Bernard Hill, who starred in Titanic and The Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79.
The actor, who played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film, died early this morning, his agent said.
Father of one child, he became known to an entire generation for his interpretation of King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
In doing so, he starred in two films – Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – which won 11 Academy Awards and surpassed $1 billion at the box office.
Hill had become familiar to many people in the UK for his moving and nuanced performance as Yosser Hughes in the 1980s drama Boys from the Blackstuff.
His death comes hours before his return to television in Martin Freeman’s drama The Responder, which airs on BBC One this evening.
Bernard Hill played King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers in 2002 (photo)
The actor also played Captain Edward Smith in the Oscar-winning 1997 film Titanic (photo).
Bernard Hill has had a varied film career, making his name in small, down-to-earth dramas before starring in films that grossed billions worldwide. Pictured: Hill at the ‘Gods Own Country’ premiere in Edinburgh in June 2017
The Manchester native has had a varied career on screen, making his name in small realistic dramas, before starring in films which grossed billions worldwide.
Born in Blackley into a family of coal miners, he attended drama school with Richard Griffiths, before moving into television.
After small roles in Hard Labor and the poorly received but now acclaimed I, Claudius, he got his first big break in the early 1980s.
The actor was cast as Yosser Hughes, a working-class Liverpudlian in The Black Stuff and its sequel, Boys from the Blackstuff, in 1982.
The same year, he played Sergeant Putnam in Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-winning biopic Gandhi, before starring in the BBC’s 1983 adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play Henry VI, in which he played the Duke of York.
He would later play Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron’s gargantuan film, Titanic.
The 1997 film saw him play the captain of the infamous ship on what would be its first and only voyage across the Atlantic, before going down with the ship after it struck an iceberg.
This marked the start of a late career renaissance for Hill, who was later cast by Peter Jackson in the role of King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The actor was praised for his portrayal of the troubled king of Rohan, who fights valiantly to save his people from the forces of evil.
Hollywood kept calling, with Hill making appearances in the Dwayne Johnson vehicle The Scorpion King, the Halle Berry horror film Gothika and the tennis-themed romantic comedy Wimbledon.
The comedian lived in Suffolk and is survived by his wife Marianna Hill and their son Gabriel.
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