 14.

Rickman passed away after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He leaves behind his wife Rima Horton and many mourning fans and colleagues.

The actor was best known for his roles as the intimidating Professor Severus Snape in the “Harry Potter” series, and the evil Hans Gruber in “Die Hard.”

Actors, writers and directors took to Twitter and other social media outlets to express their condolences publicly and all had kind words to say about not only Rickman’s work, but his character on and off the job.

J.K Rowling, author of the “Harry Potter” novels, reached out on Twitter. “There are no words to express how shocked and devastated I am to hear of Alan Rickman’s death,” Rowling said. “He was a magnificent actor & a wonderful man.”

Emma Thompson, who appeared in three films with Rickman, also wrote about the beloved actor.

“What I remember most in this moment of painful leave-taking is his humour, intelligence, wisdom and kindness,” she said in a statement.

“He was, above all things, a rare and unique human being and we shall not see his like again.” she said.

Rickman received his first role as the villain in “Die Hard” just two days after he arrived in Los Angeles from England; he almost did not even take the role. However, it’s a good thing he did, as his performance in the film is one of the most memorable of his career.

He continued to have success, as seen in 1997, when Rickman won a Golden Globe award for best actor in the HBO biopic “Rasputin.”

Rickman was always grateful for the roles he received over his somewhat short career. When speaking about the “Harry Potter” films, Rickman said that at the time he was asked to play Severus Snape, only three books had been written and Rowling convinced him that Snape was more than just a rigid professor.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times in 2011, Rickman was asked about why he usually chooses villainous roles. “I don’t see them any of them as one word,” Rickman said of his roles. ”It doesn’t matter what I’m playing, it’s not one word, and I think any actor would say the same.”

When asked about Alan Rickman’s passing, student Monica Gioello said, “It’s very sad. He was a great actor and seemed like a very nice man. He touched the lives of so many people as Snape, and he will always be remembered.”

Movie-goers still have something to look forward from the late actor; Rickman did voice work for the anticipated film “Alice Through the Looking Glass” and his film, “Eye in the Sky” about drone warfare in Kenya is set to release this March.

Whether you know him from Harry Potter, or loved his acting in Die Hard, there is some advice from Alan Rickman that almost all students can identify with, “I do take my work seriously. And the way to do that is not to take yourself too seriously.”