Bernard Hill, the renowned actor best known for his role in the blockbuster films Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has passed away at the age of 79.
Hill played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The actor's breakout role was in the 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.
Hill died in the early hours of Sunday morning, as confirmed by his agent, Lou Coulson. The actor was in the company of his fiancee, Alison, and his son, Gabriel, at the time of his death.
Following news of his passing, fellow Lord of the Rings actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd paid tribute to the late actor at Comic-Con in Liverpool. Astin spoke fondly of Hill, calling him "intrepid, funny, gruff, irascible, and beautiful."
Monaghan recounted watching the trilogy with Boyd, stating "I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did. He would break my heart. He will be sorely missed."
Alan Bleasdale, the writer of Boys from the Blackstuff, expressed shock at Hill's death, calling it "a great loss and also a great surprise." Bleasdale praised Hill's "astonishing, mesmeric performance" as Yosser Hughes, adding that the actor "became Yosser Hughes."
According to BBC, Hill was due to appear in the second season of The Responder, a BBC drama starring Martin Freeman, which airs Sunday. Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, paid tribute to Hill, saying that "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."
Hill's decades-long career included notable roles in I, Claudius, Gandhi, Shirley Valentine, The Scorpion King, and Valkyrie. “Boys from the Blackstuff” won a BAFTA for Best Drama Series in 1983, and in 2000, it was ranked seventh on a British Film Institute list of the best TV shows ever made.
The organisers of Comic-Con Liverpool expressed their condolences on X, stating that they were "heartbroken" at Hill's death and wished his family a "lot of strength."
