Famous English actor Bernard Hill, best known for his roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died at the age of 79, the BBC reports.
He was known for his parts as Captain Edward Smith in Titanic and King Théoden in Lord of the Rings. The part which made him popular was the 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he played Yosser Hughes, a Liverpool unemployed man who often suffered failure.
Hill died in the early hours of Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed. His fiancee Alison and son Gabriel were with him at the time.
Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd, the actors who played the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, paid tribute to the deceased King Théoden at Comic Con in Liverpool.
We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful.
“I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did. He would break my heart. He will be solely missed.”
Hill, who was born in Manchester and lived in Suffolk, was due to return to TV screens in series two of The Responder, a BBC drama starring Martin Freeman, due to start on Sunday. Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama also paid tribute to him.
Bernard Hill blazed a trail across the screen, and his long-lasting career filled with iconic and remarkable roles is a testament to his incredible talent. From Boys from the Blackstuff, to Wolf Hall, The Responder, and many more, we feel truly honoured to have worked with Bernard at the BBC. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time.
In Peter Jackson’s epic the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Hill joined the cast of the second film, 2002’s The Two Towers, and returned in 2003’s The Return of the King, which won 11 Oscars.
He was due to attend Comic Con Liverpool on Saturday but was forced to cancel at the last minute, according to a statement on X. When news of his death broke, organisers stated on the platform that they were “heartbroken” at Hill’s death and wished his family a “lot of strength.”
