Die Hard Xmas Advent Calendar Sky Scaper Bruce Willis Autograph Film Humour LOL

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Seller: checkoutmyunqiuefunitems ✉️ (3,666) 99.9%, Location: Manchester, Take a look at my other items, GB, Ships to: WORLDWIDE, Item: 276384581389 Die Hard Xmas Advent Calendar Sky Scaper Bruce Willis Autograph Film Humour LOL. Maxwell, Dominic (8 October 2022). "Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries review — witty, withering and sardonic". Retrieved 8 October 2022. Grondzik, Walter T.; Kwok, Alison G. (2014). pp. 507–509. Die Hard Hans Gruber Advent Calender This is a Stand Up Wooden Nakatami Plaza from the Film 80s Classic Christmas Film "Die Hard" The Skyscraper fits on to a wooden base. Easy to Assemble It has a removable top of the helicopter blowing up which can be removed At the bottom is Al's Police Card parked up outside the building Down the side of the building is a moveable Hans Gruber who points to the floor number 1-24  It can be used as a Christmas Countdown Advent Calander Also included is a double sided business card One side has the "Die Hard" Movie Poster with Autographs of the Stars of the Film Pre Printed on it The back has an invite to the Christmas Party in the Film it is splattered with blood as many of the people die in the film Would make excellent Xmas Decoration or Desk Top item Material:Wood Color:Blue Size: Tall building:23.9*12.8cm/9.40*5in Bomb:13*12.6cm/5.11*4.96in Base:11.5*8.8*6.9cm/4.52*3.46*2.71in Weight:109g A Must-Have Souvenir to Remeber a Great Film Please Check out my other Movie & Signed Items  >  Check out my other items !   Bid with Confidence - Check My 100% Positive Feedback from over 3000 Satisfied Customers
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Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Milan, Shenyang, Dallas, Fort Worth, Boston, Belo Horizonte, Khartoum, Riyadh, Singapore, Washington, Detroit, Barcelona,, Houston, Athens, Berlin, Sydney, Atlanta, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Oakland, Montreal, Monterey, Melbourne, Ankara, Recife, Phoenix/Mesa, Durban, Porto Alegre, Dalian, Jeddah, Seattle, Cape Town, San Diego, Fortaleza, Curitiba, Rome, Naples, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Tel Aviv, Birmingham, Frankfurt, Lisbon, Manchester, San Juan, Katowice, Tashkent, Fukuoka, Baku, Sumqayit, St. Louis, Baltimore, Sapporo, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Taichung, Warsaw, Denver, Cologne, Bonn, Hamburg, Dubai, Pretoria, Vancouver, Beirut, Budapest, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Campinas, Harare, Brasilia, Kuwait, Munich, Portland, Brussels, Vienna, San Jose, Damman , Copenhagen, Brisbane, Riverside, San Bernardino, Cincinnati and Accra Die Hard     Article     Talk     Read     Edit     View history Tools Featured article Page protected with pending changes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the 1988 action film. For other uses, see Die hard. Die Hard Theatrical release poster Directed by    John McTiernan Screenplay by        Jeb Stuart     Steven E. de Souza Based on    Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp Produced by        Lawrence Gordon     Joel Silver Starring        Bruce Willis     Alan Rickman     Alexander Godunov     Bonnie Bedelia Cinematography    Jan de Bont Edited by        Frank J. Urioste     John F. Link Music by    Michael Kamen Production companies          Gordon Company     Silver Pictures Distributed by    20th Century Fox Release dates          July 12, 1988 (Avco Theater)     July 15, 1988 Running time     132 minutes[1] Country    United States Language    English Budget    $25–35 million Box office    $139.8–141.5 million Die Hard is a 1988 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza based on the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. It stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, and Bonnie Bedelia, with Reginald VelJohnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, and Hart Bochner in supporting roles. Die Hard follows New York City police detective John McClane (Willis) who is caught up in a terrorist takeover of a Los Angeles skyscraper while visiting his estranged wife. Stuart was hired by 20th Century Fox to adapt Thorp's novel in 1987. His first draft was greenlit immediately, as the studio was eager for a summer blockbuster the following year. The role of McClane was turned down by a host of the decade's most popular actors, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. Known mainly for work on television, Willis was paid $5 million for his involvement, placing him among Hollywood's highest-paid actors. The deal was seen as a poor investment by industry professionals and attracted significant controversy towards the film prior to its release. Filming took place between November 1987 and March 1988, on a $25 million to $35 million budget and almost entirely on location in and around Fox Plaza in Los Angeles. Expectations for Die Hard were low; some marketing materials omitted Willis's image, ostensibly because the publicity team determined that the setting was as important as McClane. Upon its release in July 1988, initial reviews were mixed: criticism focused on its violence, plot, and Willis's performance, while McTiernan's direction and Rickman's charismatic portrayal of the villain Hans Gruber were praised. Defying predictions, Die Hard grossed approximately $140 million, becoming the year's tenth-highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing action film. Receiving four Academy Award nominations, it elevated Willis to leading-man status and made Rickman a celebrity. Die Hard has been critically re-evaluated and is now considered one of the greatest action films of all time. It is considered to have revitalized the action genre, largely due to its depiction of McClane as a vulnerable and fallible protagonist, in contrast to the muscle-bound and invincible heroes of other films of the period. Retrospective commentators also identified and analyzed its thematic concerns, including vengeance, masculinity, gender roles, and American anxieties over foreign influences. The film produced a host of imitators; the term "Die Hard" became a shorthand for plots featuring overwhelming odds in a restricted environment, such as "Die Hard on a bus". It created a franchise comprising the sequels Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), plus video games, comics, and other merchandise. Deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, Die Hard was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2017. Due to its Christmas Eve setting, Die Hard is also often named one of the best Christmas films, although its status as a Christmas film is disputed. Plot On Christmas Eve, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Detective John McClane arrives in Los Angeles, hoping to reconcile with his estranged wife, Holly, at a party held by her employer, the Nakatomi Corporation. He is driven to Nakatomi Plaza by a limo driver, Argyle, who offers to wait for McClane in the garage. While McClane washes himself, the tower is seized by the German radical Hans Gruber and his heavily armed team, including Karl and Theo. Everyone in the tower is taken hostage except for McClane, who slips away, and Argyle, who remains oblivious to events. Gruber is posing as a terrorist to steal the $640 million in untraceable bearer bonds in the building's vault.[a] He kills executive Joseph Takagi after failing to extract the access code from him and tasks Theo with breaking into the vault. The terrorists are alerted to McClane's presence, and one of them, Tony, is sent after him. McClane kills Tony and takes his weapon and radio, which he uses to contact the skeptical Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). Sergeant Al Powell is sent to investigate. Meanwhile, McClane kills more terrorists and recovers their bag of C-4 and detonators. Having found nothing amiss, Powell is about to leave until McClane drops a terrorist's corpse onto his car. After Powell calls for backup, a SWAT team attempts to storm the building but is counterattacked by the terrorists. McClane throws some C-4 down an elevator shaft, causing an explosion that kills some of the terrorists and ends the counterattack. Holly's co-worker Harry Ellis attempts to negotiate on Gruber's behalf but is killed by Gruber when McClane refuses to surrender. While checking the explosives on the roof, Gruber encounters McClane and pretends to be an escaped hostage; McClane gives Gruber a gun. Gruber attempts to shoot McClane but finds the weapon is unloaded, and he is saved only by the intervention of other terrorists. McClane escapes but is injured by shattered glass and loses the detonators. Outside, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents take control. They order the power to be shut off, which, as Gruber had anticipated, disables the final vault lock so his team can collect the bonds. The FBI agrees to Gruber's demand for a helicopter, intending to send helicopter gunships to eliminate the group. McClane realizes Gruber plans to blow the roof to kill the hostages and fake his team's deaths. Karl, enraged by the death of his brother Tony, attacks McClane and is seemingly killed. Gruber sees a news report by Richard Thornburg on McClane's children and deduces that he is Holly's husband. The hostages are taken to the roof while Gruber keeps Holly with him. McClane drives the hostages from the roof just before Gruber detonates it and destroys the approaching FBI helicopters. Meanwhile, Theo retrieves an escape vehicle from the parking garage but is knocked out by Argyle, who has been following events on the limo's CB radio. A weary and battered McClane finds Holly with Gruber and his remaining henchman. McClane surrenders to Gruber and is about to be shot but grabs his concealed service pistol taped to his back and uses his last two bullets to wound Gruber and kill his accomplice. Gruber crashes through a window but grabs onto Holly's wristwatch and makes a last-ditch attempt to kill the pair before McClane unclasps the watch, and Gruber falls to his death. Outside, Karl ambushes McClane and Holly but is shot dead by Powell. Holly punches Thornburg when he attempts to interview McClane before Argyle crashes through the parking garage door in the limo and drives McClane and Holly away together. Cast Bruce Willis in 2018 Alan Rickman in 2011     Bruce Willis as John McClane, a New York City police detective[2]     Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, the ruthless leader of the terrorists[3]     Alexander Godunov as Karl, Gruber's second-in-command[2]     Bonnie Bedelia as Holly Gennaro-McClane, a high-ranking Nakatomi executive and John's estranged wife[4]     Reginald VelJohnson as Al Powell, an LAPD sergeant[5]     Paul Gleason as Dwayne T. Robinson, the LAPD Deputy Chief[6]     De'voreaux White as Argyle, John's limousine driver[5]     William Atherton as Richard Thornburg, an unscrupulous TV reporter[7][8]     Clarence Gilyard as Theo, Gruber's tech specialist[4]     Hart Bochner as Harry Ellis, a sleazy Nakatomi executive[9]     James Shigeta as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi, Nakatomi's head executive[4] Other cast members include Gruber's henchmen: Bruno Doyon as Franco, Andreas Wisniewski as Tony, Joey Plewa as Alexander, Lorenzo Caccialanza as Marco, Gerard Bonn as Kristoff, Dennis Hayden as Eddie, Al Leong as Uli, Gary Roberts as Heinrich, Hans Buhringer as Fritz, and Wilhelm von Homburg as James. Robert Davi and Grand L. Bush appear as FBI Special Agents Big Johnson and Little Johnson, respectively, Tracy Reiner appears as Thornburg's assistant, and Taylor Fry and Noah Land make minor appearances as McClane's children Lucy McClane and John Jr.[10] Production Development and writing Director John McTiernan dressed in a blue shirt and glasses facing the camera Director John McTiernan in 2014 The development of Die Hard began in 1987, when screenwriter Jeb Stuart was in dire financial straits. His script purchased by Columbia Pictures had been abandoned and a contract at Walt Disney Pictures was not providing him with sufficient income. Stuart had six weeks between contracted work so his agent Jeremy Zimmer contacted Lloyd Levin, the head of development at the Gordon Company, a producing arm of 20th Century Fox.[11] Levin asked Stuart to work on an adaptation of the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever written by former private investigator Roderick Thorp.[11][12] Thorp had been inspired to write Nothing Lasts Forever by a dream he had—in which armed assailants chase a man through a building—after watching the 1974 disaster film The Towering Inferno.[11][13][14] Fox had adapted the book's 1966 predecessor, The Detective, for the 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra as NYPD detective Joe Leland, and purchased the sequel rights before Nothing Lasts Forever had been written.[11][13] Levin gave Stuart creative freedom as long as he retained the Christmas-in-Los-Angeles setting; the concept, he considered, would provide an interesting aesthetic.[11] The film was pitched as "Rambo in an office building", referring to the successful Rambo film series.[15] Producers Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver hired director John McTiernan because of his work with them on the successful 1987 action film Predator.[16][17][18] McTiernan agreed to direct on the condition that the film would have "some joy" and not simply contain "mean, nasty acts", seen in other terrorist films.[13] Stuart began working 18-hour days at his office at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, which left him exhausted and "on edge".[11] After an argument with his wife, he went for a drive and saw a box in his lane; unable to avoid it, he was forced to drive over it and discovered it to be empty. According to Stuart, he pulled over on the side of the freeway, his "heart pounding". From this, Stuart conceived a central theme of the story of a man who should have apologized to his wife before a catastrophe. He returned home to reconcile with his wife and wrote 35 pages that night.[11] To shape the McClanes' relationship, Stuart also drew upon the marital problems of his peers, including divorces and ex-wives reverting to use their maiden name.[11] Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Jeb Stuart wrote his initial draft in his office at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. John McClane was named John Ford initially, but 20th Century Fox felt this was disrespectful to the deceased director of the same name. Stuart chose McClane as a "good strong Scottish name", based on his own Celtic heritage. He described the character as a flawed hero who learns a lesson in the worst possible situation and becomes a better, but not a different, person.[11] Having no experience writing action films, Stuart drew on his experience writing thrillers, focusing on making the audience care about McClane, Holly, and their reconciliation.[11] As Stuart pitched his story to executives, Gordon interrupted him, told him to complete a draft, and left the meeting. Stuart finished his first draft just under six weeks later.[11] Stuart credits Levin for helping him understand Nothing Lasts Forever.[11] He adapted many sequences faithfully, including a C-4 charge being thrown down an elevator shaft and the central character, Joe Leland, leaping from the roof. However, the novel is told entirely from Leland's perspective, and events he is not present for are not detailed.[11][19][20] Its tone is also more cynical and nihilistic: Leland visits his drug-addicted daughter at the Klaxon building, and she dies having fallen from the building alongside villain Anton Gruber, who is using naïve male and female guerrilla soldiers to rob the building because of Klaxon's support for a dictatorial government. This made their motivations less clear and Leland more conflicted about killing them, especially the women. Leland is written as an experienced older man working as a high-powered security consultant.[11][18][20] Stuart rejected the novel's tone for being "too sad", and believed an older action hero—Leland being over 60—was nonsensical. Stuart created new material for scenes when McClane is not present, expanding upon or introducing characters: he gave Powell a wife and children, allowing him to relate more closely to McClane; and Argyle, whose novel counterpart disappears early in the story, is present throughout Stuart's draft, supporting McClane by broadcasting rap music over the terrorists' radios. Among the script's original characters is the unscrupulous journalist Richard Thornburg.[11] A fan of prominent Western film actor John Wayne, Stuart was inspired to carry a Western motif throughout the script, including cowboy lingo. He befriended a construction superintendent at the under-construction Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, allowing him access to the building to gain ideas on how to lay out the characters and scenes. He delivered the finished screenplay in June 1987. It was greenlit the following day, in part because 20th Century Fox needed a summer blockbuster for 1988.[11] Casting Portrait of Bonnie Bedelia looking directly at the camera Actress Bonnie Bedelia in 1974. She was chosen by Willis to portray Holly Gennero-McClane after he saw her performance in Heart Like a Wheel (1983). As Die Hard was based on the novel sequel to The Detective film, the studio was contractually obliged to offer Frank Sinatra the role. Sinatra, who was 70 at the time, declined.[12][13][18] The role was offered to various major stars including Sylvester Stallone, Richard Gere, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford,[17][21] Burt Reynolds,[22] Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson, Don Johnson, Richard Dean Anderson,[12] Paul Newman,[23] James Caan,[24] and Al Pacino.[25] The prevailing action archetype of the era was a muscle-bound, invincible macho man like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was offered the role, but he wanted to branch out into comedy and turned it down to star in Twins (1988).