Hollywood has lost another legendary actor.
And fans of high fantasy adventure films are in mourning.
That’s because this legendary The Lord of the Rings star actor died and fans are in mourning.
Actor Bernard Hill, who had starring roles in The Lord of the Rings and Titanic has died.
A long and storied career
The English actor was 79 when he died, his agent Lou Coulson said, according to the Associated Press.
In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Hill played Théoden, King of Rohan.
He also starred as Captain Edward Smith, the captain of the doomed luxury liner in the epic movie Titanic.
RIP Captain pic.twitter.com/zknH0slUZe
— Barburrito (@barburtweeto) May 5, 2024
Hill also has roles in other hit shows and movies like The Bounty, True Crime, The Ghost and the Darkness, and Ghandi.
His career spanned 50 years in both Great Britain and the United States.
He received a Screen Actors Guild award for his role in The Return of the King.
So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill.
We will never forget you.
“For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”
photo by Viggo pic.twitter.com/lxjepm5rUZ
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) May 5, 2024
And Hill had been scheduled to appear at ComicCon in Liverpool the day before his death, but he canceled at the last minute.
A great loss
“We’re heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard Hill’s passing,” the organizers of the event said in a statement. “A great loss. Thinking of his family at this very sad time, and wishing them a lot of strength.”
Hill’s death came just as the BBC drama The Responder was set to air.
Hill appeared in the show as the father of Martin Freeman, who stars in the show.
In a 2011 interview, when asked to cite his fondest memory Hill replied, “I loved every minute of every day that I was on Lord of the Rings.”
During that same interview he was asked if he expected Titanic to be the success that it was.
“No, not at all — nobody knew it would be this big. People were really worried about it, and people were saying, ‘How do you know this is going to work?’” he said.
“But I remember meeting up with some of the cast afterwards and discussed times people had seen it — 25, 40 times in the theater, and I met this one kid who had seen it 80 times. I remember saying, ‘You need to get a life, kid, there is more to life than watching Titanic,’” he said.
Hill was widely respected in the industry and was a fan favorite throughout his long career.
Lindsay Salt, BBC Director of Drama said 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.”
RIP Théoden, King, you will be sorely missed in Middle Earth and on this earth.
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