‘Lord Of The Rings,’ ‘Titanic’ Star Bernard Hill Dies At 79

Bernard Hill, the actor best known for playing King Théoden in the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic,” has died at the age of 79.

Hill passed away early Sunday morning, according to a statement from his agent, Lou Colson. He was with his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel at the time of his passing.

A cause of death has not been released as of this report.

Hill scored his first major role in 1982, when he played Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale’s 1982 miniseries “Boys From the Blackstuff.” Later that year, he appeared in the Richard Attenborough-directed film “Gandhi,” which received widespread critical acclaim and several high-profile awards.

In 1997, Hill landed what was the biggest role of his career when he portrayed Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron’s “Titanic.” The film’s legendary box office run remains seldom touched to this day, while it also won 11 Oscars at the Academy Awards.

He then starred in Peter Jackson’s “Lord of The Rings” trilogy, in which he played Théoden, king of Rohan in “The Two Towers” and “Return of The King.” Like “Titanic,” Jackson’s adaptions of J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary trilogy raked in dozens of Academy Awards and are considered to be some of the best films of all time.

In 2015, Hill played Duke of Norfolk, an uncle of Anne Boleyn, in the BBC miniseries “Wolf Hall,” which won the BAFTA for best drama series.

Hill will also appear alongside Martin Freeman in the BBC police drama “The Responder,” which is set to debut next weekend.