Actor Bernard Hill, of ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ dies at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and went down with the ship as the captain in Titanic, has died. kuckad news.com
Hill, 79, passed away this morning, agent Lou Coulson said.
He joined The Lord Of The Rings franchise in the second film of the trilogy, 2002’s The Two Towers, as Thoden, King of Rohan. The following year, he reprised the role in Return of the King, a movie that won 11 Oscars.
In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Hill’s character fires up his overmatched forces by delivering a battle cry on horseback that sends his troops thundering downhill toward the enemy and his own imminent death.
Arise, arise, riders of Thoden! Hill hollers. Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin and the world’s ending! Death! Death! Death!
In Titanic,” Hill played Captain Edward Smith, one of the only characters based on a real person in the 1997 tragic romance starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The film also won 11 Academy Awards.
As the doomed ship takes on water, Hill’s character silently retreats to the wheelhouse. As the cabin groans under the pressure of the waves, he takes a final breath and grabs the wheel as water bursts through the windows.
Hill first made a name for himself as Yosser Hughes in Boys From the Blackstuff, a 1982 British TV miniseries about five unemployed men.
He was nominated for an award in 1983 from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for the role, and the show won the BAFTA for best drama series.
His death came the same day the second series of the BBC drama The Responder was to air, in which he played the father of the show’s star, Martin Freeman.
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, said Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time. kuckad news.com
His achievement
Bernard Hill’s portrayal of Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic” and King Théoden in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy left an indelible mark on Hollywood and audiences worldwide. His career was remarkable not only for the breadth of characters he brought to life but also for his participation in two films each clinching 11 Oscars.
Whole entertainment world is in deep grief due to this tragic loss.
ernard Hill, who found fame as King Théoden in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and as Captain Smith in Titanic, has died. He was 79.
Hill died early Sunday morning, his agent told the BBC. His representative did not share the cause of death.
A long-time Hollywood veteran, Hill’s most recent role was in BAFTA-winning drama The Reponder alongside Martin Freeman. Over the years he’s appeared in a variety of movies including Gandhi and The Scorpion King, as well as Fable III.
About bernard hill
Bernard Hill (17 December 1944 – 5 May 2024) was an English actor. He is known for playing Théoden, King of Rohan, in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, Captain Edward Smith in Titanic, and Luther Plunkitt, the Warden of San Quentin Prison, in the Clint Eastwood film True Crime. Hill is also known for playing roles in television dramas, including Yosser Hughes, the troubled “hard man” whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale‘s Boys from the Blackstuff in the 1980s, and more recently, as the Duke of Norfolk in the BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel‘s Wolf Hall.