[12] Willis was known mainly for his comedic role in the romantic comedy television series Moonlighting, starring opposite Cybill Shepherd. He declined the role because of his contractual obligations to Moonlighting, but when Shepherd became pregnant, the show's production was stopped for eleven weeks, giving Willis enough time to take the role.[12] McTiernan's girlfriend had a chance meeting with a representative of CinemaScore and asked them for analysis of Willis as the star. Their analysis showed that casting Willis would not have a negative impact; his participation was confirmed two weeks later.[26] The choice was controversial as Willis had only starred in one other film, the moderately successful comedy Blind Date (1987).[12][27] At the time, there was also a clear distinction between film and television actors. Though films like Ghostbusters (1984) had demonstrated that television stars could lead a blockbuster film, other television actors like Shelley Long and Bill Cosby had failed in their recent attempts to make the transition.[17][28] Willis received $5 million for the role, giving him a salary comparable to more successful, established film actors like Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, and Robert Redford.[16] 20th Century Fox president Leonard Goldberg justified the figure by saying Die Hard needed an actor of Willis's potential,[16] and Gordon said that Willis's everyman persona was essential to conveying the idea that the hero could actually fail.[29] Other Fox sources were reported as saying the studio was desperate for a star after being turned down by so many popular actors.[30] Willis said, "They paid me what they thought I was worth for the film, and for them."[31] He described the character as unlike the larger-than-life characters portrayed by Stallone or Schwarzenegger, saying "even though he's a hero, he is just a regular guy. He's an ordinary guy who's been thrown into extraordinary circumstances".[27] Willis drew upon his working-class upbringing in South Jersey for the character, including "that attitude and disrespect for authority, that gallows sense of humor, the reluctant hero".[12] Rickman was already in his early 40s as he made his screen debut as Hans Gruber. He was cast by Silver, who had seen him perform in a Broadway version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, playing the villainous Vicomte de Valmont.[12][32] Bedelia was cast at Willis's suggestion after he saw her in the 1983 biographical film Heart Like a Wheel.[33] VelJohnson appeared as Al Powell in his first major film role at the suggestion of casting director Jackie Burch, with whom he had worked previously. Robert Duvall, Gene Hackman, Laurence Fishburne, and Wesley Snipes were considered for the role.[34][35][36] Ellis is portrayed by Hart Bochner, an acquaintance of Silver. His role was shot in chronological order over three weeks. McTiernan had wanted the character to be suave like actor Cary Grant, but Bochner conceived of the character's motivations coming from cocaine use and insecurity. McTiernan hated the performance initially until he noticed Gordon and Silver were entertained by Bochner's antics.[37] Re-write Roy Rogers dressed in cowboy gear. John McClane's catchphrase "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf*cker" was inspired by western actor Roy Rogers's (pictured) own "Yippee-ki-yay, kids". Screenwriter Steven E. de Souza rewrote Stuart's script because he had experience in blending action and comedy.[38] He approached the story as if Gruber is the protagonist. He said, "If [Gruber] had not planned the robbery and put it together, [McClane] would have just gone to the party and reconciled or not with his wife. You should sometimes think about looking at your movie through the point of view of the villain who is really driving the narrative."[19] De Souza used blueprints of Fox Plaza to help him lay out the story and character locations within the building.[38] The script continued to undergo changes up to and during filming. Several subplots and traits for characters other than McClane were created during the first few weeks of filming because Willis was still working on Moonlighting. He would film the show for up to ten hours and then work on Die Hard at night. McTiernan gave Willis time off to rest and tasked De Souza with adding the new scenes. These included scenes with Holly's housekeeper, Holly confronting Gruber following Takagi's death, an introductory scene for Thornburg, and more moments between Powell and his fellow officers.[38] Silver wanted a scene between McClane and Gruber before the film's denouement, but De Souza could not think of a plausible scenario until he happened to overhear Rickman affecting an American accent. He realized this would allow Gruber to disguise himself when he met McClane, and the earlier scene of Takagi's murder was reworked to conceal Gruber's identity from McClane. Due to the addition of the Gruber/McClane meeting scene, a different one in which McClane kills Theo was excised.[38] In Stuart's original script, Die Hard took place over three days, but McTiernan was inspired to have it take place over a single night like Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. He did not want to use terrorists as the villains, as he considered them to be "too mean", and avoided focusing on the terrorists' politics in favor of making them thieves driven by monetary pursuits; he felt this would make it more suitable summer entertainment.[39] McClane's character was not fully realized until almost halfway through production. McTiernan and Willis had determined that McClane is a man who does not like himself much but is doing the best he can in a bad situation.[39] McClane's catchphrase, "Yipee-ki-yay, motherf*cker", was inspired by old cowboy lingo, including cowboy actor Roy Rogers's own "Yippee-ki-yah, kids", to emphasize his all-American character.[12][19] There was a debate over whether to use "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf*cker" or "yippee-ti-yay, motherf*cker"; Willis endorsed the former.[12] Filming A high-rise building known as Fox Plaza Fox Plaza—in Century City, Los Angeles—which served as the setting for Nakatomi Plaza Principal photography began in November 1987, and concluded by early March 1988, with an approximate $25–$35 million budget.[b][c] Filming took place almost entirely in and around Fox Plaza in Century City, situated on the Avenue of the Stars.[18][44][45] The location was chosen late in production by production designer Jackson De Govia.[39] A mostly unoccupied building was needed which the under-construction Fox Plaza offered;[44] it was secured with two main conditions: no filming during the day and no damage from explosions.[18] Cinematographer Jan de Bont said the building's design was distinct, making it a character on its own, and clear views of the building were available from a distance, enabling establishing shots as McClane approaches it. The surrounding city could be seen from within the building, enhancing the realism.[44] De Bont frequently used handheld cameras to film closer to the characters, creating a more cinematic "intimacy". Very little of the film was storyboarded beforehand because De Bont believed intricate storyboarding made his job redundant. Instead, he and McTiernan would discuss that day's filming in detail, and the feeling or sensation they wanted to convey. De Bont was more concerned with creating a dramatic rather than an attractive shot. He cited the use of real flares in the film that generated unpredictable smoke and sometimes obscured the image.[44] Willis's first day on set was on November 2, 1987. He came straight from filming Moonlighting to shoot one of his most pivotal scenes, where McClane leaps from a rooftop as it explodes behind him, saved only by a length of firehose.[12] Willis found acting in Die Hard difficult because it differed from previous experiences in that he was often alone, not having any personal encounters with others.[31] He did not spend much time with the rest of the cast between takes, opting to spend it with his new partner, Demi Moore. In contrast to their on-screen dynamics, Bedelia and VelJohnson spent most of their time between scenes with Rickman.[46][47] When asked to throw Holly to the floor, Rickman refused because he believed it was not a fitting action for the "civilized" Gruber and that Holly, "a self-possessed career woman," would not have let him.[48] The film's ending had not been finalized when filming began. In the finished film, Theo retrieves an ambulance from the truck the terrorists arrived in to use as an escape vehicle, but as this was a late addition, the truck the terrorists had been filmed arriving in was too small to hold an ambulance. Another scene, showing the terrorists synchronizing their TAG Heuer watches, also showed the truck was empty; this scene had to be deleted, leading to other necessary changes. As scripted, McClane realizes that the American hostage he encounters is Gruber because of the distinctive TAG Heuer watch he observed on the other terrorists; the watches were no longer an established plot point.[39][49] It necessitated the introduction of a heroic scene for Argyle, who gets to stop Theo's escape. De'voreaux actually punched Gilyard during the scene, which was added in only in the last 10 days of filming.[38][47] There was flexibility with some roles, depending on the actors' performances, meaning some characters were kept in the film longer and others killed off sooner.[38] The actors were also given some room to improvise, like Theo's line, "The quarterback is toast", Bochner's "Hans, bubby, I'm your white knight", and the henchman Uli stealing a chocolate bar during the SWAT assault.[37][47] McTiernan took stylistic influence from French New Wave cinema when editing the film. He recruited Frank J. Urioste and John F. Link to edit scenes together while in mid-motion, contrary to the mainstream style of editing used at the time.[50] Music Main article: Die Hard (soundtrack) Michael Kamen – Assault on the Tower Duration: 31 seconds.0:31 Kamen used samples from various classic songs and sleigh bells to create a score that highlighted the violence Problems playing this file? See media help. Before hiring composer Michael Kamen, McTiernan knew he wanted to include Beethoven's 9th Symphony (commonly known as "Ode to Joy"), having heard it in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971).[51] Kamen objected to "tarnishing" the piece in an action film and offered to misuse German composer Richard Wagner's music instead.[51][52] Once McTiernan explained how the 9th Symphony had been used in A Clockwork Orange to highlight the ultra-violence, Kamen had a better understanding of McTiernan's intentions.[51] In exchange, Kamen insisted that they also license the use of "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) (also used in A Clockwork Orange) and "Winter Wonderland" (1934).[52] He mixed the melodies of "Ode to Joy", "Winter Wonderland", and "Singin' in the Rain" into his score, mainly to underscore the villains.[50][53][52] The samples of "Ode to Joy" are played in slightly lower keys to sound more menacing; the references build to a performance of the symphony when Gruber finally accesses the Nakatomi vault.[52][54] The score also references "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!".[55][56][53] Kamen initially saw a mostly incomplete version of Die Hard and was unimpressed.[52] He saw the film as primarily about a "phenomenal bad guy" who made McClane seem less important.[52] Kamen was dismissive of film scores, believing they could not stand alone from the film.[57] His original score incorporates pizzicato and arco strings, brass, woodwinds and sleigh bells added during moments of menace to counter their festive meaning.[56][54] There are other uses of classical diegetic music in the film; the musicians at the party play Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 by Johann Sebastian Bach.[54] McTiernan did not like a piece created for the final scene where Karl attempts to kill McClane, and decided to use a temporary track that was already in place: a piece of James Horner's unused score for Aliens (1986). Cues are also used from the 1987 action film Man on Fire.[39][55] Die Hard also features "Christmas in Hollis" by Run-DMC, which would go on to be considered a Christmas classic, in part because of its use in the film.[58] Stunts and designs Stunts The perception of film stunts changed shortly before production of Die Hard following a fatal accident on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983), and a push was made to prioritize a film's crew over the film itself.[59] Even so, Willis insisted on performing many of his own stunts, including rolling down steps and standing on top of an active elevator.[12][44] The first scene he shot was his leap from the top of Nakatomi Plaza with a firehose wrapped around his waist. The stunt involved a 25-foot (7.6 m) leap from a five-story parking garage ledge onto an airbag as a 60-foot (18 m) wall of flame exploded behind him. He considered it to be one of his toughest stunts.[12][27] The explosive force pushed him towards the edge of the airbag and the crew was concerned he had died.[12] Stuntman Ken Bates stood in for Willis when his character is hanging from the building.[60] Alan Rickman hanging from a raised platform Alan Rickman was suspended from a raised platform and then dropped onto an airbag below. To capture the descent, an automated system controlled the camera's focus ring to keep Rickman in focus. A set was used for the following scene where McClane shoots out a window to re-enter the building. It was shot approximately halfway into the filming schedule so that all involved had gained more stunt experience. The window was made of fragile sugar glass that took two hours to set up, and there were only a few takes for this reason. Instead of a hoist, a team of stuntmen positioned below the window dragged the hose and pulled Willis towards the edge, as they could better control Willis's fall if he went over.[59] Editor Frank Urioste kept the scene where McClane falls down a ventilation shaft and catches onto a lower opening; Willis's stuntman accidentally fell further than intended.[39] During a scene where McClane shoots a terrorist through a table, Willis suffered a permanent two-thirds hearing loss in his left ear caused by firing loud blank cartridges close to his head.[61][62] For Gruber's fall from Nakatomi Plaza, Rickman was dropped between 20 and 70 feet (6 and 21 m); reports are inconsistent.[39][44][63] He was suspended on a raised platform and dropped onto a blue screen airbag.[39][63] This allowed the background behind him to be composited with footage taken from Fox Plaza and falling confetti that looked like bearer bonds. Rickman had to fall backward onto the bag, something stuntmen avoid to control their fall.[63] McTiernan convinced Rickman by demonstrating the stunt himself and falling onto a pile of cardboard boxes.[59] Rickman was told he would be dropped on a count of three, but he was let go earlier to elicit a genuine look of surprise. McTiernan said, "there's no way he could fake that".[39][59] The first take was used, but McTiernan convinced Rickman to perform a second one as backup.[63] Capturing the stunt was difficult because it was impossible for a human operator to refocus the camera fast enough to prevent the image from blurring as Rickman fell away.[59] Supervised by visual effects producer Richard Edlund, Boss Film Studios engineered an automated system using a computer that rapidly refocused the camera via a motor on its focus ring.[63] A wide-angle lens camera shooting at 270 frames per second was used, creating footage that played 10 times slower than normal. Despite these innovations, the camera struggled to keep Rickman entirely in focus during his 1.5-second fall; the scene cuts away from Rickman as the usable footage runs out. To complete Gruber's fatal descent, Bates was lowered 318 feet (97 m) from Fox Plaza in a harness that slowed his fall as he neared the ground.[59][63][64] Some of the Fox Plaza residents, frustrated by the debris and destruction around the building, refused to turn off their office lights for exterior shots of the Plaza.[64] Months of negotiations took place for permission to drive a SWAT vehicle up the steps of Fox Plaza. A railing knocked over during shooting was never replaced.[39][45] Small explosives moving along a guidewire were disguised as the terrorist rockets, giving the appearance of them striking the vehicle. In the scene where McClane throws C4 down the elevator shaft to stop the assault, the effects team unwittingly blew out every window on one floor of the building.[44] The final helicopter scene took six months of preparation, and only two hours were set aside to film it. It took three attempts above Fox Plaza, and nine camera crews filming with twenty-four different cameras.[39][44] De Bont said the different angles enhanced the on-location realism.[44] Mortar-like devices filled with propane were used for explosions. They took ten minutes to install and offered a six-second burst of flame.[59] The explosion of the Nakatomi rooftop was created using a miniature model; this was the only miniature used in the film.[44] Because Hans Buhringer (Fritz) was an inexperienced actor and filming was behind schedule, a Native American stuntman was put in a blond wig and equipped with squibs to capture the character's death in one take.[47] Design To prevent the in-building locations looking similar because of the standard fluorescent office lighting, De Bont concealed small film lights in high locations. He controlled these to create more dynamic and dramatic lighting. This gave him the opportunity to use unusual light positioning. He also placed fluorescent tubes on the floor in one scene to indicate they had not been installed.[44] The shifting nature of the filming script meant some sets were designed before it was known what they were to be used for.[39] The Nakatomi Building's 30th floor—where the hostages are held—was one of the few sets.