'Titanic,' 'Lord of the Rings' actor dies at 79

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1. Entertainment

• Updated: May. 06, 2024, 8:00 a.m.|
• Published: May. 06, 2024, 7:59 a.m.

Actor Bernard Hill arrives for the World Premiere of "Titanic 3D," at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, July 5, 2006. Hill, who delivered a rousing battle cry before leading his people into battle in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and went down with the ship as captain in "Titanic," has died. Hill, 79, died Sunday morning, May 5, 2024, agent Lou Coulson said. (Ian West/PA via AP)AP

British actor Bernard Hill, who played iconic roles in such films as "Titanic" and two of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, has died. He was 79.

Hill died on Sunday, according to a family statement sent by a British talent agency, the New York Times reported. No cause of death was given.

Hill played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning "Titanic," and the beleaguered King Théoden in "The Lord of the Rings" films.

Appearing in those films made him the first actor to star in more than one film that grossed over $1 billion and the only actor to appear in two of three films that won 11 Oscars ("Ben-Hur" is the third).

He first gained noticed in the 1982 BBC drama "Boys from the Blackstuff," in which he played a man struggling with unemployment, according to BBC News.

He also can be seen in "I, Claudius," "Gandhi," "Shirley Valentine" "The Scorpion King" and the Tom Cruise film "Valkyrie."

Fellow "Lord of the Rings" actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan and Billy Boyd paid homage to Hill while at the Comic Con in Liverpool. Hill was scheduled to be at the convention but canceled at the last minute.

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

"I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did. He would break my heart. He will be solely missed," Boyd added.

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