Stephen Fry, Jeremy Corbyn and members of the film industry have led tributes to Alan Rickman who has died aged 69.
His family confirmed his death after suffering from cancer to the Guardian.
The British actor, who is best known for playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise as well as films such as Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is also known for his work on stage.
Fry took to Twitter to express his sadness, writing that he was a man of "such talent and wicked charm".
The leader of the Labour party called him "one of the greatest actors of his generation".
Eddie Izzard and Piers Morgan pointed out that this sad news comes just two days after David Bowie, another iconic British entertainer, died from cancer.
Others from the film industry posted tributes to an actor whose first big role on-screen was at the age of 41 in Die Hard.
