Bernard Hill, the versatile actor renowned for his roles in epic movies such as ‘Titanic’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ passed away early Sunday morning at the age of 79, his agent, Lou Coulson, confirmed.
Hill‘s acting career was marked by a range of powerful performances both on television and in film. He gained fame from his role as Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning movie ‘Titanic’ and as King Theoden in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. Both movies were notable for winning 11 Oscars each and grossing over $1 billion at the box office.
Before his roles in these blockbuster movies, Hill was known for his compelling portrayal of Yosser Hughes in the BBC TV drama ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’. The TV show, which explored the impact of unemployment in Liverpool, won a BAFTA for Best Drama Series in 1983 and later earned the seventh spot on the British Film Institute’s list of the best TV shows ever made.
In 2015, Hill delivered another memorable performance in the BBC drama series ‘Wolf Hall’, adapted from Hilary Mantel‘s book about the court of Henry VIII, where he played the Duke of Norfolk.
Bernard Hill’s career
Born in Blackley, Manchester, into a family of coal miners, Hill attended acting school with Richard Griffiths.
His career began with small roles in television, leading to his major break in ‘The Black Stuff’ and its sequel, ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’. He also appeared in Richard Attenborough‘s ‘Gandhi’ and the BBC’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Henry VI’ as the Duke of York.
At the time of his passing, Hill was set to return to television in the second series of ‘The Responder’ a BBC drama starring Martin Freeman, which begins airing on Sunday evening in the UK.
Hill lived in Suffolk and is survived by his wife Marianna Hill and their son Gabriel. His contributions to film and television have left a lasting legacy, cherished by fans and colleagues alike.
Bernard Hill’s FIlmography
-
1973-1981: ‘Play for Today’
-
1976: ‘I, Claudius’
-
1980: ‘Fox’
-
1982: ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’
-
1984: ‘The Bounty’
-
1985: ‘John Lennon: A Journey in the Life’
-
1987: ‘Bellman and True’
-
1988: ‘Drowning by Numbers’
-
1989: ‘Shirley Valentine’
-
1990: ‘Mountains of the Moon’
-
1993: ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’
-
1994: ‘Once Upon a Time in the North’
-
1996: ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’
-
1997: ‘Titanic’
-
1997: ‘The Mill on the Floss’
-
1999: ‘True Crime’
-
1999: ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
-
2002: ‘The Scorpion King’
-
2002: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’
-
2003: ‘Gothika’
-
2003: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’
-
2004: ‘Wimbledon’
-
2005: ‘Midsummer Dream’
-
2005: ‘A Very Social Secretary’
-
2006: ‘Surviving Disaster’
-
2008: ‘Franklyn’
-
2009: ‘Valkyrie’
-
2010: ‘Five Days’
-
2010: ‘Canoe Man’
-
2010: ‘The Kid’
-
2012: ‘ParaNorman’