[38][39] It contained a recreation of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house Fallingwater. De Govia reasoned that it reflected the contemporary trend of Japanese corporations buying up American corporate assets. An early design for the Nakatomi logo was too reminiscent of a swastika and it was re-designed to look closer to a samurai warrior's helmet. A 380-foot-long (120 m) matte painting provided the city backdrop as viewed from inside the building's 30th floor. It featured animated lights and other lighting techniques to present both moving traffic, daytime and nighttime.[39] Release Context See also: 1988 in film The logo for Die Hard with Bruce Willis's name positioned above The logo for Die Hard The summer of 1988 was expected by film industry executives to be dominated by action and comedy films, although a broader range of films were released that year.[41][65] More films targeted older audiences rather than teenagers, a reflection of the increasing age of the average audience member.[65] Sequels to successful films, Crocodile Dundee II and Rambo III, were predicted to control the May box office and break opening weekend revenue records. Industry executives also had high expectations for the comedies Coming to America and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.[41] Expectations for Die Hard were low compared to its action film competition—the Schwarzenegger-starring Red Heat and Clint Eastwood's The Dead Pool. The New York Times noted that Die Hard, and the comedies Big Top Pee-wee and Bull Durham, would be closely scrutinized by the industry for success or failure. Die Hard was singled out for Willis's salary, and the failure earlier that year of his previous film, the western Sunset, which brought into question his leading man capabilities.[41] Lawrence Gordon agreed that not using a major action star like Stallone or Eastwood meant audience interest in Die Hard was lower than it might have been. The larger salaries paid to these stars were based on the built-in audience they could attract to a film's opening week, with good word of mouth supporting the film thereafter, but Willis did not have a built-in audience.[29] Marketing Willis featured prominently in the film's early marketing campaign, but it underwent several changes as the film's release date drew nearer.[21][29][66] Willis had developed a reputation as an "arrogant" actor concerned with his own fame. His refusal to address this, or speak about his personal life to the media, had reinforced this perception. For his part, Willis said that he wanted the media to focus on his acting.[31][67] There were reports that cinema audiences would moan at Willis's appearance in Die Hard trailers, and that a representative from an unnamed theater chain had pulled the trailer in response.[66] Research by several film studios revealed that audiences had a negative opinion of Willis overall and little or no interest in seeing him in Die Hard.[29] Newsweek's David Ansen called Willis "the most unpopular actor ever to get $5 million for making a movie".[17] As 20th Century Fox's confidence in Willis's appeal faltered, the film's posters were changed to focus on Nakatomi Plaza, with Willis's name billed in tiny print.[21][66] Willis's image was not included in the film's first full-page newspaper advertisement in mid-July.[29] 20th Century Fox executive Tom Sherak denied that Willis was being hidden, saying their marketing strategy had changed when they realized that the building was as important a character as the actor.[66] Defying expectations, sneak previews of the film were well received by audiences,[29] and the week following its release, the advertising began featuring Willis more prominently.[29] Despite his dislike of interviews, Willis appeared on several daytime shows to promote the film. Explaining why he was more involved in the promotion for Die Hard, Willis said, "I'm so excited about this film... To me, it represents why I wanted to be an actor."[31][66] Box office Die Hard's premiere took place on July 12, 1988, at the Avco theater in Los Angeles, California.[68] In North America, the film received a limited release in 21 theaters in 13 cities on July 15, 1988, earning $601,851—an average of $28,659 per theater.[69] It was considered a successful debut with a high per-theater average gross.[70] The Los Angeles Times said that the late change in advertising focus and diminishing popularity for action films should have worked against Die Hard. Instead, positive reviews and the limited release had made it a "must-see" film.[71] It received a wide release the following week on July 22, 1988, across 1,276 theaters, and earning $7.1 million—an average of $5,569 per theater. The film finished as the number three film of the weekend, behind Coming to America ($8.8 million)—in its fourth week of release—and Who Framed Roger Rabbit ($8.9 million), in its fifth.[72] The film fell to number four in its third week with a further gross of $6.1 million, just behind Coming to America ($6.4 million), Who Framed Roger Rabbit ($6.5 million) and the debuting romantic comedy Cocktail ($11.7 million).[73] In its fourth weekend, it rebounded to the number three position with $5.7 million.[74] While the film never claimed the number-one box office ranking, it spent ten straight weeks among the top five highest-grossing films.[17][74] In total, the film earned an approximate box office gross of between $81.3 million and $83 million.[75][76] This made it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 1988, behind Crocodile Dundee II ($109.3 million), buddy comedy Twins ($111.9 million), fantasy-comedy Big ($114.9 million), Coming to America ($128.1 million), Who Framed Roger Rabbit ($154.1 million) and comedy-drama Rain Man ($172.8 million).[77] Outside North America, Die Hard is estimated to have earned $57.7 million, giving it an approximate cumulative gross of between $139.1 million and $140.7 million.[75][76][d] This figure makes it the tenth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 1988 behind Big ($151 million), Cocktail ($171 million), A Fish Called Wanda ($177 million), Rambo III ($189 million), Twins ($216 million), Crocodile Dundee II ($239 million), Coming to America ($288 million), Who Framed Roger Rabbit ($329 million) and Rain Man ($354 million).[76][78][79][e] The summer of 1988 saw box office grosses totaling $1.7 billion, breaking the previous year's record-breaking summer by $100 million,[65] and it was the most successful summer since 1984, when only three films earned more than $100 million in North America.[80] Defying pre-release expectations Die Hard was considered an enormous success.[12][80] In a year otherwise dominated by comedy films, Die Hard's overperformance was an anomaly compared to other action films such as Rambo III and Red Heat, which failed to meet box office expectations.[15][81] Film critic Sheila Benson believed this demonstrated a generational shift in audiences and their tastes; in particular, 25- to 37-year-old men had turned against alcohol abuse, sexism, and mindless machismo.[82] Along with films like Big and Young Guns (1988), Die Hard is credited with revitalizing 20th Century Fox, which had had few successes in preceding years. It also showed the action genre was not "dead".[65] Reception Critical response Initial critical reviews of Die Hard were mixed.[43] Audiences reacted more positively; polls by the market research firm CinemaScore found that audiences gave it an average rating of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.[83] McTiernan's direction was praised.[2][84][85] In the Chicago Tribune, Dave Kehr wrote that McTiernan's "logical" direction created a sense of scale in the film that made it seem more significant than its content.[84] The scene in which the terrorists take over the building was described as a "textbook study" by Kevin Thomas, providing a strong introduction to both McTiernan's abilities and De Bont's cinematography.[2] De Govia's set design was complimented by Kehr as "ingenious".[84] Ebert praised the stunts and special effects.[86] Critics were conflicted over Willis's performance.[5][84][87] Many considered Die Hard Willis's breakout role, reviving his faltering transition from television to film star, and demonstrating his leading-man status and comedic range.[2][5][88] Kathy Huffhines and James Mills considered Willis's performance an evolution of his Moonlighting character David Addison with less sexism and more masculinity. Huffhines wrote that the performance improved as Willis hewed closer to his own working-class background.[89][90][91] Reviewers including Terry Lawson and Paul Willistein believed that despite expectations, Willis had been well cast, bringing a necessary vulnerability and sense of humor to a contemporary hero, one who displays remorse, fear, and indecision without being overly macho or comedic, and delivers dialogue that other action stars could not.[92] Marke Andrews argued that this vulnerability was essential to creating tension because audiences care about the character's fate.[93] Some reviewers felt that Willis's strongest talent—his comedic ability—had been woefully underutilized.[87][94] Writing for The Washington Post, Hal Hinson complimented Willis's "grace and physical bravado" that allowed him to stand alongside the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Conversely Vincent Canby said he lacked "toughness".[85][87] Reviewers generally agreed that Willis's dramatic acting was unimpressive or limited; Jay Boyar believed his abilities were perfect for McClane, although Kehr criticized him as only a television-level star.[84][95][96] Richard Schickel said Willis's performance was "whiny and self-involved", and that removing his undershirt by the film's denouement was the totality of his acting range. He acknowledged it was difficult to perform when acting only against special effects.[97] Rickman's performance was praised.[f] Caryn James said he was the film's best feature, portraying "the perfect snake",[3] and Hinson likened his work to the "sneering", malevolent performance by Laurence Olivier in Richard III (1955).[87] Kehr called Gruber a classic villain who combined the silliness of actor Claude Rains and the "smiling dementia" of actor George Macready.[84] Canby said that Rickman provided the only credible performance, and Roger Ebert—who was otherwise critical of the film—singled it out for praise.[86] Critics routinely praised Bedelia's performance and lamented that she was underused, in favor of McClane's and Powell's relationship.[g] Schickel highlighted a scene in which McClane confesses his sins to Powell before rescuing his wife, robbing their marital reunion of meaning.[97] Ebert and Schickel both felt that only McClane's and Powell's characters were developed.[87][97] The film's success was credited to the remote relationships built between Willis, Rickman, and Veljohnson, by Mike Cidoni.[91] Huffhines and Mills credited the performances with anchoring the film.[89][100][90] Ebert focused his criticism on the police captain (portrayed by Gleason), citing the character as an example of a "willfully useless and dumb" obstruction that wasted screen time and weakened the plot.[86] Thomas commended the casting of several minority actors.[2] The action and violence were criticized by many reviewers.[h] Kevin Thomas said the film had plot holes and lacked credibility. He believed it was the result of a calculated effort to please the broadest possible audience, and concluded that it had squandered its potential as an intelligent thriller for "numbing" violence and carnage.[2] Canby offered a similar sentiment, suggesting the film would appeal only to audiences that required a constant stream of explosions and loud noises. He described it as a "nearly perfect movie for our time", designed to appeal to audiences Canby described as "kidults"—adults with the mindset of children.[85] One violent scene, in which Powell saves McClane by shooting Karl, was singled out. Schickel believed it to be a cynical scene that undermined the humanity formed between McClane and Powell, by having Powell find redemption for his own mistakes through violence. Hinson believed the audience was deliberately manipulated into cheering for the act.[2][87][97] Writing for The New York Times, James said the film offered fun escapism while relying on action clichés, but Hinson countered that despite the relentless thrills, the film was not enjoyable.[87] Reviews identified allusions in Die Hard to films such as The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure (1972), Alien (1979), Aliens, and RoboCop (1987).[i] Kehr said Die Hard emulated Alien and RoboCop by developing a humorous and sentimental design that perfected the action genre, but in doing so it lacked a personality of its own.[84] Writing for the Poughkeepsie Journal, Cidoni felt Die Hard made previous action blockbusters such as Predator, Missing in Action (1984), and Rambo look like "tupperware parties."[91] Die Hard was one of several 1988 films labeled "morally objectionable" by the Roman Catholic Church, along with The Last Temptation of Christ, Bull Durham and A Fish Called Wanda.[101] Robert Davi saw the film with Schwarzenegger; Schwarzenegger was positive, but did not like Davi's character narrative, saying, "You were heroic! And now you've turned into an idiot!"[47] Accolades Portrait of Bruce Willis looking to his right Bruce Willis in 1989 at the 61st Academy Awards At the 1989 Academy Awards, Die Hard was nominated for Best Film Editing for Frank J. Urioste and John F. Link; Best Visual Effects for Richard Edlund, Al DiSarro, Brent Boates and Thaine Morris; Best Sound Effects Editing for Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard Shorr; and Best Sound for Don J. Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton and Al Overton Jr.[102] Michael Kamen won a BMI TV/Film Music Award for his work on the score.[103] Post-release Home media Die Hard was released on Video Home System (VHS) cassette in January 1989.[104] It was a popular rental, debuting as the third-most rented film on the early February rental charts, rising to number one the following week.[105][106][107][108] It spent six of its first seven weeks in release at number one until it was replaced by A Fish Called Wanda at the end of March.[105][109] By 1997, it was estimated to have earned $36 million from rentals.[110] Die Hard was released on DVD in 1999 as part of a collection with its sequels Die Hard 2 (1990) and Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995).[111][112] It was released separately as a special edition DVD in 2001, including commentary by McTiernan, De Govia, and Edlund, and deleted scenes, trailers and behind-the-scenes images.[113][114] It was released on Blu-ray in 2007.[115] Die Hard: The Nakatomi Plaza Collection was released in 2015, collecting all five Die Hard films on Blu-ray in a container shaped like Nakatomi Plaza.[116] For its 30th anniversary in 2018, a remastered 4K resolution version was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray; the set also includes a standard Blu-ray and digital download. A limited-edition SteelBook case version was also released.[117] Other media See also: Die Hard video games Die Hard merchandise includes clothing, Funko Pops, coloring and activity books, crockery, Christmas jumpers and ornaments, and an illustrated Christmas book retelling the film.[118] A third-person shooter video game, Die Hard, was released in 1989 for the Commodore 64 and Windows. Different top-down shooter versions were released for the TurboGrafx-16 and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The TurboGrafx-16 edition begins with McClane fighting terrorists in a jungle; the NES version offers a "foot meter" that slows McClane's movements after he repeatedly steps on shattered glass.[119][120] Die Hard Trilogy (1996), a popular game for the PlayStation, adapted the first three Die Hard films.[121][122] In 1997, the Japanese arcade game Dynamite Deka was redesigned and released in western territories as Die Hard Arcade. Players choose either McClane or secondary character Chris Thompsen to battle through Nakatomi Plaza, defeat terrorists led by White Fang, and rescue the President's daughter.[119][123] Two first-person shooters were released in 2002: Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza, which recreates the events of Die Hard, and Die Hard: Vendetta, which serves as a narrative sequel to the film, pitting McClane against Gruber's son Piet.[119][121][123] Die Hard: The Ultimate Visual History—a book chronicling the development of the Die Hard film series—was released in 2018 to coincide with the film's 30th anniversary.[124] A board game based on the film was released in 2019. Developed by USAopoly, Die Hard: The Nakatomi Heist casts up to four players as McClane, Gruber, and his terrorists, each vying to complete their opposing tasks.[125][126] Thematic analysis A painting of Odysseus and Telemachus preparing to slaughter the suitors of Odysseus's wife Penelope An 1812 painting by Joseph-Ferdinand Lancrenon [fr] of Odysseus, aided by Telemachus, preparing to slaughter his wife's suitors. Alexander Boon compared Odysseus's tale to John McClane's quest to rescue his wife from the terrorists. Die Hard has been described by critics such as Richard Brody and Chris Hewitt as a story about obtaining redemption through violence. McClane comes to Los Angeles to save his marriage, but makes the same mistakes that drove Holly away; Brody and Hewitt suggest that it is only after McClane defeats the terrorists through violence that their marriage is seemingly reconciled.[4][18] Similarly, Powell is haunted after accidentally shooting a child and finds redemption by drawing his gun to shoot Karl.[4] Several male characters who are driven by rage or ego suffer for it including the FBI agents, Karl, Ellis, and McClane who nearly loses Holly by showing off after shooting Gruber. Ebert notes the more even-tempered characters—often African American—fare better.[15] McClane identifies himself as a Roman Catholic, a religion requiring penance to earn redemption. Brody said that McClane endures physical punishment, including his feet being cut by glass shards to create bloody "stigmata". In making these sacrifices, he salvages his family. In this sense, McClane can be seen as a modern, working-class Christ-like figure.