Rima Horton

Biography

Rima Horton is a former British Labour Party councilor from Kensington & Chelsea London Borough Council. 

Childhood- Early Life

Rima Elizabeth Horton was born on January 31st, 1947 at the Paddington hospital in Bayswater, London, England into a middle-class family of Wilfred Stewart Horton(Father)- a London native & Elice Irene Frame(Mother)- a Wales native

She was the third of the four siblings. She has two half-siblings in R. W. A. Horton (born in 1931) and M. J. Horton (born in 1932) [3] Rima's nieces and nephews through her older sister include- Belle; Benta and Jonathan [4]. Other relatives are nieces- Sarah M. Rickman Hodges (daughter od David Rickman, married to Andrew W. Hodges), Claire L., and Amelia M. M.  [3]

Mother- Elice Irene

Rima's mother Elice was a Wales native. She was born in 1906 in Upper Norwood, Surrey to Kate Frame a domestic servant (born 1883), Elice died in January 1984 at the age of 77.

Father- Wilfred Stewart Horton

Father Wilfred was born in 1905 in London. He died in February 2003 at the age of 97.

Rima had a stepmother in Gwendoline M. W. Horton, she had married Wilfred in July 1929. She had two sons R. W. A. Horton (1931-1992) and M. J. Horton (born 1934) 

Education

• Saint Vincent de Paul primary school: Rima attended the 'Saint Vincent de Paul primary school' located in Ligoniel, Belfast, an all-girls Catholic school in her early years. It was a small school run by Mrs. Reid & Mrs. Branley with about just 40 girls at the time.
• Chelsea College of Arts: She met Alan Rickman while she was studying there. They acted in dramas together.
• University of Southampton: She attended Soton for her graduation, she graduated with a major in Economics.

Husband- Marriage

Rima Horton & Alan Rickman

Image: Young Rima Horton with Alan Rickman

Rima & Alan got together in 1965 when they were studying at the Chelsea College of Arts, he was 19 at the time and she was 18, they moved in together in 1977, the couple had stayed together since that time Alan's death.

[Rima Horton and Alan Rickman in 1992]

[Rima Horton and Alan Rickman in 2002]

Wedding

Image: Rima Horton & Alan Rickman

After a successful 47 years of being together, the two decided to get hitched, they got married in 2012 in a private ceremony in New York (as revealed to the German newspaper Bild). They walked the Brooklyn bridge after the wedding and ate lunch.

Rima didn't want the ring. So Alan gave his wife a $200 wedding band as a gift, which she admits to have never worn. 

The marriage wasn't announced until 2015, they kept it a secret for three years.

Alan Rickman was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015, he died on 14th January 2016. He had previously suffered a minor stroke in August 2015.

Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman was an English actor and director. He was born on 21st February 1946 as the son of Margaret Doreen Rose Bartlett (a Welsh, housewife) and Bernard William Rickman (a factory worker, painter, decorator and WW2 aircraft fitter, of Irish-Welsh descent). Alan had brothers in David Rickman & Michael Rickman, and a sister in Sheila Innes.

He studied from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Alan and Rima had met at the Chelsea College of Arts as teenagers. Some of his best-known works are- as Hans Gruber in Die Hard (1988), Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), Professor Severus Snape in Harry Potter series, Alexander Dane in Galaxy Quest (1999) among others

He was the recipient of Tony Award, Primetime Emmy Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, Screen Award, Saturn Award, MTV award among others.

Speaking of their relationship, Alan had said (to Hello Magazine):

"I think every relationship should be allowed to have its own rules. She's tolerant. She's incredibly tolerant. Unbelievably tolerant. Possibly a candidate for sainthood."

The couple had trials and turbulence just like any other couple, in his 1992 interview the actor had opened up about his relationship with Rima Horton:

"We're just as messy and complex as any other couple, and we go through just as many changes. But I really respect her. Rima and I can sit in a room just reading, and not saying anything to each other for an hour, then she'll read something to me and we'll both start giggling."

Alan died on 14th January 2012, he was suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Rima was Alan's first girlfriend, and she remained his only girlfriend till death. Alan has left 4 Million Euros to his wife Rima in his will, he has donated about 100k Euros to various charities including the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Sponsored Arts for Education, Saving Faces (Facial Surgery Research Foundation), International Performers Aid Trust.

