Hans Gruber

Hans Gruber
Die Hard character
Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber in Die Hard
First appearanceDie Hard (1988)
Last appearanceDie Hard: Nakatomi Plaza (2002)
Created by
Based onAnton Gruber
by Roderick Thorp
Portrayed byAlan Rickman
In-universe information
AliasBill Clay
OccupationCriminal
AffiliationVolksfrei Movement (based on Red Army Faction)
(formerly)
WeaponHeckler & Koch P7 (semi-automatic pistol)
FamilySimon Gruber (brother; deceased)
ChildrenMarcel Gruber (son; deceased)
NationalityEast German

Hans Gruber is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the 1988 action film Die Hard, portrayed by Alan Rickman.

Gruber is a thief and criminal mastermind from East Germany who holds the Nakatomi Plaza hostage to steal $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds. His plan is foiled by New York cop John McClane, who happened upon Gruber's plot by mistake. Since his first appearance, Gruber has been cemented as one of the most iconic villains in film history – as well as often being ranked as the greatest action movie villain of all time and one of Rickman's most iconic roles. The villain became so popular with movie fans that the producers introduced his brother, Simon (played by Jeremy Irons), as the primary antagonist of the third film in the franchiseDie Hard with a Vengeance.[1]

Hans Gruber ranked 46th on AFI's list "100 Years...100 Heroes and Villains".[2]

  1. ^ Nathan, Micah (2016-01-15). "Celebrating the Brilliance of Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  2. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains" (PDF). American Film Institute. 2005. Retrieved 29 August 2020.