[4] Alexander Boon compares McClane violently reclaiming his wife to the Greek figure Odysseus slaughtering his wife's suitors. McClane is rewarded for his masculinity, despite demonstrating negative male traits.[127] Jeffrey Brown believed McClane's undershirt emphasizes his masculine physical form. This outfit is worn by other action characters like Rambo, and females displaying masculine traits such as Rachel McLish (Aces: Iron Eagle III) and Linda Hamilton (Terminator 2: Judgment Day).[128] Powell and Argyle are not McClane's physical equals but they prioritize relationships, and when called on to act, they succeed.[129] McClane possesses an imposing physicality but is clumsy and reliant on improvisation, and succeeds only because of the relationships with his allies.[129] It is McClane and Powell's relationship that is particularly instrumental to McClane's success. The pair share a non-romantic intimacy that enables McClane to confess his failings as a husband in a way he did not with Holly, allowing McClane to grow as a person.[130][131][132] Gruber fails because he is isolated, self-interested, and sacrifices his team for his own survival.[131] Peter Parshall observed that McClane and Gruber are reflections of each other.[131] Brody contrasts McClane—an all-American stereotype compared to Western cowboy stars like Roy Rogers, John Wayne and Gary Cooper—to Gruber, a classically educated, European villain who refers to America as a "bankrupt" culture.[4][18] Elizabeth Abele wrote that when compared to the superheroes of the previous decade in films like Superman (1978) and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), McClane is portrayed as physically but realistically masculine, conveying the idea of a "real man" who possesses independent, intrinsic strength.[133] According to Justin Chang and Mark Olsen, this can be seen as a response to Reaganism—the political positions of United States president Ronald Reagan—promoting values of the American dream, self-reliance, initiative, and technological advancement.[134][135] Willis believes that if given the choice, McClane would pass the responsibility of dealing with the terrorists on to anyone else, but he is forced to serve as a reluctant hero.[12] When the character is introduced, he is wearing his wedding ring. Scott Tobias wrote this serves as a symbol of his marital commitment. Holly is presented as the opposite; she uses her maiden name and is not wearing her wedding ring. Instead, she is gifted a Rolex watch by her employers, serving as a symbol of her commitment to her job and the division in her marriage. When McClane unclasps the watch at the film's end to free Holly from Gruber's grasp, the totem of their separation is broken, and they appear to have reconciled.[132][136] Parshall describes the negative portrayals of female characters in Die Hard. They appear sexualized in pin-up posters, suggest drinking while pregnant, or are away from their families on Christmas Eve at a work function. Holly takes a position of authority following her boss's death, but that power is delegated to her by Gruber, and it is used in traditionally feminine ways, to care for her colleagues. Takagi is replaced in Holly's life with a different dominant male, McClane.[131] Darin Payne wrote that Die Hard reflects the contemporary decline of men as the main household earner as more women joined the workforce and blue-collar jobs were being lost to foreign countries. In response, an American cowboy saves the day, rescuing his captured wife from a foreign-owned tower.[137] Die Hard has elements that are anti-government, anti-bureaucracy and anti-corporation.[4][18][13] A terrorist asserts McClane cannot harm him because there are rules for policemen, rules he intends to exploit. McClane responds "so my captain keeps telling me", suggesting that he operates outside of bureaucratically approved procedures.[4][13] Brody wrote that the police often present a bigger obstacle than the terrorists. They believe they are in control of events, unaware the terrorists have already anticipated their every action.[4] The police chief is portrayed as incompetent, and the FBI is shown to be indifferent to the lives of the hostages as long as they kill the terrorists.[4][138] McClane is an everyman fighting against terrorists who are dressed like elite big-city workers.[18] As Ellis states, the only difference between the corporate employees and the terrorists is that he uses a pen and Gruber uses a gun.[131] The police, the FBI, and an intrusive journalist are each punished for standing in McClane's way.[18] Parshall noted the Christmas setting can be seen as an attack on traditional societal values. The corporation hosts a party on Christmas Eve, keeping employees away from their families, and the villains cynically appropriate Christmas iconographies. By defeating them, McClane upholds tradition and defends society.[131] Alongside the mainly German group of terrorists, Nakatomi Plaza is owned by a Japanese corporation, and the hostages are American.[4][137][139] Brody identified this as reflecting American anxieties about foreign powers at a time when Japanese technology firms threatened to dominate the American technology industry.[4][135][137] When McClane prevails, the suggestion is that American ingenuity will prevail.[139] America's old enemies, Germany and Japan, are portrayed as having forsaken their integrity in the pursuit of financial gain.[85] Dave Kehr said the film embodies a resentful 1980s "blue-collar rage" against feminists, yuppies, the media, the authorities and foreign nationals.[84] Brody notes that the film can also be considered progressive in its portrayal of its African American characters, as cast members VelJohnson, Gilyard, and White are featured in prominent and important roles.[4] The A.V. Club noted that unlike many other 1980s films, Die Hard is not an allegory for the Vietnam War. The film mocks the idea when one FBI agent remarks that their helicopter assault is reminiscent of the war; his partner responds that at the time he was only in middle school.[140] Even so, Empire believed the film references Vietnam by showcasing an ill-equipped local taking on highly equipped foreign invaders; this time America wins.[18] Drew Ayers described the complex layout of Nakatomi Plaza as analogous to the concealing jungles of Vietnam.[141] Legacy Influence on the film industry Entrance to the studio lot of 20th Century Fox in Century City, California The entrance of the Fox Studio Lot in Century City, where a giant mural of John McClane crawling through a vent was erected as part of the film's 25th-anniversary celebration in 2013 Before Die Hard's release, Hollywood action films often starred muscle-bound men like Schwarzenegger and Stallone, who portrayed invincible, infallible, catchphrase-spouting heroes in unrealistic settings. Willis's portrayal of John McClane redefined the action genre, presenting a normal person with an average physique completely counter to that archetype. He is failing, both personally and professionally, and serves as a vulnerable, identifiable hero who openly sobs, admits his fear of death, and sustains lasting damage. Importantly, his one-liners do not come from a place of superiority over his foes, but as a nervous reaction to the extreme situation in which he finds himself, which he is only able to overcome through enduring suffering and using his own initiative.[12][18][20][140] Similarly, Rickman's portrayal of Gruber redefined action villains who had previously been bland figures or eccentric madmen. Gruber ushered in the clever nemesis; he is an educated, intelligent villain, who serves as the antithesis of the hero.[18] He has been referred to as one of the most iconic villains in the genre.[140] Empire magazine called Gruber one of the finest villains since Darth Vader. Rickman described the role as a "huge event" in his life.[18] Though other more typical 1980s-style action films were released, the genre gradually shifted to a focus on smaller, more confined settings, everyman heroes, and charming villains with competent plans.[140] Die Hard raised Willis from television stardom to worldwide recognition and brought fame to Rickman.[12] Willis's salary was seen as the peak of the 1980s bidding wars between new and old managers vying for jobs. The New York Times described it as the salary equivalent of an "earthquake" and MGM/UA chairman Alan Ladd Jr. said that it threw "the business out of whack ... like everybody else in town, I was stunned." It was seen as the most substantial change to salaries since Dustin Hoffman was paid $5.5 million to star in Tootsie (1982) at a time when top salaries ranged from $2 million–$3 million. It was expected that salaries for major stars would increase significantly to ensure they were paid more than a newer star like Willis.[16][142] McTiernan transitioned his success into directing an adaptation of one of his favorite novels, The Hunt for Red October (1990).[143] VelJohnson's performance resulted in his casting in the 1989–1998 sitcom Family Matters.[34] Cultural influence In 2017, Die Hard was selected by the United States Library of Congress to be preserved in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[144][145] In July 2007, Bruce Willis donated the undershirt worn in the film to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution.[146] The blood and sweat-stained vest is considered iconic, an emblem of McClane's difference from archetypal, invincible heroes.[12] Fox Plaza has become a popular tourist attraction, although the building itself cannot be toured.[45] A floor used for filming became Ronald Reagan's office. When his head of staff toured the under-construction area, it was littered with broken glass and bullet casings.[147] A giant mural depicting McClane's crawl through a Nakatomi Plaza vent was erected at the Fox Studio lot in Century City to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary in 2013.[148] One of the most influential films of the 1980s, Die Hard served as the blueprint for action films that came after, especially throughout the 1990s.[136] The term "Die Hard on/in a..." has become shorthand to describe a lone, everyman hero who must overcome an overwhelming opposing force in a relatively small and confined location.[12][136] Examples include: Under Siege (1992, "Die Hard on a battleship"); Cliffhanger (1993, "Die Hard on a mountain"); Speed (1994, "Die Hard on a bus"); and Air Force One (1997, "Die Hard on a plane").[12][136][140] Willis himself recalled being pitched a film that was "Die Hard in a skyscraper". He said he was sure it had already been done.[12] It was not until the 1996 action-thriller film The Rock ("Die Hard on Alcatraz Island"), that the tone of action films changed significantly, and the increasing use of CGI effects allowed films to move beyond the limitations of real locations and practical stunts. Writing for The Guardian in 2018, Scott Tobias observed that none of these later films readily captured the complete effectiveness of the Die Hard story.[136] The film has been a source of inspiration for filmmakers including: Lexi Alexander, Darren Aronofsky, Brad Bird, Joe Carnahan, Gareth Evans, Barry Jenkins, Joe Lynch, Paul Scheer, Brian Taylor, Dan Trachtenberg, Colin Trevorrow, and Paul W. S. Anderson.[149][150][151] During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was among the action films director James Gunn recommended people watch.[152] The film's popularity has seen it referenced across a wide variety of media, including TV shows, films; video games; music; and novels. It has even been referenced in media targeted at children.[148][153] Willis cameos as McClane in the 1993 parody film Loaded Weapon 1.[154] There has been much debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas film. Those in favor argue that the Christmas setting is sufficient to qualify it as a Christmas film. Those opposed argue that it is an action film whose events happen to take place at Christmas.[155][156] A 2017 YouGov poll of over 5,000 UK citizens determined that only 31% believed that Die Hard is a Christmas film; those who did skewed under the age of 24, while those opposed were mainly over 50.[157][158] A similar 2018 Morning Consult poll of 2,200 American citizens determined that only 25% supported its status as a Christmas film. Those aged between 30 and 44, who were young during the peak of the film's popularity, were most in favor.[159] De Souza and Stuart support it being a Christmas film, while Willis feels it is not.[23][160][161][162] On the film's 30th anniversary in 2018, 20th Century Fox stated that it was "the greatest Christmas story ever told", releasing a re-edited Die Hard trailer that portrays it as a traditional Christmas film. According to De Souza, Silver predicted the film would be played at Christmastime for years.[162][163][164] Critical reassessment Die Hard is now considered one of the greatest action films ever made.[165][166][167] On the film's 30th-anniversary in 2018, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Die Hard was easily one of the most influential films in the action genre, whose influence could still be seen in contemporary films.[168] The Guardian and the British Film Institute regard it as the "quintessential" American action film, the latter calling it one of the ten greatest action films of all time.[169][136] Deadline Hollywood labeled it a staple of the action genre, that launched a "classic" franchise.[170] Writing for Vanity Fair, K. Austin Collins said that despite the number of times he had viewed the film, it remained a persistently satisfying and well-crafted piece.[13] It is listed in the 2003 film reference book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which says that the film "...effectively redefines the action movie as one-man-army."[171] A retrospective review by The A.V. Club said that Willis's everyman persona is key to the film's success.[140] Rickman said he believed it had continued to find fans decades after its release because it was delivered with wit and style.[12] Contemporary review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes offers a 94% approval rating from the aggregated reviews of 84 critics, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The consensus reads, "Its many imitators (and sequels) have never come close to matching the taut thrills of the definitive holiday action classic."[172] The film also has a score of 72 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[173] Readers of Rolling Stone ranked it the number ten action film of all time in a 2015 poll,[174] while Empire readers voted it number 20 in 2017.[175] In 2001, the American Film Institute (AFI) ranked Die Hard number 39 on its 100 Years... 100 Thrills list recognizing the most "heart-pounding" films.[176] In 2008, Empire ranked it number 29 on its list of the 500 Greatest Movies of all Time.[165] In 2014, The Hollywood Reporter's entertainment industry-voted ranking named it the eighty-third-best film of all time.[177] The film's characters have also been recognized. In 2003, the AFI ranked Hans Gruber number 46 on its 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains list.[178] In 2006, Empire ranked McClane number 12 on its list of its '100 Greatest Movie Characters'; Gruber followed at number 17.[32][179] Several publications have listed it as one of the greatest action films of all time, including: number one by Empire,[180] IGN[166] and Entertainment Weekly;[167] number 10 by Time Out New York;[181] number 14 by The Guardian;[182] number 18 by Men's Health[183] and unranked by Complex,[184] Esquire[185] and Evening Standard.[186] Adding to the debate over Die Hard's status as a Christmas film, it has appeared on several lists of the top holiday films, including at number one by Empire[187] and San Francisco Gate,[188] number four by Entertainment Weekly[189] and The Hollywood Reporter,[190] number five by Digital Spy,[191] and number eight in a Radio Times readers' poll.[192] Sequels Main article: Die Hard (film series) Jeremy Irons seated at a table in front of a microphone with his arms crossed Jeremy Irons in 2015. He portrayed Hans Gruber's brother Simon in 1995's Die Hard with a Vengeance. The success of Die Hard spawned four film sequels, beginning with Die Hard 2 in 1990, which was rushed into production to capitalize on the original's popularity.[140][193] Stuart and McTiernan did not return for the film; McTiernan was replaced by Renny Harlin.[193] Die Hard 2 is the last film in the series to feature the involvement of De Souza, Bedelia, VelJohnson, Atherton, Silver, and Gordon. Silver and Gordon fell out with each other and Willis after filming concluded, delaying the production of a third film—Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995).[193][194][195] This sequel also took longer to develop because of the difficulty in scripting an original scenario that had not already been used by one of Die Hard's many imitators.[193][195] McTiernan returned to direct Die Hard with a Vengeance; his only other film in the series.[140] The film's plot pits McClane against Hans Gruber's brother, Simon (Jeremy Irons).[193] Live Free or Die Hard—also known as Die Hard 4.0—was released in 2007. In it, McClane teams up with a hacker (Justin Long) to fight cyber terrorists led by Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant).[8][196] The film was controversial for its studio-mandate to target younger audiences, requiring much of the violence and profanity prevalent in the rest of the series to be excluded.[196] Even so, it was financially and critically successful.[197] The fifth film in the series, A Good Day to Die Hard (2013), teams McClane up with his son Jack for an adventure in Moscow. The film was considered a financial success.[197][198] It was derided by critics and fans, and the negative reception stalled the franchise. A Good Day to Die Hard is considered the weakest entry in the series.[8][196][199] Although Willis expressed interest in a sixth and final film, plans for a prequel film were cancelled following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019, and Willis retired from acting in 2022, after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition which affects his ability to communicate.