Famous interpreter of King Théoden, in “The Lord of the Rings”, and Captain Edward Smith, in “Titanic”, actor Bernard Hill passed away in the early hours of this Sunday (5), aged 79. The news was confirmed by his agent Lou Colson to the magazine Variety.
According to the spokesperson, Hill was with his fiancee Alison and son Gabriel when he died of an undisclosed cause.
The actor’s first prominent role was Yosser Hughes, in the miniseries “Boys From the Blackstuff”, in 1982, the year in which he also played Sergeant Putnam in the film “Gandhi”, directed by Richard Attenborough.
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Prominent roles in Bernard Hill’s career
Throughout the 70s and 80s, Hill participated in several British television series, such as “I, Cláudio”, “Crown Court”, “Rooms”, “Fox” and “Jackanory”.
In 1997, his first international role came, Captain Smith in the acclaimed feature film “Titanic”, directed by James Cameron, which won 11 Oscars. Hill later joined Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” franchise as King Théoden, appearing in the films “The Two Towers” (2002) and “The Return of the King” (2003), both of which were awarded 11 Oscars each.
In 2015, Hill received praise for his performance as the Duke of Norfolk in the BBC miniseries “Wolf Hall,” which won the BAFTA for best drama series.
Born on December 17, 1944 in Blackley, Manchester, Bernard Hill had a film and television career that spanned more than five decades, including appearances in notable films such as “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” (1996), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1999), “True Crime” (1999), “The Scorpion King” (2002), “Valkyrie” (2008) and “ParaNorman” (2012) .
Hill was set to star alongside Martin Freeman in the crime drama “The Responder”, which airs on BBC One and is in its second season.
