Bernard Hill Dies: ‘Lord Of The Rings' And ‘Titanic' Actor Was 79
Bernard Hill Dies: ‘Lord Of The Rings’ And ‘Titanic’ Actor Was 79
Bernard Hill died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed. No cause has been given.
He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film Titanic, and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings.
His breakout role was in BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled – and often failed – to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.
Hill will be seen in series two of The Responder, a BBC drama starring Martin Freeman, which begins airing on Sunday.
Other roles included the 1976 BBC TV series I, Claudius, an appearance in 1982’s Gandhi, True Crime (1999), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999). The Scorpion King in 2002 and the 2008 Tom Cruise film Valkyrie.
The Manchester native was born into a family of coal miners. He had a varied on-screen career, coming to prominence acting in small realistic dramas, before going on to star in films that made billions worldwide.
He lived in Suffolk and is survived by his wife, Marianna Hill, and their son, Gabriel.
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