Lord of the Rings and Titanic actor Bernard Hill has died aged 79, his agent has confirmed.
Hill played King Theoden in the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 epic romance Titanic, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
The actor joined the Lord Of The Rings cast for the second film in the trilogy, 2002’s The Two Towers, which won two Academy Awards for best sound editing and best visual effects.
He returned to the franchise for 2003’s The Return Of The King, which picked up 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director for Sir Peter Jackson.
Dominic Monaghan, who played the hobbit Merry Brandybuck in the fantasy franchise, posted a photo of Hill backdropped by a lilac sky on Instagram and wrote: “The Broken king has passed to the grey havens but he will always be remembered.”
The Manchester-born actor also played Yosser Hughes in the legendary drama series Boys from the Blackstuff.
The role earned him a Bafta TV nomination in 1983, the same year the show picked up the Bafta for best drama series.
Hill’s agent Lou Coulson told BBC News that the actor died in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A statement from his family is expected soon.
Hill, who also stars in the second series of BBC drama The Responder airing on Sunday, was an “incredible talent”, the broadcaster said.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, said: “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.
“From Boys from the Blackstuff, to Wolf Hall, The Responder, and many more, we feel truly honoured to have worked with Bernard at the BBC. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time.”
He also featured in the 2015 BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall.
His other credits included Clint Eastwood’s film True Crime, 1989 rom-com Shirley Valentine, the 1999 film adaptation of Great Expectations and 2002’s The Scorpion King starring Dwayne Johnson.
Singer and actress Barbara Dickson paid tribute to the late actor on X, formerly Twitter.
She wrote: “It’s with great sadness that I note the death of Bernard Hill. We worked together in John Paul George Ringo and Bert, Willy Russell marvellous show 1974-1975.
“A really marvellous actor. It was a privilege to have crossed paths with him. RIP Benny x”
