The British actor was 79 years old and participated in two of the greatest productions in film history: The Lord of the Rings and Titanic. Furthermore, he was a very dear person.
The first Sunday in May ended with the sad news of the death of British actor Bernard Hill. A recognized face of cinema, he was an outstanding performer with an extensive career in film, television and theater. He became famous for his roles as Théoden, King of Rohan, in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Captain Edward Smith in Titanic and Luther Plunkitt in True Crime, directed by Clint Eastwood.
With that legacy, Hill says goodbye as the only British actor to have appeared in two films that won 11 Oscars. Bernard Hill's last performance was in the second series of The Responder, a BBC drama fronted by Martin Freeman. Curiously, this season premiered on the same day of his death. Additionally, news of his death came shortly after he canceled his participation in a Lord of the Rings reunion at Liverpool Comic-Con due to his illness.
No description could fully capture the emotionality of his performance as King Théoden as he faces his fate before the Witch-king of Angmar. At that crucial moment, Hill utters words that now take on even greater depth and that he is recovering from today: "I return to my parents, in whose powerful company I will not feel ashamed."
His death surprised the world but especially his co-stars who mourned his loss and remembered the great actor. From Elijah Wood to Dominic Monaghan to Viggo Mortensen and more, Hill's actors and peers took a moment to mourn him.
The four hobbits of The Shire were at the Liverpool Comic-Con when the King left the world and therefore took the opportunity to communicate and honor the deceased. Sean Austin took the microphone and gave the first words:
"We lost a member of our family this morning. Bernard Hill passed away. King Théoden," Astin said. "And so we just want to take a moment, before we walk off this stage, to honor him. He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be here today and yesterday."
"He was fearless, gruff, funny and irascible. He was beautiful," Sam continued, as Dom Monaghan hugged him. Echoing Sean's words, Billy Boyd said: "We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, 'I don't think anyone has ever spoken Tolkien's words as well as Bernard. The way he grounded those words in realism. He "It would break my heart. He was a wonderful man and will be deeply missed."
It was not the only moment where they remembered him because Elijah Wood also made a publication on his X account with a photo of the actor (taken by Viggo Mortensen) with the description that read: "See you later to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you. 'For he was kind-hearted and a great king and kept his oaths; and he emerged from the shadows one last beautiful morning.'"
Dominic Monaghan did his thing on Instagram and with the same photo he wrote: "The King has passed into the gray paradise but he will always be remembered." During his tour of Spanish cinemas to promote his second film as director, Hasta el fin del mundo, Viggo Mortensen had a special moment. In the middle of a meeting with the public, he paid tribute to another king. This occurred when a viewer asked him if the medieval sword shown in the film was the same one Aragorn used in the saga. Given the reaction of the people and before answering the question, the actor paused: "Now that you bring up the subject of The Lord of the Rings, I want to dedicate this screening to an actor called Bernard Hill, he played King Théoden in "He passed away this morning... He was a dear friend. Long live King Théoden!" he exclaimed to the applause of the audience.
On the other hand, Richard Armitage, who played Thorin II Oakenshield in the film adaptation of The Hobbit, also posted a tribute, calling Hill's death "a terrible loss." Thorin Oakenshield's message came after mentioning the farewell of Jed Brophy, a Scottish actor who appeared in almost all the films in the saga as different minor people (Nazgûl in the first film, Orcs, Bolingúles and Nori in The Hobbit).
"My king, my friend. You have passed and my heart is broken. Everyone who was lucky enough to know you and work with you admired you greatly. We, the Rohirim, traveled with you to the western shores. Our love and condolences to all your family and friends," Brophy wrote.
