Bernard Hill, ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Titanic’ actor, dead at 79

Bernard Hill, an actor who starred in movies like “Lord of the Rings” and “Titanic,” has died. He was 79.

The English actor died in the early hours of Sunday morning, his agent, Lou Coulson, confirmed to the BBC over the weekend.

Fans and colleagues took to X to mourn the actor.

“So very sad to hear about the passing of #bernardhill I had the pleasure of filming with him on BBC’s ‘From There to Here,’” wrote Neil Ashton. “He was incredibly lovely & we had a lot of laughs filming our scene. Such a phenomenal actor. God bless him. So many thoughts & love to his family & friends.”

“Bernard Hill was a cracking actor. A real shame,” noted a fan.

Hill, who was born in Manchester, starred in many British television series but began appearing in films more frequently by the mid-1990s.

One of his first breakthrough roles was in the 1995 drama “The Ghost and the Darkness” opposite Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas.

Hill then portrayed the doomed Captain Edward J. Smith in “Titanic” and King Théoden of Rohan in the second and third films of Peter Jackon’s hugely successful “The Lord of the Rings” series.

Between “Titanic” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” he is the only actor in history to have appeared in two movies with 11 or more Oscar wins.

Hill, still beloved by fans, was set to appear at Liverpool Comic-Con this week.

The event issued a statement via X.

“We’re heartbroken to hear the news of Bernard Hill’s passing. A great loss. Thinking of his family at this very sad time, and wishing them a lot of strength,” read the post.

He also played Philos in “The Scorpion King” opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Hill was married to actress Marianna Hill, with whom he shared a son, Gabriel.