Actor Bernard Hill, Captain Of The Titanic And King Theoden In Lord Of The Rings, Dead At 79
English actor Bernard Hill, best known for his performances as Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron's "Titanic" and King Théoden in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, has died this morning at the age of 79. The news was confirmed to the BBC by Hill's agent, Lou Coulson. Hill had been set to appear at Comic Con Liverpool this weekend, but had to cancel at the last minute.
Born to a mining family in Blackley, Manchester, in 1944, Hill belonged to a disappearing breed of British actors from working class backgrounds. Early on in his career he became the voice of a generation through his character Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale's drama series "Boys from the Blackstuff." A Liverpudlian father who becomes broken by his struggle to find work and the threat of having his children taken away, Yosser was emblematic of the sharply rising unemployment rates and brutal welfare cuts of the early '80s, under prime minister Margaret Thatcher. His character's catchphrase, "Giz'a job," could be seen on protest signs opposing Thatcher's rule throughout the decade.
"Alan Bleasdale wrote [Yosser Hughes] for me," Hill told the BBC in 2002, joking: "That's a bit worrying really! 'I've written a part for you,' 'What's it like?' 'Well it's a guy that goes and smashes meat potato pies on his head and headbutts lampposts!'"
Bernard Hill was a king among ensemble casts
Hill appeared in other lead roles throughout his career, including playing John Lennon in the 1985 docudrama "A Journey in the Life" (he actually played Lennon three times in total, across screen and stage). However, he is best remembered for his standout performances in movies with massive ensemble casts. In "Titanic," he was tasked with conveying a complex and devastating character arc within a limited amount of screen time. In his final scene, Captain Smith commits himself to dying at the helm and going down with his ship.
Speaking at Comic Con Antwerp last year, Hill explained that there are no certain records of where the real Captain Smith died, so Cameron asked him for his opinion on where the scene should take place. Hill was surprised to be asked, and at first reluctant to answer, but Cameron encouraged him to think on it. A couple of days later he returned to the director and said, "For the sake of the movie, he [should] be on the bridge. That's the most dramatic place to be."
Hill had a similarly unforgettable death scene in his other most famous role: Théoden, King of Rohan, in the "Lord of the Rings" films. He originally auditioned for the role of Gandalf, but admitted to the Comic Con Antwerp crowd that he was busy directing a play at the time and "didn't take [the audition] seriously at all." Fortunately, director Peter Jackson invited him to audition again, this time for the role of Théoden, and it's now difficult to imagine any other actor in the role.
Bernard Hill's final role was in season 2 of the police drama series "Responder," which premieres today on BBC One and iPlayer.