Best known for his work in the films Titanic and Lord of the Rings, British actor Bernard Hill passed away on Sunday. The actor was aged 79 at the time of his death.
His agent Lou Coulson told a news agency that he died in the early hours of the day. His family has also released a statement on the same.
“It is with the greatest sadness that we must announce that Bernard Hill, renowned actor known for his roles in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ passed away in the early hours of this morning at the age of 79,” read the statement. “He was with his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel,” it added.
The actor found fame in England after working in 1982's Boys from the Blackstuff. However, what brought Bernard international recognition was his work in comparatively smaller roles in very successful films.
For instance, he essayed the character of Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron's multi-Oscar winning film Titanic. In James Cameron’s 1997 multi-Oscar winning “Titanic”, Hill plays the ship’s Captain Edward Smith as a man haunted by his role in the tragedy and ultimately resigned to his fate. The last scene he is seen in the film — when he is alone and still clutching the ship’s helm, moments before the rising water bursts in through the windows — has been etched to the audience's mind forever.
He also appeared as Theoden (King of Theoden) in two parts of Peter Jackson’s acclaimed The Lord of the Rings series: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. His other notable works include Gandhi, Shirley Valentine and The Scorpion King. Martin Freeman's police drama The Responder happens to be the last project the actor worked in, which begins broadcasting this Sunday.
