Lord of the Rings actor Bernard Hill dies aged 79
By Paul Gribben & Noor Nanji
Actor Bernard Hill, best known for roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died aged 79.
He played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings.
His breakout role was in BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character who struggled – and often failed – to cope with unemployment in Liverpool.
He died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson confirmed.
Alan Bleasdale, who wrote Boys from the Blackstuff, said Hill’s death was “a great loss and also a great surprise”.
“It was an astonishing, mesmeric performance – Bernard gave everything to that and you can see it in all the scenes. He became Yosser Hughes.”
He added: “I was desperate to work with him. Everything he did – his whole procedure for working, the manner in which he worked and his performance was everything that you could ever wish for.
“You always felt that Bernard would live forever. He had a great strength, physically and of personality.”
