Things Found In Alan Rickman's Will
British actor Alan Rickman died on January 14, 2016 from pancreatic cancer. A mainstay of the acting scene, Rickman made his name in theater before moving into film. He was perhaps best known for portraying criminal mastermind Hans Gruber in the 1998 flick "Die Hard" and surly Professor Snape in the "Harry Potter" film trilogy. At the time of his death, the Mirror stated that Rickman's net worth was £4,060,033 (approximately $5 million). Out of this money, he donated some to various charities and left a considerable sum to members of his family.
Within his will, Rickman appointed his wife Rima Horton to be the executor, with the position going to his niece Sarah Hodges and his siblings Michael Rickman, David Rickman, and Sheila Innes in the event Rina died before him or did not wish to execute the will. Notably, he requested that his body be cremated. Rickman was a supporter of many charities throughout his life, and, as mentioned, was reported by the Mirror to have left the sum of £100,000 ($126,000) to those he was most involved with.
Alan Rickman split his charitable donations equally
Specifically, per The Mirror, Alan Rickman donated £25,000 each to the Sponsored Arts for Education, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the International Performers Aid Trust, and the Facial Surgery Research Foundation (otherwise known as Saving Faces), a charity focusing on helping to better treatment for those with facial disfigurement from disease. The actor had supported the latter charity since its creation in 2000 and was a patron.
He was also considered to be an honorary president of the International Performers Aid Trust, a charity that helps struggling performers to keep doing what they love. As for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (often referred to as RADA), Rickman's contribution is put into context due to Rickman attending the academy himself, having graduated in 1974. His contribution to the Sponsored Arts for Education (aka S.A.F.E), a Kenyan charity that uses theatre and film to educate and inform, is a clear insight into what Rickman felt strongly about.
He also left money to his nieces and siblings
In addition to leaving money to the above charities, the Mirror reported that Rickman left money to his family, giving £25,000 each to his three nieces. The "Harry Potter" star also left money to his siblings Michael Rickman, David Rickman, and Sheila Innes, with the money to go to their children if his siblings died before they could receive the money. The exact amount he left to his siblings is unknown, though the maximum sum of these bequests is listed as £500,000 with notes made for inheritance tax, too.
The rest of Rickman's assets are assumed to have been left to his wife Rima, though, unlike the money he left to his nieces, no specific sum was named (at least publicly). Interestingly, Rickman's will specifically stated that it only covered his assets in the United Kingdom and not those in Italy or the U.S. Likely he made separate plans for these countries perhaps due to the different laws surrounding wills or assets.