Actor Bernard Hill is dead.
Photo: MAX NASH / AP
Here as King Théoden in “The Lord of the Rings”.
Photo: Rights Managed / TT NEWS AGENCY
Bernard Hill som kapten Edward Smith i ”Titanic”.
Foto: 20th Century Fox/Paramount/Kobal/REX / REX
Bernard Hill played Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic” in 1997 and King Théoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
He also played the character Yosser Hughes in the drama series “Boys from the Blackstuff” and voiced Sir Walter Beck in the video game “Fable 3”.
He is the only actor who appeared in two films that won eleven Oscars each – “Titantic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”.
Now he has passed away aged 79.
Hill’s agent Lou Coulson confirms to the BBC that the actor died in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Bernard Hill was just about to return to the television screen in the second season of “The Responder”, which starts airing on Sunday, the BBC writes.
Praised by “The Lord of the Rings” colleagues
Hill was said to have attended a Lord of the Rings reunion in Liverpool over the weekend. There he was hailed by Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd who played the four hobbits of the Fellowship of the Ring in the films.
– We loved him. He was fearless, funny, tough and lovely, says Astin who played Sam in the films.
Wood, who played Frodo, wrote on X:
“Farewell to our friend and our king Bernard Hill. We will never forget you.”
https://twitter.com/elijahwood/status/1787238539417039298
– No one has pronounced Tolkien’s words better than Bernard did. I think he grounded those words in a realism that broke your heart when you saw him on the screen. He was a wonderful man who will be so missed,” said Boyd, who played Pippin.
Monaghan, who played Merry, wrote on Instagram:
“The king has passed on to the gray docks but will always be remembered.”
Karl Urban, who played Eomer, wrote “rest in peace, Bernard” on Instagram.