Alan Rickman said he would be ‘spat in his face’ by passers-by over playing a terrorist in Die Hard

Late actor, who died in 2016, rose to fame playing Hans Gruber in classic 1988 thriller

Alan Rickman would be “spat in his face” by passers-by over playing a terrorist in Die Hard, he once told Bill & Ted actor Alex Winter.

The British actor, who died in 2016, made the remark while talking to Winter about always being associated with one role.

“It could be worse,” Winter told The New York Times. “I remember walking down the street with Alan Rickman once.

“A fan came up to us, and afterwards Alan was like, ‘You’re so lucky that you’re known for playing Bill and not Hans Gruber the terrorist. People come up to me and spit in my face. They come up to you and tell you how much they love you.’”

Die Hard, in which Rickman played a hostage-taking terrorist being pursued by Bruce Willis, marked his first film role and his introduction to American audiences.

He had previously found fame on the London stage, and would go on to star in films including Galaxy Quest, Love Actually and the Harry Potter franchise, but Gruber remained one of his most iconic characters.

Rickman and Winter nearly worked together on a dark comedy in 2004 about a young corporate executive sent on a humanitarian mission to the jungle, which was ultimately never produced.

Winter this month reprises his iconic role as time-travelling musician Bill, alongside Keanu Reeves’ Ted, in the belated sequel Bill & Ted Face the Music.