Harry Potter's Severus Snape - Alan Rickman Deserves an OBE Award

I have a bone to pick with Queen Elizabeth II. With grimy musicians like Mick Jagger getting MBE and OBE Awards isn't it time was gave out a few for services to drama. Take Alan Rickman of Harry Potter fame. I can make a great case for nomination for an OBE- Order of the British Empire.Alan Rickman: Harry Potter's rival Professor Severus Snape, master of Slytherin has a string of amazing performances to his credit. Gifted in many accents, Alan Rickman can turn with ease from East ender cockney to Shakespearean British to Irish brogue to svelte French, to guttural German to boisterous Cyrillic Russian to who know where. Alan Rickman's talent can lead him just about anywhere.

Alan Rickman first chilled American audiences with his flawless portrayal of ruthless, suave German master criminal Hans Gruber to Bruce Willis John McClane in Die Hard. Rickman next thrilled American audiences, notably female audiences, as the lewd and sexy Sheriff of Nottingham alongside Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Alan Rickman nest turns the charm on full blast as the haunted, dashing gentleman Lothario Colonel Brandon in Ang Lee's 1995 Sense and Sensibility (with fellow Harry Potter actors Emma Thompson, Gemma Jones and Robert Hardy). In a complete turn-about Alan Rickman goes full force into the role of the half-literate mystic Russian monk Grigori Rasputin. Rickman gives us all the debauchery and demented charm with which Rasputin held the Czar's court and especially Czarina Alexandra under his spell. Rickman shows too, the crude compassion and self-sacrifice Rasputin gave to hemophiliac Alexi Romanov. We even see the tormented anguish of the semi-imbecile Rasputin. Alan Rickman's Rasputin is not a Disney villain; Rickman brings out the man in the demon.

In Michael Collins, with Liam Neeson in the lead, Alan Rickman plays Irish rebel Eamon de Valera. Rickman shares the stage with Harry Potter early cast member Ian Hart as Professor Quirinius Quirrell. Alan Rickman shows his lighter side as former Shakespearian actor turned TV show space alien of Galaxy Quest, alongside Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver. Galaxy Quest was banal and puerile. Alan Rickman makes Galaxy Quest tolerable and it was fun to see him do comedy. Blow Dry was another unusual movie choice for Alan Rickman, as a professional stylist trying to win a hair-dressing competition. Rickman even does some voice-overs in Fox-TV comedy King of the Hill.

After Alan Rickman sealed his success as Snape in Harry Potter, he became a hot commodity. Alan Rickman went on to do Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a quirky Orwellian serio-comedy. Alan Rickman takes on Johnny Depp as Judge Turpin to Depp's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Tim Burton saw Alan Rickman's work and cast him in his psychedelic high-profile Alice in Wonderland. With the last two Harry Potters in production and and another two movies slated, Alan Rickman will be the talk of Hollywood as well London's West End.

So, with four BAFTAs, two Emmys, one MTV award, one Golden Globe, two Chlotrudis Awards plus awards from around the globe including the prestigious Czech Lion, Brussels Film Festival and Montreal World Films award,
isn't it time to be pinning that CBE (or at least an OBE) on Alan Rickman's chest? I found the OBE nomination form online but would the insular Brits allow a mere Yank to nominate an OBE?