[193][200][201] Die Hard remains the most critically acclaimed film in the series based on aggregated reviews.[202] As the sequels progressed, they increasingly hewed closer to the 1980s-style action films Die Hard had eschewed, McClane becoming an invincible killing machine surviving damage that would have killed his original incarnation.[20][203] NPR called Die Hard a "genuinely great" movie whose legacy has been tarnished by lackluster sequels.[204] According to The Guardian, the evolution of the action genre can be tracked by the differences in each Die Hard sequel, as McClane evolves from human into a superhuman.[136] A comic book prequel and sequel have been released: Die Hard: Year One is set in 1976 and chronicles McClane as a rookie officer; A Million Ways to Die Hard is set 30 years after Die Hard, and features a retired McClane seeking out a serial killer.[205][206] References Notes The $640 million in the vault is equivalent to $1.58 billion in 2022. Attributed to multiple references:[12][27][40][41][42][43] The 1988 budget of $25–$35 million is equivalent to $61.9 million–$86.6 million in 2022. The 1988 box office of $139.1–$140.7 million is equivalent to $344 million–$348 million in 2022. The Numbers and Box Office Mojo provide North American box office figures, but they do not include the international figures for many 1988 films. When failing to take into account the international grosses of some films, Die Hard is the eighth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 1988. Based on other industry reports in 1988 by Variety, the worldwide grosses of Cocktail and A Fish Called Wanda were greater than Die Hard's, lowering it to the tenth-highest-grossing film overall.[76][78][79] Attributed to multiple references:[84][87][90][98] Attributed to multiple references:[87][90][91][99] Attributed to multiple references:[2][3][85][97]     Attributed to multiple references:[84][89][100][91] Citations "Die Hard". 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External links     Die Hard at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata     Die Hard at the TCM Movie Database     Die Hard at AllMovie Edit this at Wikidata     Die Hard at the American Film Institute Catalog     vte Die Hard     Roderick Thorp's The Detective Nothing Lasts Forever Walter Wager's 58 Minutes Films        Die Hard Die Hard 2 Die Hard with a Vengeance Live Free or Die Hard A Good Day to Die Hard Characters        John McClane Hans Gruber Al Powell Video games        Die Hard (1990–91) Arcade Trilogy Trilogy 2: Viva Las Vegas Nakatomi Plaza Vendetta Other media        Soundtrack Year One (comic book) Related        Fox Plaza The Detective (film) Ricochet Dynamite Cop     Category     vte Films directed by John McTiernan Films        Nomads (1986) Predator (1987) Die Hard (1988) The Hunt for Red October (1990) Medicine Man (1992) Last Action Hero (1993) Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) The 13th Warrior (1999) Rollerball (2002) Basic (2003) Related        Unrealized projects     vte Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film     Sunset Boulevard (1951) Monsieur Verdoux (1952) Forbidden Games (1953) The Wages of Fear (1954) East of Eden (1955) Gervaise (1956) La Strada (1957) The Old Man and the Sea (1958) 12 Angry Men (1959) On the Beach (1960) Two Women (1961) The Grapes of Wrath (1962) Sundays and Cybele (1963) Lilies of the Field (1964) Mary Poppins (1965) A Man and a Woman (1966) Lenny (1975) Taxi Driver (1976) Rocky (1977) Conversation Piece (1978) The Deer Hunter (1979) Kramer vs. Kramer (1980) The Tin Drum (1981) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) Flashdance (1983) The Right Stuff (1984) Witness (1985) The Color Purple (1986) The Untouchables (1987) Wings of Desire (1988) Die Hard (1989) Field of Dreams (1990) The Silence of the Lambs (1991) JFK (1992) Jurassic Park (1993) Pulp Fiction (1994) The Bridges of Madison County (1995) Seven (1996) Titanic (1997) L.A. Confidential (1998) Life Is Beautiful (1999) Dancer in the Dark (2000) Joint Security Area (2001) Shaolin Soccer (2002) Infernal Affairs (2003) Mystic River (2004) Million Dollar Baby (2005) Flags of Our Fathers (2006) Dreamgirls (2007) The Dark Knight (2008) Gran Torino (2009) District 9 (2010) Black Swan (2011) Les Misérables (2012) Gravity (2013) Jersey Boys (2014) Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Rogue One (2016) Hidden Figures (2017) Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Joker (2019) Parasite (2020) No Time to Die (2021) Top Gun: Maverick (2022) The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)     vte Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Foreign Language Film     Rocky (1978) Conversation Piece (1979) The Deer Hunter (1980) Kramer vs. Kramer (1981) The Tin Drum (1982) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1983) An Officer and a Gentleman (1984) Once Upon a Time in America (1985) Amadeus (1986) Back to the Future (1987) Platoon (1988) The Last Emperor (1989) Die Hard (1990) Field of Dreams (1991) Dances with Wolves (1992) JFK (1993) Jurassic Park (1994) Schindler's List (1995) The Shawshank Redemption (1996) Il Postino: The Postman (1997) Titanic (1998) L.A. Confidential (1999) The Sixth Sense (2000) Dancer in the Dark (2001) Billy Elliot (2002) Monster's Ball (2003) The Pianist (2004) The Last Samurai (2005) Million Dollar Baby (2006) Flags of Our Fathers (2007) Letters from Iwo Jima (2008) The Dark Knight (2009) Gran Torino (2010) Avatar (2011) The King's Speech (2012) The Intouchables (2013) Les Misérables (2014) Frozen (2015) American Sniper (2016) Sully (2017) La La Land (2018) Bohemian Rhapsody (2019) Joker (2020) Parasite (2021) No Time to Die (2022) Top Gun: Maverick (2023) Portals:     icon 1980s      Film     flag United States Die Hard at Wikipedia's sister projects:     Media from Commons     Quotations from Wikiquote     Data from Wikidata Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata International        VIAF National        Norway France BnF data United States Other        IdRef Categories:     1988 films1980s American films1980s English-language films1980s heist films1988 action thriller films1980s Christmas films20th Century Fox filmsAmerican action thriller filmsAmerican Christmas filmsAmerican heist filmsDie HardFictional portrayals of the Los Angeles Police DepartmentFilms about hostage takingsFilms about murderersFilms about terrorism in the United StatesFilms about the Federal Bureau of InvestigationFilms based on American thriller novelsFilms directed by John McTiernanFilms produced by Joel SilverFilms scored by Michael KamenFilms set in 1988Films set in CaliforniaFilms set in Los AngelesFilms shot in Los AngelesFilms with screenplays by Jeb StuartFilms with screenplays by Steven E. de SouzaSilver Pictures filmsUnited States National Film Registry filmsAmerican police filmsSiege films Fox Plaza (Los Angeles) Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools Coordinates: 34.055282°N 118.412804°W From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2121 Avenue of the Stars Fox Plaza in December 2005 MapWikimedia | © OpenStreetMap Alternative names    20th Century Studios Plaza General information Type    Commercial offices Architectural style    Postmodern Location    2121 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, California Coordinates    34.055282°N 118.412804°W Construction started    1985 Completed    1987 Owner    Irvine Company LLC Height Roof    150 m (490 ft) Technical details Floor count    34 Floor area    90,115 m2 (969,990 sq ft) Design and construction Architect(s)    Scott Johnson Structural engineer    John A. Martin & Associates Main contractor    Al Cohen Construction References [1][2][3][4] 2121 Avenue of the Stars, formerly known as Fox Plaza, is a 34-story, 493-foot (150 m) skyscraper in Century City, Los Angeles, California.[5] It is owned by the Orange County–based Irvine Company.[6] History Completed in 1987,[7] the building's principal design architect was Scott Johnson, Founding Design Partner of Johnson Fain. Former President Ronald Reagan had his offices on the 34th floor of the building for several years after leaving public office.[8] As of 2019, the 34th floor was occupied by 20th Century Studios.[9] Design The outer exterior of the building contains rust-red granite and glass panels. Fox Plaza features a unique HVAC system where a large vertical air shaft is located in the core of the building. The air shaft begins below the building as an outdoor, cooler air intake pushing air to each floor's fan room, and on the roof is located an exhaust for stale air. Such system design utilizes stack effect.[10][11] Filming location In a 2018 tour for Variety, the chief engineer of the building noted how the Fox Plaza has a large number of redundancies in its design, and he speculates that it's because it was intended to be used as a filming location.[12] The building has been featured in at least four major motion pictures released by Fox. Its most famous appearance was in the 1988 action film Die Hard, where it portrayed the fictional Nakatomi Plaza (also known as Nakatomi Tower), a building owned by a fictional Japanese conglomerate.[12] The damaged version of the tower was made via a scale model special effect. In 2018, to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary, a screening was held outside with the building in the background.[13] The plaza and a neighbouring building are the main setting for the 1994 comedy Airheads where fictional radio station KPPX is located.[14][15] Fox Plaza was also one of the buildings brought down at the end of Fight Club.[16] The building is also used for the corporate offices of Chimera Gas in the surrealistic road movie Motorama and is also portrayed as the headquarters for Spencer Publications on the soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful.[citation needed] The building plays an important role in the Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode "99", in which detective Jake Peralta insists on visiting the building due to its role in Die Hard and causes his squad to miss their return flight to New York City.[17] The exterior of the building was used in the 1987 Charlie Sheen film No Man's Land, in the 2001 episode of The X-Files, "Essence", and in the 1989 film Lethal Weapon 2.[citation needed] The building can also be seen from the InterContinental hotel pool across the street in the "Sunblock 5000" TV ad in Robocop 2 (1990). See also Skyscrapers in film References  "Fox Plaza". CTBUH Skyscraper Center.  "Emporis building ID 116576". Emporis. Archived from the original on February 14, 2016.  "Fox Plaza". SkyscraperPage.  Fox Plaza at Structurae  "Fox Plaza - Office Building for Rent - Los Angeles, CA". Irvine Company. Archived from the original on 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2018-07-30.  "Irvine Company's Fox Plaza Captures Prestigious Regional Industry Award". Irvine Company. Archived from the original on 2018-07-30. Retrieved 2018-07-30.  De Wolfe, Evelyn (1987-02-01). "Fox Plaza Adds Color to Westside's Skyline". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-06-02.  Lewis, Andy (26 September 2013). "Inside Ronald Reagan's 'Die Hard' Office in Century City". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.  "Fox Plaza". Los Angeles Conservancy. Archived from the original on 2016-07-29. Retrieved 2019-03-21.  "Large-Building HVAC Systems". Industrial-Electronics.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16. An unusual example of vertical air distribution at the core is shown in Fig. 10. The Fox Plaza, Los Angeles, office building's unique features include both fan rooms on each floor and a large central vertical air shaft. This air shaft begins at the bottom as a fresh air intake to each floor and tapers to become, at the top, an exhaust (heated) air outlet from each floor. Thus, the stack effect is utilized to help supply fresh and exhaust stale air from a large building, with help from small supply fans at each floor.  Grondzik, Walter T.; Kwok, Alison G. (2014). Mechanical and Electrical Equipment for Buildings (12th ed.). Wiley. pp. 507–509. ISBN 978-1118615904.  Tapley, Kristopher (2018-07-29). "'Die Hard' Celebrates 30th Anniversary with Outdoor 'Nakatomi Tower' Screening". Variety. Archived from the original on 2018-07-29. Retrieved 2018-07-30.  Tapley, Kristopher (29 July 2018). "'Die Hard' Celebrates 30th Anniversary With Outdoor 'Nakatomi Tower' Screening". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2023.  Airheads (1994) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-04-08  "Airheads". Retrieved 2021-04-08.  "The 'Where Is My Mind' Ending Scene in Fight Club (1999)". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-01-03.  Ferguson, LaToya (6 December 2017). "In Brooklyn Nine-Nine's "99," teamwork makes the dream work". The A.V. Club. Great Hill Partners. Retrieved 8 August 2020. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fox Plaza (Los Angeles, California). 2121 Avenue of the Stars official website vte Century City, Los Angeles Education Primary and secondary schools    Los Angeles Unified School DistrictLycée Français de Los Angeles Century City Campus Other education    Los Angeles Community College DistrictLos Angeles Public Library Other Landmarks    Century City Medical PlazaThe Century Plaza HotelCentury Plaza TowersConstellation PlaceFox PlazaGateway West Building This list is incomplete vte Die Hard Roderick Thorp's The DetectiveNothing Lasts ForeverWalter Wager's 58 Minutes Films    Die HardDie Hard 2Die Hard with a VengeanceLive Free or Die HardA Good Day to Die Hard Characters    John McClaneHans GruberAl Powell Video games    Die Hard (1990–91)ArcadeTrilogyTrilogy 2: Viva Las VegasNakatomi PlazaVendetta Other media    SoundtrackYear One (comic book) Related    Fox PlazaThe Detective (film)RicochetDynamite Cop  Category Categories: 20th Century StudiosCentury City, Los AngelesDie HardMass media company headquarters in the United StatesOffice buildings completed in 1987Skyscraper office buildings in Los AngelesWilliam Pereira buildings Advent calendar Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia An Advent calendar with the nativity scene behind the 24th door and the adoration of the shepherds behind the 25th. Each of the four Sundays in Advent has an additional door. An Advent calendar, from the German word Adventskalender, is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas.[1] Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood begin on December 1. Others start from the First Sunday of Advent.[2][3] The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries, and has since then spread to other Christian denominations.[4][5][6][7] Design and use Doors for 15 and 17 December of an Advent calendar at a building in Lucerne, Switzerland Traditional Advent calendars feature the manger scene, Saint Nicholas and winter weather, while others range in theme, from sports to technology.[8] They come in a multitude of forms, from a simple paper calendar with flaps covering each of the days to fabric pockets on a background scene to painted wooden boxes with cubby holes for small items. Many Advent calendars take the form of a large rectangular card with "Doors", one for each day of December leading up to and including Christmas Eve (December 24) or Christmas Day (December 25). Consecutive doors are opened every day leading up to Christmas, beginning on the start of the Advent season for that year,[2][3] or simply on December 1, as is the case of reusable Advent calendars. Often the doors are distributed across the calendar in no particular order. The calendar doors open to reveal an image, a poem, a portion of a story (such as the story of the Nativity of Jesus), or a small gift, such as a toy or a chocolate item. Often, each door has a Bible verse and Christian prayer printed on it, which Christians incorporate as part of their daily Advent devotions.[4][9] There are many variations of Advent calendars; some European villages create advent calendars on buildings or even so-called "living" Advent calendars,[10] where different windows are decorated for each day of Advent. The Nordic Julekalender/Julkalender Main article: Nordic Christmas calendar In Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, there is a tradition of having a Julekalender (Swedish: Julkalender, Finnish: Joulukalenteri, Icelandic: Jóladagatal; the local word for a Yule—or Christmas—calendar) in the form of a television or radio show, starting on December 1 and ending on Christmas Eve (December 24). The first such show aired on radio in 1957 in the form of the Swedish radio series Barnens adventskalender. The first televised show of the genre aired in 1960 in the form of the Swedish program Titteliture.[11] The first julekalender aired in Denmark was Historier fra hele verden in 1962. The televised julkalender or julekalendar has now extended into the other Nordic countries. In Finland, for example, the show is called Joulukalenteri. Over the years, there have been several kinds of julekalender. Some are directed at children, some at both children and adults, and some directed at adults alone. There is a Julkalender radio show in Sweden, which airs in the days leading up to Christmas. A classic example of a julekalender enjoyed by children, as well as adults, if purely for nostalgic reasons, is the 1979 Norwegian television show Jul i Skomakergata. Another is the 1990 Icelandic television show Á baðkari til Betlehem. Image gallery A collection of Advent calendars Advent calendar from Im Lande des Christkinds. The doors contain Christmas poems. Images, from a cut-out sheet, were pasted over them. Advent calendar from Im Lande des Christkinds. The doors contain Christmas poems. Images, from a cut-out sheet, were pasted over them.   