Bernard Hill, the actor who played Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron’s 1997 film Titanic and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings, has died at the age of 79. He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed. (Via BBC)
Bernard Hill’s Filmography
Bernard Hill in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Image Credit: New Line Cinema
Bernard Hill’s breakout role occurred on the BBC miniseries Boys From the Blackstuff, in which he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a man struggling with unemployment in Liverpool whose “gizza job” catchphrase was known across England. The show aired in 1983 and won a BAFTA for best drama series that year.
Hill will be seen in series two of The Responder, a BBC drama starring Martin Freeman, which begins airing on Sunday.
Other roles included the 1976 BBC TV series Claudius, an appearance in 1982’s Gandhi, True Crime (1999), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999). The Scorpion King in 2002 and the 2008 Tom Cruise film Valkyrie.
In 1997, Hill played Captain Smith in James Cameron’s Titanic, which won 11 Oscars. He then joined Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings franchise as King Théodon, appearing in 2002’s The Two Towers and 2003’s The Return of the King.
Tributes to Hill have been coming in since the news of his death broke.
Writing on X, Scottish musician Barbara Dickson said he was “a really marvellous actor“, adding: “It was a privilege to have crossed paths with him. RIP Benny x.“
In 2015, he played Duke of Norfolk, an uncle of Anne Boleyn and an enemy of Cardinal Wolsey, in the BBC drama series Wolf Hall, which won several BAFTAs and a Golden Globe.
Hill was born on Dec. 17, 1944, in Manchester. He was supposed to appear at a comic-book event in Liverpool on Saturday but canceled at the last minute per a statement from the convention. He lived in Suffolk and is survived by his wife, Marianna Hill, and their son, Gabriel.
Bernard Hill Holds A Unique Oscar Record
Bernard Hill (R) in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)> Image Credit: New Line Productions
Late Bernard Hill is a proud possessor of one unique Oscar record that no other could able to touch to date.
He is the only actor to appear in two movies that won 11 Oscars, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Titanic and The Lord of the Rings both had amazing casts, that included stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, and other. But they did not appear in both films. Thus Bernard Hill stays alone in history as the one and only actor to achieve that record.
Titanic and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King are two of only three films ever made to be awarded this many Academy Awards. The only other film to have bagged 11 statuettes was the 1959 epic Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston. Hill was also the first actor to have starred in more than one film grossing more than $1 billion USD, namely: Titanic and The Return Of The King.
UPDATED: This article has been updated at 6:45 am, May 6th.
