TODAY, January 14, marks the fifth anniversary of Alan Rickman's death, just weeks before his 70th birthday.

He is arguably one of Ealing's most famous celebrities, as Rickman was born in Acton in 1946.

He was born to a working-class family and according to biographer Maureen Paton, his 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."

Rickman attended West Acton First School, followed by Derwentwater Primary School and then Latymer Upper School through the Direct Grant system, which is where he became involved in drama.

The famous actor is known throughout the world for some of his iconic film roles.

These include playing Severus Snape in the Harry Potter franchise, Hans Gruber in Die Hard, along with main roles in Christmas favourite, Love Actually and Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Arguably one of his biggest successes however was winning a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor in 1992 for his role as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, opposite Hollywood greats such as Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.

Rickman had plenty more roles in films and theatre and managed to turn his craft into almost every genre and will be remembered by fans, friends and co-stars alike for years to come.