Actor Bernard Hill, renowned for his roles in “Titanic” and “Lord of the Rings,” has passed away at the age of 79.
He famously portrayed Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film “Titanic” and King Théoden in “The Lord of the Rings.”
Hill first gained prominence in 1982 from his role in the BBC TV drama “Boys from the Blackstuff,” where he played Yosser Hughes, a character grappling with unemployment in Liverpool.
He passed away early Sunday morning, confirmed by his agent Lou Coulson. At his side were his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel.
Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd, who played the hobbits Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, honored their co-star at Comic Con in Liverpool.
Astin began by saying: “We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful.”
Boyd recounted watching the trilogy with Monaghan, saying: “I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did. He would break my heart. He will be solely missed.”
Alan Bleasdale, who wrote Boys from the Blackstuff, said Hill’s death was a “great loss and also a great surprise”.
“It was an astonishing, mesmeric performance – Bernard gave everything to that and you can see it in all the scenes. He became Yosser Hughes.”
He added: “I was desperate to work with him. Everything he did – his whole procedure for working, the manner in which he worked and his performance was everything that you could ever wish for.
“You always felt that Bernard would live forever. He had a great strength, physically and of personality.”
Hill, who was from Manchester and lived in Suffolk, was due to return to TV screens in series two of The Responder, a BBC drama starring Martin Freeman, which begins airing on Sunday.
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, paid tribute to him, saying: “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 “Boys from the Blackstuff,” Bernard Hill was acclaimed for his powerful portrayal of Yosser Hughes, a desperate character who famously pleaded “Gizza [give us a] job” while searching for employment.
The show earned a Bafta for best drama series in 1983 and was ranked seventh on the British Film Institute’s list of the greatest TV shows ever made in 2000.
Hill also delivered a memorable performance in the 2015 BBC drama series “Wolf Hall,” based on Hilary Mantel’s book about Henry VIII’s court, where he played the Duke of Norfolk, an uncle to Anne Boleyn and adversary of Cardinal Wolsey.
In Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy “The Lord of the Rings,” Hill joined the cast in the second film, 2002’s “The Two Towers,” and returned for 2003’s “The Return of the King,” which won 11 Oscars.
Hill’s extensive career also included roles in the 1976 BBC TV series “I, Claudius,” the 1982 film “Gandhi,” “Shirley Valentine” in 1989, “The Scorpion King” in 2002, and the 2008 Tom Cruise film “Valkyrie.”
He was scheduled to appear at Comic Con Liverpool on Saturday but had to cancel at the last minute, according to a post by the convention on X. Following the news of his death, the organizers expressed being “heartbroken” and extended their deepest condolences to his family.
Scottish musician Barbara Dickson also paid tribute on X, saying he had been a “really marvellous actor”.
She added: “It was a privilege to have crossed paths with him. RIP Benny x.”