Veteran British actor, Bernard Hill, best known for his roles in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings’, has passed away at the age of 79.
His agent, Lou Coulson, confirmed the news and stated that Hill died on Sunday morning in the presence of his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel.
Hill rose to fame after his appearance in the 1982 BBC TV drama ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’.
He gained global recognition for his portrayals of Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning movie ‘Titanic’ and King Théoden in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy.
Hill first came to prominence as Yosser Hughes, a working-class Liverpudlian man ultimately driven to the edge by an uncaring welfare system, in Alan Bleasdale’s BBC Play for Today programme, The Black Stuff, and its series sequel, Boys from the Blackstuff.[3]
Hill then appeared as Sergeant Putnam in Gandhi (1982), directed by Richard Attenborough.
In 1985, he played the lead role in a TV dramatisation of John Lennon’s life, A Journey in the Life. In addition to TV roles, Hill appeared on stage in The Cherry Orchard,[5] and the title roles in Macbeth and A View from the Bridge.[5]
Hill was married to the American-born actress Marianna Hill, with whom he had a son named Gabriel. He lived in Suffolk and was a longtime supporter of Manchester United.[14]
At the time of his death, Hill was engaged to a woman named Alison.[16]
British Actor Bernard Hill Of ‘Titanic’ Is Dead
