Bernard Hill, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings Actor, Dead at 79

The film community has lost a beloved star.

Bernard Hill, who played Captain Edward Smith in Titanic and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, has died. He was 79.

The British actor passed away early May 5, his agent confirmed to the BBC, adding that the star's fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time. The cause of his death was not released.

Hill, originally from Manchester, England, began his onscreen acting career in his native U.K. in the late '70s, appearing mostly on British TV shows such as Crown Court. He got cast in more films in the '80s and '90s, with roles in movies such as Gandhi and The Ghost and the Darkness, which also stars Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas, before starring with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in James Cameron's Oscar-winning film Titanic, released in 1997.

In 2002, he joined Dwayne Johnson in the movie The Scorpion King, playing Philos, and made his debut as King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, the second film in Peter Jackson's trilogy, based on the books by the late J. R. R. Tolkien.

Hill reprised his role in the third and final movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, released the following year.

He continued acting over the next two decades, most recently guest starring in season two of the British police drama series The Responder, which premiered on BBC One as scheduled May 5, the day he passed away.

"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," BBC Drama Director Lindsay Salt said in a statement posted by the BBC. "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."

Many actors from Lord of the Rings also paid tribute to Hill at Comic Con Liverpool. The actor was supposed to join them at the event but recently canceled his appearance.

"We lost a member of our family this morning. Bernard Hill passed," Sean Astin, who played Frodo Baggins, said onstage, standing beside fellow costars Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd and Elijah Wood. "And so we'd just like to take a moment, before we walk off the stage to honor him. He was supposed to be here today."

Astin continued, "We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful."

Boyd added, "We were talking about the movies and I said to Dom, 'I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did.'"

Wood, Monaghan and Lord of the Rings costar Karl Urban shared tributes to Hill on social media, alongside a photo of the late actor taken by fellow cast member Viggo Mortensen. "So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill," Wood wrote on X. We will never forget you."

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