A 1946 Advent calendar by Marianne Schneegans A 1946 Advent calendar by Marianne Schneegans   The 24 windows of the front of Hellbrunn Palace in Salzburg, Austria, used as an Advent calendar during the town's Christmas market The 24 windows of the front of Hellbrunn Palace in Salzburg, Austria, used as an Advent calendar during the town's Christmas market   A home-made Advent calendar featuring presents A home-made Advent calendar featuring presents   An Advent calendar consisting of images that have dates on the inverse side An Advent calendar consisting of images that have dates on the inverse side   A Norwegian Advent calendar A Norwegian Advent calendar   A home-made Advent calendar made from wood in the shape of a Christmas tree A home-made Advent calendar made from wood in the shape of a Christmas tree   Advent Calendar at the City Hall in Stollberg, Saxony Advent Calendar at the City Hall in Stollberg, Saxony   Two girls try to open the first door of an Advent calendar at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. Two girls try to open the first door of an Advent calendar at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.   "Living" Advent calendar "Living" Advent calendar   Advent calendar with presents as flaps, randomly arranged Advent calendar with presents as flaps, randomly arranged   Stand-up Advent calendar by Carlsen Verlag, 1959 Stand-up Advent calendar by Carlsen Verlag, 1959   An Advent calendar featuring Santa Claus riding his sleigh An Advent calendar featuring Santa Claus riding his sleigh See also Advent candle Advent wreath Christingle Lenten calendar References  Penney, Sue (1999). Christianity. Heinemann. p. 38. ISBN 9780435304775. In Advent, Christians use special candles and calendars. Advent candles have marks to show the days until Christmas. The candle is lit each day until it burns down to the next mark. Advent calendars have little doors to open, one for each day. Behind each door is a picture. Candles and calendars like this help to remind people that Christmas is coming closer.  "Online Advent calendar created by the world". Anglican Communion News Service. November 17, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016. ] Christians across the world are being invited to celebrate the season of Advent through an interactive, multi-lingual online calendar. The website adventword.org goes live on Advent Sunday (27 November) in nine languages including, for the first time, Arabic. It allows people around the globe to create together an advent calendar with images shared by their mobile phones. Advent, which runs from Sunday 27 November to Christmas Eve, is the season when Christians prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It is traditionally marked with the putting up of an Advent calendar to count down the days. The calendars have daily windows which are opened to reveal images, small chocolates or other gifts.  Mac Donald, Sarah (November 26, 2014). "Primate launches online calendar for Advent". Catholicireland.net. Catholic Ireland. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016. The Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, on Tuesday launched a specially commissioned 2014 Advent calendar to coincide with the beginning of Advent on Sunday 30 November. The online calendar can be found on the Irish Catholic bishops' website www.catholicbishops.ie. This year's calendar also incorporates a new feature in the form of an audio 'Thought for Today'. In a statement, the Archbishop said "Each day of Advent amounts to a period of time which allows us to journey and reflect on 'the joy of the Gospel." "As Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of our Lord, I encourage the faithful, notwithstanding our hectic schedule over the coming weeks, to make time to pray – alone and with loved ones – and by so doing to draw nearer to Christ," Archbishop Martin encouraged. The first door on the Advent Calendar will open on Sunday next 30 November and each subsequent day after that.  Mills, T.J. (May 10, 2010). The Twelve Blessings of Christmas. Thomas Nelson Inc. p. 54. ISBN 9780529124319. The Advent calendar was first used by Lutherans in the early 19th century. Early printed Advent calendars had Bible verses behind little cardboard doors.  Gassmann, Günther; Larson, Duane H.; Oldenburg, Mark W. (April 4, 2001). Historical Dictionary of Lutheranism. Scarecrow Press. p. 87. ISBN 9780810866201. The periods of Advent and Christmas have been especially dear to Lutherans and have provided ground for the creation and observation of customs: the rich tradition of hymn singing and church music, the Advent wreath as a sign of Christ's victory, the Advent calendar with its "windows," candles symbolizing new light in darkness, the varieties of Advent and Christmas cookies (gingerbread, fruit loaf, and so on) with several spices (originally seven, the holy number), the Christmas tree with glittering decoration and self-made figures and symbols as a reminder of the gold and treasures that the three wise men brought to the Christ Child, the cribs and tableaus within and out front of the churches and houses, and the greeting of Christmas morning by hymns and carols blown by trumpets and trombones from church towers.  "The Season of Advent: Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace". Reno: Faith Lutheran Church. Retrieved December 9, 2021. The Advent calendar is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. The Advent calendar was first used by German Lutherans in the 19th and 20th centuries but is now widely used among many Christian denominations .  McLaughlan, David (September 1, 2012). The Top 40 Traditions of Christmas: The Story Behind the Nativity, Candy Canes, Caroling, and All Things Christmas. Barbour Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62029-108-5. Like many other Christmas traditions, the Advent calendar was a German invention. It is thought to have originated among Lutheran communities and spread to other churches in the area  MacBeth, Sybil (November 1, 2014). The Season of the Nativity. Paraclete Press. p. 50. ISBN 9781612616131. The variety of Advent calendars is endless, and they are available online, in bookstores, and even in some grocery stores. The "old-fashioned," meaning twentieth-century and earlier versions, are made of paper and often include pictures of Santa Claus, the manger, or winter weather. Most calendars have twenty-four little paper doors; behind each is a picture or a Bible passage.  Black, Vicki K. (January 9, 2004). Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seasons of the Episcopal Church. Church Publishing, Inc. p. 17. ISBN 9780819225757. The Advent Calendar: Another way to mark the progress of Advent is the Advent calendar. Again, many children enjoy this hands-on way of keeping Advent, and families can incorporate prayers and brief Scripture readings or nativity stores into the daily ritual of opening the Advent calendar.  "Penarth neighbours create 'living' advent calendar". BBC News. December 5, 2016.  "Julkalendern 50 år - Bakgrund". December 10, 2007. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2011. External links Taylor, Alan (November 30, 2012). "2012 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar". In Focus. The Atlantic. Taylor, Alan (December 1, 2018). "2018 Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar". In Focus. The Atlantic. vte Advent Liturgy    Advent SundayAngelusChristmas EveEmber daysGaudete SundayHail MaryMagnificatSaint Nicholas Day Advent wreath Narratives    Fall of manChristian messianic prophecies Isaiah 9:6Isaiah 53Davidic dynasty in Bible prophecyGenealogy of JesusJohn 1:1John the BaptistSaint Joseph's dreamsTree of Jesse Traditions    Advent calendarAdvent candleChristingleHanging of the greensChristmas markets ListStir-up SundayAdvent wreathMoravian star Songs and hymns    "Adam lay ybounden""Advent är mörker och kyla"Advent songAdventstidAngelus ad virginem"Bereden väg för Herran""Come, thou Redeemer of the earth""Conditor alme siderum""The Cherry-Tree Carol""Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus""Det är advent""Es ist ein Ros entsprungen"Gabriel's Message"The Holly and the Ivy""Hosianna, Davids son""In das Warten dieser Welt""Jesus Christ the Apple Tree""Kündet allen in der Not""Lo! He comes with clouds descending""Long Ago, Prophets Knew""Macht hoch die Tür""Macht weit die Pforten in der Welt""Maria durch ein Dornwald ging""Meine Seele, dank und singe""Mit Ernst, o Menschenkinder""Der Morgenstern ist aufgedrungen""Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland"O Antiphons"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel""O Heiland, reiß die Himmel auf""O How Shall I Receive Thee""Of the Father's Heart Begotten"Rorate Caeli"Sei uns willkommen, Herre Christ""Singet fröhlich im Advent""There is no rose of such virtue""Tochter Zion, freue dich""Savior of the Nations, Come""Vi tänder ett ljus i advent""Hark, a Thrilling Voice Is Sounding""Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" Cantatas and other music    Ärgre dich, o Seele, nicht, BWV 186aBereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 132Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147aHandel's Messiah (Part I)Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Böhm)Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 61Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, BWV 62This Is the Record of JohnUnser lieben Frauen TraumVirga Jesse (Bruckner)Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140Wachet! betet! betet! wachet! BWV 70aWir sagen euch an den lieben AdventList of Advent cantatas Music publications    Carols for ChoirsThe New English HymnalThe Oxford Book of CarolsThe New Oxford Book of CarolsPiae CantionesThe English HymnalHymns Ancient and ModernThe Hymnal 1982 Related topics    Anglican church musicCatholic musicLutheran hymnsCarol serviceChristmastideLiturgical year  Category Commonsicon Christianity portal vte Christmas Blue ChristmasBoxing DayChildren's DayChristmas EveSaint Nicholas DaySt. Stephen's DaySol InvictusYule In Christianity    Biblical Magi Adoration of the MagiAdoration of the ShepherdsAdventAngel GabrielAnnunciationAnnunciation to the shepherdsBaptism of the LordBethlehemChristmastideEpiphanyHerod the GreatJesusJosephMaryMassacre of the Innocents flight into EgyptNativity FastNativity of Jesus in artin later cultureNativity scene NeapolitanStar of BethlehemTwelfth Night In folklore    BadaliscCaganerChristkindGrýlaJack FrostKorvatunturiKallikantzarosLegend of the Christmas SpiderMari LwydMiner's figureNisseNorth PoleOld Man WinterPerchtaSanta's workshopTió de NadalTurońVertepYule catYule Lads Gift-bringers    Saint Nicholas folkloreSanta ClausBefanaDed MorozFather ChristmasGrandpa IndianJoulupukkiJulemandenNoel BabaOlentzeroPère NoëlSinterklaasOthers Companions of Saint Nicholas    BelsnickelElvesKnecht RuprechtKrampusMrs. ClausPère FouettardSack ManSanta Claus' daughterSanta's reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerSnegurochkaZwarte Piet Traditions    Advent calendarAdvent candleAdvent wreathBoar's Head FeastCandle archesCardsCarols by CandlelightCavalcade of MagiChristingleChristmas jumperChristmas PeaceCrackersDecorationsDidukhEvents and celebrationsFeast of the Seven FishesFlying SantaGiftsGoogle Santa TrackerHampersLas PosadasLettersLightsLord of MisruleMarketsMeals and feastsMidnight MassMoravian starNine Lessons and CarolsNORAD Tracks SantaNutcrackers dollsOrnamentsParades listPiñatasPoinsettiaPyramidsRäuchermannSealsSecret SantaSpanbaumSzopkaStampsStockingsTreeTwelve DaysWassailingWindowsYule goatYule log By country    AustraliaColombiaDenmarkEnglandEthiopiaFinlandFranceGermanyHungaryIcelandIndonesiaIrelandItalyMexicoNew ZealandNorwayPhilippinesPolandRomaniaRussiaScotlandSerbiaSwedenUkraineUnited States American Civil WarHawaiiNew MexicoPost-War United States Music    Carols listOperasSongsHit singles in the UKHit singles in the USMusic charts (Billboard)Music books Carols for ChoirsThe Oxford Book of CarolsThe New Oxford Book of CarolsPiae Cantiones Other media    In literature novelsA Christmas CarolFilms (Christmas, Santa, Christmas horror)Poetry "Old Santeclaus with Much Delight"A Visit from St. Nicholas"Christmas Day in the Workhouse""Journey of the Magi""Tomten"Christmas television specials Yule LogApollo 8 Genesis reading In modern society    Advent ConspiracyBlack Friday (partying)Black Friday (shopping)Bronner's Christmas WonderlandChristmas and holiday seasonChristmas clubChristmas creepChristmas Day (Trading) Act 2004Christmas LecturesChristmas MountainsChristmas sealsChristmas truceControversiesCyber MondayEconomicsGiving TuesdayGrinchEl GordoJews and ChristmasIn JulyIn AugustNBA gamesNFL gamesPikkujouluSantaConSanta's Candy CastleSanta Claus VillageScroogeSmall Business SaturdaySuper SaturdayUgly sweatersVirginia O'Hanlon ("Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus")White ChristmasWinter festivalsWWE Tribute to the TroopsXmas Food and drink    Dinner    JoulupöytäJulebordKūčiosRéveillonThirteen dessertsTwelve-dish supperSmörgåsbordWigilia Sweets    Candy caneCakeCookieCozonacFruitcakeGingerbreadKutiaMakówkiMelomakaronoMince piePampushkaPanettonePavlovaPecan piePoppy seed rollPumpkin pieQurabiyaRed velvet cakeStollenSzaloncukorTurrónYule log Soup    MenudoBorscht Sauces    Bread sauceCranberry sauceRedcurrant sauce Beverages    Apple ciderChampurradoEggnogHot chocolateKisselMulled wine Smoking BishopPonche crema Dumplings    HallacaPierogiTamaleVarenyky Meat and fish    CarpGefilte fishHamPickled herringRoast gooseRomeritosStuffingTourtière (meat pie)Turkey  Category Authority control databases: National Edit this at Wikidata    FranceBnF dataGermanyIsraelUnited States Categories: Christmas in GermanyGerman inventionsAdventHistory of LutheranismChocolateCalendars Alan Rickman     Article     Talk     Read     Edit     View history Tools From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Not to be confused with Alan Richman. Alan Rickman Rickman in 2011 Born    21 February 1946 London, England Died    14 January 2016 (aged 69) London, England Alma mater    Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Occupations        Actordirector Years active    1974–2016 Works    Full list Spouse    Rima Horton ​ (m. 2012)​ Awards    Full list Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), performing in modern and classical theatre productions. He played the Vicomte de Valmont in the RSC stage production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses in 1985, and after the production transferred to the West End in 1986 and Broadway in 1987, he was nominated for a Tony Award. Rickman's first film role came when he was cast as the German terrorist leader Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988). He won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). He earned critical acclaim for Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), Sense and Sensibility (1995), and Michael Collins (1996). He went on to play Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series (2001–2011). His other notable film roles include in Quigley Down Under (1990), Dogma (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999), Love Actually (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), its 2016 sequel, and Eye in the Sky (2015). He directed the films The Winter Guest (1997), and A Little Chaos (2014). On television, Rickman made his acting debut playing Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (1978) as part of the BBC's Shakespeare series. His breakthrough role was Obadiah Slope in the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles (1982). He later starred in television films, portraying Grigori Rasputin in the HBO film Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny (1996), which won him a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award and played Alfred Blalock in the HBO film Something the Lord Made (2004). In 2009, The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[1] Rickman died of pancreatic cancer on 14 January 2016 at age 69.[2][3] Early life and education Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was born on 21 February 1946 in the Acton district of London,[4][5][6] to housewife Margaret Doreen Rose (née Bartlett)[6][7][8][9][10] and factory worker, house painter and decorator, and former Second World War aircraft fitter Bernard William Rickman.[6][10][11][12][13] His mother was Welsh, and his paternal grandmother was Irish. Rickman would later say in April 2015, "I was talking to Sharleen Spiteri about being a Celt, how you smell each other out, because my mother's family is Welsh. There's not a lot of English blood in me."[14] His father was Catholic and his mother was a Methodist.[15] He had two brothers named David and Michael and a sister named Sheila.[6] Rickman was born with a tight jaw, contributing to the deep tone of voice and languid delivery for which he would become famous.[16][17] Rickman himself said that a vocal coach told him he had a "spastic soft palate".[18] When he was eight years old, his father died of cancer, leaving his mother to raise him and his three siblings mostly alone. According to biographer Maureen Paton, the family was "rehoused by the council and moved to an Acton estate to the west of Wormwood Scrubs Prison, where his mother struggled to bring up four children on her own by working for the Post Office".[6][19] Margaret Rickman married again in 1960, but divorced Rickman's stepfather after three years.[6][15][20] Before Rickman met his longtime partner Rima Horton at age 19,[21] he stated that his first crush was at 10 years old on a girl named Amanda at his school's sports day.[22] As a child, he excelled at calligraphy and watercolour painting. Rickman was educated at West Acton First School[23] followed by Derwentwater Primary School in Acton, and then Latymer Upper School in London through the Direct Grant system, where he became involved in drama. Rickman went on to attend Chelsea College of Art and Design from 1965 to 1968.[24] He then attended the Royal College of Art from 1968 to 1970.[25] His training allowed him to work as a graphic designer for the Royal College of Art's in-house magazine, ARK, and the Notting Hill Herald, which he considered a more stable occupation than acting; he later said that drama school "wasn't considered the sensible thing to do at 18".