Trivia & Facts

• Lecturing: Rima has previously worked as a senior economics lecturer at Kingston University- a public research university in South West London. She started her career in Economics in 2002 and resigned in 2005.
• She has attended several movie premieres, film festivals, and award ceremonies with her famous husband.
• Rima met Kate Middleton back in 2015 at the Barlby Primary School, Rima was the member of the board of Governors.
• Children: Rima did not want to have children, Alan said in an interview that he would have liked to have some, but he respected his wife's decision.

  • "You should remember I am not the only one involved, There is another person here. I would have loved a family." [Guardian's Susie Mackenzie 1998]

• The Making Place: Rima has served as a member of the board of directors at this Charity foundation for children.
• Gate Theatre: She has served as a member of the board of trustees of this theater located at the Notting Hill Gate, London
• 50 years of being together: In 2015 Alan & Rima celebrated their 50 years of Love, they married on their 47th year together.
• Height Difference: Alan stood really tall at 185cm (6 Foot 1 inch), Rima is relatively very short at 153cm (5 Feet).
• She is an arts patron.

Political Career

• Councilor: Rim won from the Kensington & Chelsea London Borough Council in 1986 (8 May 1986). She served as the Chief Whip & Spokesperson on education during her time in the office. She lost her place in the council on 8th May 2006 when the party started making changes. She represented the St. Charles ward.
• She ran for the parliament as a Labour party candidate twice and lost both the times against the Conservative party candidate.
• She had been a member of various committees when she was active in politics, some of the committee she was actively involved in are: [2]
  • Holland Park AG (1999-06)
  • Streetscape Pilot Area AG (2002-06)
  • OSC on Public Realm (2005-06)
  • Major Planning Development Committee (2004-06)
  • Planning Services Committee (1999-2006)
  • Council (opposition whip) (2000-06)
  • Sloane Square AG(2005-06)
  • Notting Hill Gate AG(2000-2002, 2005-06)
  • Local Development Framework AG(2005-06)
  • Computer & Communications AG (2003-05)
  • OSC Environmental Services, Environmental Health & Planning Policy (2002-04)
  • Kensington High Street AG (1999-04)
  • OSC Cabinet Business (2001-03)
  • Joint Staffing AG (2001-02)
  • Environmental Services (1999-2001)
  • Public Transport Liaison Group(1999-2001)
  • Social Services Complaints Review Panel(1999-2001)
  • Benefits Review Board(1999-2001)
  • Scrutiny Committee(1999-2001)
  • Employee Appeals Committee(1999-2001)
  • Planning and Conservation(1999-2001)
  • UDP Working Party(2001)
  • Awards Appeals Panel(1999-2001)
  • LRT Borough Liaison Group(2000-2001)
  • Unitary Development Plan WP (1999-2001)
•  

Books

The Elgar Companion to Radical Political Economy

Rima contributed to the 1994 book 'The Elgar Companion to Radical Political Economy', she wrote the part titled "Inequality". 

She contemplates on three major pertinent questions on "inequality"

1. Are people "Naturally equal in essence"?
2. Is the redistribution of wealth justified? when is it fair?
3. if so, how much of redistribution is fair?

She points to the differences in mortality rates and other health status in different economic classes of the society and argues that health indicators actually depend on the distribution of income.

The book was co-authored by- Philip Arestis and Malcolm C Sawyer, It was published by Edward Elgar Publishing.

Partnership: Strategic economic management in local authorities

Rima wrote the book 'Partnership: Strategic Economic Management in Local Government Part 1; Partnership and Strategy' for the local government management board in 1993 in collaboration with Kingston University.

References

A Different Kind of State? : Popular Power and Democratic Administration

The book acknowledges the works of Rima Horton and Hilary Wainwright, from whom the author confesses to having drawn heavily from.

Alan Rickman on Rima Horton

• My wife is a very powerful political force.
• She's incredibly tolerant, she is also remarkably intelligent, Possibly a candidate for sainthood.
• Anybody who shares life with an actor has a lot to put up with.
• She is the ultimate leveler, When I whine about my work, she'll fire back at me some well-aimed sentence about the homeless. [Tough actor to Follow (1991), Entertainment Weekly August 8, 1991, By Ann McFerran]
•  

References

1. Rima Horton Wiki
2. Royal Borough- Gov UK
3. Rima's bio by a fan- Tumblr
4. Alan Rickman on Fandom
5.