‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’ Star Bernard Hill Dies at 79
Bernard Hill, known for his roles in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Ring’ trilogy, died at the age of 79. His agent, Lou Colson, confirmed that he died on Sunday early morning. At the time of his demise, his fiancee Alison and his son Gabriel were with him. His cause of death is not revealed.
Hiil’s manager, William Blaylock, stated that his death devastated them. He was a wonderful actor and a wise man. Following the news of his death, many colleagues and followers paid tribute to him on social media.
His Lord of The Rings co-star, Dominic Monaghan, shared a photo of Hill and wrote: “The Broken king has passed to the grey havens, but he will always be remembered.”
The singer and actor Barbara Dickson posted on X that they worked together in John Paul George Ringo and Bert’s musical. She remembered that he was a marvelous actor, and it was a privilege to work with him.
It’s with great sadness that I note the death of Bernard Hill. We worked together in John Paul George Ringo and Bert, Willy Russell marvellous show 1974-1975. A really marvellous actor. It was a privilege to have crossed paths with him. RIP Benny x#bernardhill pic.twitter.com/UPVDCo3ut8
— Barbara Dickson (@BarbaraDickson) May 5, 2024
The organizers of ComicCon in Liverpool shared a statement on social media in which he expected to join on Saturday but canceled at the last minute. They wrote, “We’re heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard Hill’s passing.” They also wished his family for strength.
Bernard Hill was born in 1944 in Blackley, Manchester. He started his acting career by playing a small role in the series Play For Today on BBC. His breakthrough role was in the BBC miniseries ‘Boys From the Blackstuff (1982), where he played the character of Yosser Hughes. The series won the BAFTA award for best drama series of the year. The same year, he acted in the film Gandhi.
Hill acted as Captain Smith in the James Cameron film Titanic in 1997. The film broke several box office records and grabbed 11 Oscar awards. After that, he joined the second installment of the Lord of the Rings franchise, directed by Peter Jackson, in The Two Towers, where he played the role of King Théoden. He also appeared in its follow-up, The Return of the King, released in 2003 and earned 11 Oscars. It made him one of the only actors who appeared in two of the three films to win the most Academy Awards of all time.
Hill’s important works include Claudius, True Crime, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Scorpion King, Gothika, and The Ghost and the Darkness. Recently, he played in the series Wolf Hall and earned a BAFTA award for his role.
The actor lastly acted in the second season of The Responder, which started airing on BBC on May 5.