[26][27][28] Following graduation, Rickman and several friends opened a graphic design studio called Graphiti, but after three years of successful business, he decided that he was going to pursue acting professionally. He wrote to request an audition with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA),[29] which he attended from 1972 until 1974.[30] While there, he supported himself by working as a dresser for Nigel Hawthorne and Ralph Richardson.[31] Career 1980–1988: Theatre roles and film debut After graduating from RADA, Rickman worked extensively with British repertory and experimental theatre groups in productions including Chekhov's The Seagull and Snoo Wilson's The Grass Widow at the Royal Court Theatre, and appeared three times at the Edinburgh International Festival. In 1978, he performed with the Court Drama Group, gaining roles in Romeo and Juliet and A View from the Bridge, among other plays. While working with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), he was cast as Jaques in As You Like It, contributing an essay about his process to the RSC's book Players of Shakespeare 2.[32] His breakthrough role was in The Barchester Chronicles (1982), the BBC's adaptation of Trollope's first two Barchester novels, as the Reverend Obadiah Slope.[16][33][34]     It shouldn't be a surprise that Alan Rickman is the only actor to make it onto this Greatest Villains list twice—he does bad deeds with such gusto. Legend has it he kept refusing the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham until it was agreed he could do whatever he liked with it—which, to Kevin Costner's rumoured chagrin, included stealing the whole damn show. Every sneer, every eye-roll, every flourish of splenetic exasperation is a joy to behold. Whether he's cancelling Christmas or cutting your heart out with a spoon, Rickman's crowd-pleasing pantomime villainy is downright heroic. —Empire on Rickman, ranking his portrayals of the Sheriff of Nottingham (number 14) and Hans Gruber (number 4) on their list of the greatest villains.[35] Rickman was given the male lead, the Vicomte de Valmont, in the 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company production of Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, directed by Howard Davies.[36] After the RSC production transferred to the West End in 1986 and Broadway in 1987, Rickman received both a Tony Award nomination and a Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance.[37] In 1988, Rickman played the antagonist Hans Gruber in the action thriller Die Hard in what was his first feature film. Starring opposite Bruce Willis, Rickman's portrayal earned him critical acclaim and a spot on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list as the 46th best villain in film history.[38] Rickman later revealed he almost did not take the role as he did not think Die Hard was the kind of film he wanted to make.[39] 1990–2000: Career breakthrough In 1990, he played the Australian Elliot Marston opposite Tom Selleck in Quigley Down Under (1990). The following year, Rickman was cast as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Kevin Reynolds's film adaptation of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). In the film, Rickman acted opposite Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman. Entertainment Weekly proclaimed that while Robin Hood "left critics and movie goers underwhelmed, Rickman's gleefully wicked villain became the summer's most talked-about performance".[40] For his performance he received the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Upon winning the award Rickman stated, "This will be a healthy reminder to me that subtlety isn't everything".[41] Despite gaining acclaim within the media for his ability to portray villainous roles in films[42][43] Rickman took issue with being typecast as a villain. During this decade he would portray a range of characters that would defy media perceptions.[44] Rickman soon started to play leading roles such as Man, in the enigmatic film Closet Land (1991) alongside Madeleine Stowe; and he also was the romantic role of Jamie in the independent romance film Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991) which earned him another BAFTA Award nomination.[45] The film directed by Anthony Minghella and starring Rickman and Juliet Stevenson proved to be a critical success. Rickman was able to break out of the mold of the movie villain with critic Roger Ebert noting, "The man is Rickman, who you will look at on the screen, and know you have seen somewhere, and rattle your memory all during the movie without making the connection that he was the villain in Die Hard."[46] Rickman also starred in Stephen Poliakoff's Close My Eyes (1991) with Clive Owen and Saskia Reeves. Jonathan Rosenbaum of The Chicago Reader praised the film and all three lead performances, calling them "edgy, powerful, and wholly convincing, with Rickman a particular standout."[47] All three of Rickman's performances in Close My Eyes, Truly Madly Deeply and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves would win him the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor, and the same performances along with his work in Quigley Down Under would also win him the London Film Critics' Circle Award for Actor of the Year.[48] In 1995, he was cast as Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, Ang Lee's film adaptation of Jane Austen's novel. The film also starred Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, and Kate Winslet. Thompson noted that Rickman could express the "extraordinary sweetness [of] his nature," as he had played "Machiavellian types so effectively" in other films.[49] For his performance, Rickman earned his third BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role nomination and his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. The following year he portrayed Éamon de Valera in the Neil Jordan period drama, Michael Collins starring Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts, and Stephen Rea. Rickman earned his fourth BAFTA Award nomination. In 1996, Rickman starred as the "mad monk" Rasputin in the HBO television biopic Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny, a role for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film.[50] Rickman directed The Winter Guest at London's Almeida Theatre in 1995 and the film version of the same play, released in 1997, starring Emma Thompson and her real-life mother Phyllida Law.[51] Rickman's stage performances in the 1990s include Antony and Cleopatra in 1998 as Mark Antony, with Helen Mirren as Cleopatra, in the Royal National Theatre's production at the Olivier Theatre in London, which ran from October to December 1998. Rickman appeared in Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings (2000), a BBC One Christmas special with Victoria Wood, playing an aged colonel in the battle of Waterloo who is forced to break off his engagement to Honeysuckle Weeks' character.[52] During his career, Rickman played comedic roles, including as Sir Alexander Dane/Dr. Lazarus in the cult classic sci-fi parody Galaxy Quest (1999) with Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Rockwell, and Tony Shalhoub. Rockwell said that Rickman "was very instrumental in making sure the script hit the dramatic notes, and everything had a strong logic and reason behind it".[53] He also played the angel Metatron, the voice of God, in Kevin Smith's Dogma (also 1999).[54] 2001–2011: Harry Potter and acclaim Rickman at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival In 2001, he first appeared as Severus Snape, the potions master, in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. His portrayal of the role throughout the Harry Potter series (2001–2011) was dark, but the character's motivations were not clear early on.[55] In 2002, Rickman performed onstage in Noël Coward's romantic comedy Private Lives. After its successful run at the Albery Theatre in the West End, it transferred to Broadway and ended in September 2002; he reunited with his Les Liaisons Dangereuses co-star Lindsay Duncan and director Howard Davies in the Olivier and Tony Award-winning production.[56] Rickman also voiced the character of "King Philip" in the 2002 King of the Hill episode, "Joust Like a Woman".[57] With Katharine Viner, Rickman compiled the play My Name Is Rachel Corrie and directed the premiere production at the Royal Court Theatre in London, which opened in April 2005. He won the Theatregoers' Choice Awards for Best Director. But the next year, its original New York production was "postponed" over the possibility of boycotts and protests from those who saw it as "anti-Israeli agit-prop". Rickman denounced "censorship born out of fear". Tony Kushner, Harold Pinter and Vanessa Redgrave, among others, criticised the decision to indefinitely delay the show. The one-woman play was put on later that year at another theatre to mixed reviews and has since been staged at venues around the world.[58] Despite the adverse reaction from pro-Israel groups, overall, the play was very popular, especially in London. "I never imagined that the play would create such acute controversy," Rickman said. He added, "Many Jews supported it. The New York producer was Jewish and we held a discussion after every performance. Both Israelis and Palestinians participated in the discussions and there was no shouting in the theater. People simply listened to each other."[59][60] In 2003, Rickman starred in the ensemble Christmas-themed romantic comedy Love Actually (2003) as Harry, the foolish husband of Emma Thompson's character. The film, written and directed by Richard Curtis, has been called "a modern classic" by The Independent.[61] In 2005, he lent his voice to Marvin the Paranoid Android in science fiction comedy The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) starring Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, and Zooey Deschanel. In 2007 he played the egotistical, Nobel Prize-winning father in the black comedy Nobel Son (2007).[62] In early 2005, My Name is Rachel Corrie, a play composed from Corrie's journals and emails from Gaza and compiled by Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner, in a production directed by Rickman, was presented in London and later revived in October 2005. The play was to be transferred to the New York Theatre Workshop, but when it was postponed indefinitely, the British producers denounced the decision as censorship and withdrew the show. It finally opened Off-Broadway on 15 October 2006 for an initial run of 48 performances.[63] Rickman was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for his work as Dr. Alfred Blalock in HBO's Something the Lord Made (2004). He starred in the independent film Snow Cake (2006) with Sigourney Weaver and Carrie-Anne Moss, and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (also 2006), directed by Tom Tykwer. He appeared as Judge Turpin in the critically acclaimed Tim Burton film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) alongside Johnny Depp, and his Harry Potter co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Timothy Spall.[64] Rickman starred in the 2008 movie Bottle Shock as a Paris-based wine expert named Steven Spurrier that heads to Napa Valley California in search of worthy wines to bring back to France for the competition that year (based on a true story). In 2009, Rickman was awarded the James Joyce Award by University College Dublin's Literary and Historical Society.[33] In October and November 2010, Rickman starred in the eponymous role in Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin alongside Lindsay Duncan and Fiona Shaw.[65] The Irish Independent called Rickman's performance breathtaking.[66] He reprised the role in a production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.[67] Rickman at the John Golden Theatre in 2011 In 2010, he starred in the BBC television production The Song of Lunch alongside Emma Thompson. That same year he provided the voice of Absolem the Caterpillar in Tim Burton's film Alice in Wonderland (2010).[68] Rickman again appeared as Severus Snape in the final instalment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011). Throughout the series, his portrayal of Snape garnered widespread critical acclaim.[69] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said Rickman "as always, makes the most lasting impression",[70] while Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine called Rickman "sublime at giving us a glimpse at last into the secret nurturing heart that ... Snape masks with a sneer."[71] Media coverage characterised Rickman's performance as worthy of nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.[72] His last appearance as Snape saw him receive award nominations in 2011, including at the Saturn Awards and the Scream Awards.[73] In November 2011, Rickman opened in Seminar, a new play by Theresa Rebeck, at the John Golden Theatre on Broadway.[74] Rickman, who left the production in April, won the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award for Favorite Actor in a Play[75] and was nominated for a Drama League Award for Outstanding Distinguished Performance.[76] 2012–2016: Final roles Rickman and Kate Winslet at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival Rickman starred with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz in Gambit (2012) by Michael Hoffman, a remake of the 1966 film.[77] In 2013, he played Hilly Kristal, the founder of the East Village punk-rock club CBGB, in the CBGB film with Rupert Grint.[78] In 2014, he directed and starred as King Louis XIV in the costume drama film, A Little Chaos starring Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jennifer Ehle, and Stanley Tucci. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film received mixed reviews with its critics' consensus reading, "Stylish and well-acted without ever living up to its dramatic potential, A Little Chaos is shouldered by the impressive efforts of a talented cast."[79] The following year he starred in Gavin Hood's Eye in the Sky (2015) starring Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, and Barkhad Abdi. This would be Rickman's final onscreen performance. The film debuted at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival to great acclaim, receiving a Rotten Tomatoes score of 95%, based on 175 critics, with the consensus being, "As taut as it is timely, Eye in the Sky offers a powerfully acted – and unusually cerebral – spin on the modern wartime political thriller."[80] Critic Stephen Holden of The New York Times in particular praised his role writing, "General Benson is Mr. Rickman’s final screen performance, and it is a great one, suffused with a dyspeptic world-weary understanding of war and human nature".[81] Reception and public image Rickman posing for a fan after a performance of John Gabriel Borkman in 2011 Rickman was chosen by Empire as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (No. 34) in 1995 and ranked No. 59 in Empire's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list in October 1997. In 2009 and 2010, he was ranked once again as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars by Empire, both times placing No. 8 out of the 50 actors chosen. He was elected to the council of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1993; he was subsequently RADA's vice-chairman and a member of its artistic advisory and training committees and development board.[30] Rickman was voted No. 19 in Empire magazine's Greatest Living Movie Stars over the age of 50 and was twice nominated for Broadway's Tony Award as Best Actor (Play); in 1987 for Les Liaisons Dangereuses and in 2002 for a revival of Noël Coward's Private Lives. The Guardian named Rickman as an "honourable mention" in a list of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[82] Two researchers, a linguist and a sound engineer, found "the perfect [male] voice" to be a combination of Rickman's and Jeremy Irons' voices based on a sample of 50 voices.[83] The BBC states that Rickman's "sonorous, languid voice was his calling card—making even throwaway lines of dialogue sound thought-out and authoritative."[84] In their vocal range exercises in studying for a GCSE in drama, he was singled out by the BBC for his "excellent diction and articulation".[85] Rickman is featured in several musical works, including a song composed by Adam Leonard entitled "Not Alan Rickman".[86] Credited as 'A Strolling Player' in the sleeve notes, the actor played a "Master of Ceremonies" part, announcing the various instruments at the end of the first part of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells II (1992) on the track "The Bell".[87] Rickman was one of the many artists who recited Shakespearian sonnets on the album When Love Speaks (2002), and also featured prominently in a music video by Scottish rock band Texas entitled "In Demand", which premiered on MTV Europe in August 2000.[88] Personal life Rickman at a Hudson Union Society event in 2009 In 1965, at age 19, Rickman met 18-year-old Rima Horton, who became his partner in the early 1970s and would later be a Labour Party councillor on Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council (1986–2006) and an economics lecturer at Kingston University in London.[21][89][90] In 2015, Rickman confirmed that they had married in a private ceremony in New York City in 2012.[91] Rickman was the godfather of fellow actor Tom Burke.[92] Rickman's brother Michael is a Conservative Party district councillor in Leicestershire.[93] Rickman was an active patron of the research foundation Saving Faces[94] and honorary president of the International Performers' Aid Trust, a charity that works to fight poverty amongst performing artists all over the world.[95] When discussing politics, Rickman said he "was born a card-carrying member of the Labour Party."[34] His last recorded work prior to his death was for a short video to help Oxford University students raise funds and awareness of the refugee crisis for Save the Children and Refugee Council.[96] According to his diaries, Rickman declined a CBE in 2008.[97] Rickman was political until his last days. His last onscreen performance was with Helen Mirren in the drama Eye in the Sky, which he had described as "a film about the moral responsibilities governments face regarding the use of drones." In 2003, after reading published emails by Rachel Corrie, a US activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza, he was motivated to produce My Name Is Rachel Corrie which was well received and popular in London.[60][98] Illness and death Throughout 2005, Rickman received treatment for an aggressive form of prostate cancer, culminating in a prostatectomy in January 2006. The operation coincided with the casting for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and he deliberated over whether to return to the series, but decided in favour, stating: "The argument that wins is the one that says: 'See it through. It's your story.'"[99] In August 2015, Rickman had a minor stroke, which led to the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.[3] He revealed that he had terminal cancer to only his closest confidants. On 14 January 2016, he died in London at the age of 69.[100] His remains were cremated on 3 February 2016 in the West London Crematorium in Kensal Green. His ashes were given to his wife, Rima Horton. His final two films, Eye in the Sky and Alice Through the Looking Glass, were dedicated to his memory, as was The Limehouse Golem, which would have been his next project.[101] Acting credits and accolades See also: Alan Rickman on screen and stage and List of awards and nominations received by Alan Rickman Rickman gained acclaim for his portrayal of Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series (2001–2011). He also starred in numerous films including Die Hard (1988), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991), An Awfully Big Adventure (1995), Sense and Sensibility (1995), Michael Collins (1996), Dogma (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999), Love Actually (2003), The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Alice in Wonderland (2010), and Eye in the Sky (2015). He has received numerous accolades including BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award in addition to nominations for two Drama Desk Awards, a Drama League Award, a Laurence Olivier Award, and two Tony Awards. Legacy Soon after his death, his fans created a memorial underneath the "Platform 9¾" sign at London King's Cross railway station.[102] His death has been compared to that of David Bowie, a fellow British cultural figure who died at the same age as Rickman four days earlier; like Rickman, Bowie died of cancer and kept his cancer diagnosis from the public.[103][104] Tributes from Rickman's co-stars and contemporaries appeared on social media following the announcement. Since his cancer was not publicly known, some—like Ralph Fiennes, who "cannot believe he is gone", and Jason Isaacs, who was "sidestepped by the awful news"—expressed their surprise.[89] Sir Michael Gambon told BBC Radio 4 he was a "great friend" and "a real man of the theatre and the stage".[105] At a West End performance of the play that made him a star (Les Liaisons Dangereuses), he was remembered as "a great man of the British theatre".[106] Harry Potter creator J. K. Rowling called Rickman "a magnificent actor and a wonderful man." Emma Watson wrote, "I feel so lucky to have worked and spent time with such a special man and actor. I'll really miss our conversations." Daniel Radcliffe appreciated his loyalty and support: "I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in Britain and America. He didn't have to do that."[107] Evanna Lynch said it was scary to bump into Rickman in character as Snape, but "he was so kind and generous in the moments he wasn't Snaping about."[108] Rupert Grint said, "even though he has gone I will always hear his voice."[89] Johnny Depp, who co-starred with Rickman in two Tim Burton films, commented, "That voice, that persona. There's hardly anyone unique anymore. He was unique."[109] Kate Winslet, who gave a tearful tribute at the London Film Critics' Circle Awards, remembered Rickman as warm and generous,[110] adding, "And that voice! Oh, that voice." Dame Helen Mirren said his voice "could suggest honey or a hidden stiletto blade".[89] Emma Thompson remembered "the intransigence which made him the great artist he was—his ineffable and cynical wit, the clarity with which he saw most things, including me ... I learned a lot from him."[107] Colin Firth told The Hollywood Reporter that, as an actor, Rickman had been a mentor.[111] John McTiernan, director of Die Hard, said Rickman was the antithesis of the villainous roles for which he was most famous on screen.[112] Sir Ian McKellen wrote, "behind [Rickman's] mournful face, which was just as beautiful when wracked with mirth, there was a super-active spirit, questing and achieving, a super-hero, unassuming but deadly effective."[107] Writer/director Kevin Smith told a tearful 10-minute story about Rickman on his Hollywood Babble On podcast. Rickman's family offered their thanks "for the messages of condolence".[113] An edited collection of Rickman's diaries from 1993 to 2015 was published in 2022 under the title Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries.[114][115] On 30 April 2023, search engine Google commemorated Rickman with a Doodle.[116] References Singer, Leigh (19 February 2009). "Oscars: the best actors never to have been nominated". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 17 September 2022. "Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and Die Hard actor, dies aged 69". BBC News. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 20 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016. Saul, Heather (15 January 2016). "Alan Rickman: British actor died from 'pancreatic cancer'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2018. "Alan Rickman, actor – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2020. 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"West End stars pay tribute to 'great' Alan Rickman at play that forged his movie career". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 March 2020. Park, Andrea (14 January 2016). "Stars mourn Alan Rickman on social media". CBS News. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016. Lynch, Evanna [@Evy_Lynch] (14 January 2016). "I'll also never forget how scary it was to accidentally bump into him as Snape ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 14 January 2016 – via Twitter.    Lynch, Evanna [@Evy_Lynch] (14 January 2016). "Am not prepared for a world without Alan Rickman ..." (Tweet). Retrieved 14 January 2016 – via Twitter. "Depp Pays Tribute To 'Unique Talent' Rickman". MSN. Retrieved 18 March 2020. Shahrestani, Vin (18 January 2016). "Kate Winslet tearfully remembers Alan Rickman at awards". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016. Westbrook, Caroline (20 January 2016). "Colin Firth pays touching tribute to Alan Rickman, saying he was 'in awe' of the actor". Metro. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016. McTiernan, John (19 January 2016). "Die Hard Director John McTiernan on Alan Rickman: 'He Had a Gift for Playing Terrifying People'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016. Innes, Sheila (5 January 2016). "Thanks for the tributes". LinkedIn (Sheila Innes). Retrieved 28 July 2016.    Owen, David W. (15 January 2016). "Brother is left 'broken' by Alan Rickman's death". Leicester Mercury. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016. Maxwell, Dominic (8 October 2022). "Madly, Deeply: The Alan Rickman Diaries review — witty, withering and sardonic". The Times. Retrieved 8 October 2022. Bell, BreAnna (25 September 2022). "Alan Rickman's Journals Reveal Why the 'Harry Potter' Actor Decided to Continue Playing Snape: 'See It Through. It's Your Story.'". Variety. Retrieved 25 September 2022.     "Celebrating Alan Rickman". Google. 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to Alan Rickman. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alan Rickman. Library resources about Alan Rickman     Resources in your library     Resources in other libraries By Alan Rickman     Resources in your library     Resources in other libraries     Alan Rickman at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata     Alan Rickman at the Internet Broadway Database Edit this at Wikidata     Alan Rickman at the TCM Movie Database Edit this at Wikidata     Alan Rickman at AllMovie Edit this at Wikidata     Alan Rickman at Emmys.com Awards for Alan Rickman     vte BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1968–2000        Ian Holm (1968) Laurence Olivier (1969) Colin Welland (1970) Edward Fox (1971) Ben Johnson (1972) Arthur Lowe (1973) John Gielgud (1974) Fred Astaire (1975) Brad Dourif (1976) Edward Fox (1977) John Hurt (1978) Robert Duvall (1979) Ian Holm (1981) Jack Nicholson (1982) Denholm Elliott (1983) Denholm Elliott (1984) Denholm Elliott (1985) Ray McAnally (1986) Daniel Auteuil (1987) Michael Palin (1988) Ray McAnally (1989) Salvatore Cascio (1990) Alan Rickman (1991) Gene Hackman (1992) Ralph Fiennes (1993) Samuel L. Jackson (1994) Tim Roth (1995) Paul Scofield (1996) Tom Wilkinson (1997) Geoffrey Rush (1998) Jude Law (1999) Benicio del Toro (2000) 2001–present        Jim Broadbent (2001) Christopher Walken (2002) Bill Nighy (2003) Clive Owen (2004) Jake Gyllenhaal (2005) Alan Arkin (2006) Javier Bardem (2007) Heath Ledger (2008) Christoph Waltz (2009) Geoffrey Rush (2010) Christopher Plummer (2011) Christoph Waltz (2012) Barkhad Abdi (2013) J. K. Simmons (2014) Mark Rylance (2015) Dev Patel (2016) Sam Rockwell (2017) Mahershala Ali (2018) Brad Pitt (2019) Daniel Kaluuya (2020) Troy Kotsur (2021) Barry Keoghan (2022)     vte Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie 1953–1975        Thomas Mitchell (1953) Robert Cummings (1955) Lloyd Nolan (1956) Jack Palance (1957) Peter Ustinov (1958) Fred Astaire (1959) Laurence Olivier (1960) Maurice Evans (1961) Peter Falk (1962) Trevor Howard (1963) Jack Klugman (1964) Alfred Lunt (1965) Cliff Robertson (1966) Peter Ustinov (1967) Melvyn Douglas (1968) Paul Scofield (1969) Peter Ustinov (1970) George C. Scott (1971) Keith Michell (1972) Laurence Olivier (1973) Anthony Murphy (1973) Hal Holbrook (1974) William Holden (1974) Laurence Olivier (1975) Peter Falk (1975) 1976–2000        Anthony Hopkins (1976) Hal Holbrook (1976) Ed Flanders (1977) Christopher Plummer (1977) Fred Astaire (1978) Michael Moriarty (1978) Peter Strauss (1979) Powers Boothe (1980) Anthony Hopkins (1981) Mickey Rooney (1982) Tommy Lee Jones (1983) Laurence Olivier (1984) Richard Crenna (1985) Dustin Hoffman (1986) James Woods (1987) Jason Robards (1988) James Woods (1989) Hume Cronyn (1990) John Gielgud (1991) Beau Bridges (1992) Robert Morse (1993) Hume Cronyn (1994) Raul Julia (1995) Alan Rickman (1996) Armand Assante (1997) Gary Sinise (1998) Stanley Tucci (1999) Jack Lemmon (2000) 2001–present        Kenneth Branagh (2001) Albert Finney (2002) William H. Macy (2003) Al Pacino (2004) Geoffrey Rush (2005) Andre Braugher (2006) Robert Duvall (2007) Paul Giamatti (2008) Brendan Gleeson (2009) Al Pacino (2010) Barry Pepper (2011) Kevin Costner (2012) Michael Douglas (2013) Benedict Cumberbatch (2014) Richard Jenkins (2015) Courtney B. Vance (2016) Riz Ahmed (2017) Darren Criss (2018) Jharrel Jerome (2019) Mark Ruffalo (2020) Ewan McGregor (2021) Michael Keaton (2022) Steven Yeun (2023)     vte Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Actor     Keith Michell - Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1973) Michael Caine - Sleuth (1974) Albert Finney - Murder on the Orient Express (1975) Peter Sellers - The Return of the Pink Panther (1976) John Thaw - Sweeney! (1977) Alec Guinness - Star Wars (1978) Peter Ustinov - Death on the Nile (1979) Denholm Elliott - Bad Timing, Rising Damp, and Zulu Dawn (1980) Bob Hoskins - The Long Good Friday (1981) Trevor Howard - Light Years Away (1982) Ben Kingsley - Gandhi and Betrayal (1983) John Hurt - Nineteen Eighty-Four, Champions, and The Hit (1984) Victor Banerjee - A Passage to India (1985) Ray McAnally - The Mission and No Surrender (1986) Derek Jacobi - Little Dorrit (1987) Bob Hoskins - Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1988) Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown (1989) Iain Glen - Mountains of the Moon, Fools of Fortune, and Silent Scream (1990) Alan Rickman - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Close My Eyes, and Truly, Madly, Deeply (1991) Daniel Day-Lewis - The Last of the Mohicans (1992) David Thewlis - Naked (1993) Ben Kingsley - Schindler's List (1994) Jonathan Pryce - Carrington (1995) Liam Neeson - Michael Collins (1996) Robert Carlyle - The Full Monty, Carla's Song, and Face (1997) Derek Jacobi - Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998) Jeremy Northam - An Ideal Husband and The Winslow Boy (1999) Jim Broadbent - Topsy-Turvy (2000) Linus Roache - Pandaemonium (2001) Chiwetel Ejiofor - Dirty Pretty Things (2002) Paul Bettany - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and The Heart of Me (2003) Paddy Considine - Dead Man's Shoes (2004) Ralph Fiennes - The Constant Gardener (2005) Daniel Craig - Casino Royale (2006) Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood (2007) Michael Sheen - Frost/Nixon / Pat Shortt - Garage (2008) Andy Serkis - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2009) Andrew Garfield - The Social Network and Never Let Me Go (2010) Michael Fassbender - Shame and Jane Eyre (2011) Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation (2016) Hugh Grant - Florence Foster Jenkins (2017) Daniel Kaluuya - Get Out (2018)     vte Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film     Mickey Rooney (1981) Anthony Andrews (1982) Richard Chamberlain (1983) Ted Danson (1984) Dustin Hoffman (1985) James Woods (1986) Randy Quaid (1987) Michael Caine / Stacy Keach (1988) Robert Duvall (1989) James Garner (1990) Beau Bridges (1991) Robert Duvall (1992) James Garner (1993) Raul Julia (1994) Gary Sinise (1995) Alan Rickman (1996) Ving Rhames (1997) Stanley Tucci (1998) Jack Lemmon (1999) Brian Dennehy (2000) James Franco (2001) Albert Finney (2002) Al Pacino (2003) Geoffrey Rush (2004) Jonathan Rhys Meyers (2005) Bill Nighy (2006) Jim Broadbent (2007) Paul Giamatti (2008) Kevin Bacon (2009) Al Pacino (2010) Idris Elba (2011) Kevin Costner (2012) Michael Douglas (2013) Billy Bob Thornton (2014) Oscar Isaac (2015) Tom Hiddleston (2016) Ewan McGregor (2017) Darren Criss (2018) Russell Crowe (2019) Mark Ruffalo (2020) Michael Keaton (2021) Evan Peters (2022) Steven Yeun (2023)     vte London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year     Alan Rickman (1991) Daniel Day-Lewis (1992) David Thewlis (1993) Ralph Fiennes (1994) Nigel Hawthorne (1995) Ewan McGregor / Ian McKellen (1996) Robert Carlyle (1997) Brendan Gleeson (1998) Jeremy Northam (1999) Jim Broadbent (2000) Paul Bettany (2001) Hugh Grant (2002) Paul Bettany (2003) Daniel Craig (2004) Ralph Fiennes (2005) Toby Jones (2006) James McAvoy (2007) Michael Fassbender (2008) Colin Firth (2009) Christian Bale (2010) Michael Fassbender (2011) Toby Jones (2012) James McAvoy (2013) Timothy Spall (2014) Tom Hardy (2015) Andrew Garfield (2016) Daniel Kaluuya (2017) Rupert Everett (2018) Robert Pattinson (2019) Riz Ahmed (2020) Andrew Garfield (2021) Bill Nighy (2022)     vte Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries, Limited Series or Television Film     Alan Rickman (1996) Gary Sinise (1997) Delroy Lindo (1998) William H. Macy (1999) James Woods (2000) Richard Dreyfuss (2001) William H. Macy (2002) James Woods (2003) Jamie Foxx (2004) Jonathan Rhys Meyers (2005) Bill Nighy (2006) David Oyelowo (2007) Paul Giamatti (2008) Brendan Gleeson (2009) Al Pacino (2010) Jason Isaacs (2011) Benedict Cumberbatch (2012) Michael Douglas (2013) Mark Ruffalo (2014) Mark Rylance (2015) Bryan Cranston (2016) Robert De Niro (2017) Darren Criss (2018) Jared Harris (2019) Ethan Hawke (2020) Ewan McGregor (2021) Evan Peters (2022)     vte Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie     Raul Julia (1994) Gary Sinise (1995) Alan Rickman (1996) Gary Sinise (1997) Christopher Reeve (1998) Jack Lemmon (1999) Brian Dennehy (2000) Ben Kingsley (2001) William H. Macy (2002) Al Pacino (2003) Geoffrey Rush (2004) Paul Newman (2005) Jeremy Irons (2006) Kevin Kline (2007) Paul Giamatti (2008) Kevin Bacon (2009) Al Pacino (2010) Paul Giamatti (2011) Kevin Costner (2012) Michael Douglas (2013) Mark Ruffalo (2014) Idris Elba (2015) Bryan Cranston (2016) Alexander Skarsgård (2017) Darren Criss (2018) Sam Rockwell (2019) Mark Ruffalo (2020) Michael Keaton (2021) Sam Elliott (2022) Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata International        FAST ISNI VIAF National        Norway Spain France BnF data Germany Italy Israel United States Czech Republic Australia Korea Netherlands Poland Artists        Emmy Awards MusicBrainz People        Deutsche Synchronkartei Deutsche Biographie Trove Other        SNAC IdRef Categories:     1946 births2016 deaths20th-century English male actors21st-century English male actors20th-century English diarists21st-century English diaristsAlumni of Chelsea College of ArtsAlumni of RADAAlumni of the Royal College of ArtBest Miniseries or Television Movie Actor Golden Globe winnersBest Supporting Actor BAFTA Award winnersBurials at Kensal Green CemeteryDeaths from pancreatic cancerEnglish film directorsEnglish-language film directorsEnglish male film actorsEnglish male Shakespearean actorsEnglish male stage actorsEnglish male television actorsEnglish male video game actorsEnglish male voice actorsEnglish people of Irish descentEnglish people of Welsh descentEnglish theatre directorsLabour Party (UK) peopleOutstanding Performance by a Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award winnersOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winnersPeople educated at Latymer Upper SchoolActors from Acton, LondonMale actors from HammersmithPeople with speech impedimentRoyal Shakespeare Company membersEnglish people with disabilitiesBritish actors with disabilitiesFilm directors with disabilities
  • Condition: New
  • Sub-Type: Die Hard
  • Type: Film
  • Surname Initial: W
  • Signed: Yes
  • Object: Signed Card
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
  • Certification: Pre-Printed

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