Bernard Hill, a British actor who incarnated a humble style of masculine leadership in three hugely successful Hollywood movies, “Titanic” and two films in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, died on Sunday.
His death was announced in a family statement sent by a representative of Lou Coulson Associates, a British talent agency.
It did not say where he died or provide a cause.
Mr. Hill drew praise from critics for his work in serious TV dramas, small-budget films and theater.
In each film, his stout frame, bushy whiskers and weathered visage helped him embody men of authority who faced danger with reluctance, then acceptance and, finally, self-sacrificial stoicism.
In “Titanic,” he was Capt.
The movie ultimately suggests that the undue speed of the ship was a factor in its fatal collision with an iceberg.
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Bernard Hill, a British actor who played a modest, manly leader in three enormously popular Hollywood productions—”Titanic” and two of the Lord of the Rings” movies—passed away on Sunday. He was 79 years old.
Lou Coulson Associates, a British talent agency, sent a family statement announcing his passing. It gave no indication of the cause of his death or the location.
Dear Mr. Critics praised Hill for his work in theater, low-budget movies, and serious TV dramas. However, his most well-known roles were as the captain of a ship in the 1997 film Titanic and as the king of a kingdom ruled by horsemen in the 2002 and 2003 versions of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
According to The Manchester Evening News in 2022, Mr. Tompkins Hill made history by being the first actor to star in multiple films that grossed over $1 billion. He is also the only actor to have appeared in two of the three films that won a record 11 Oscars (the third being “Ben-Hur”).
His robust build, scruffy beard, and aged appearance enabled him to play powerful men who initially resisted danger before coming to terms with it and ultimately displaying selfless forbearance.
He played Capt. in the movie “Titanic.”. Edward J. Smith. He grabs the ship’s railing early in the film, turns to face the ocean, and tells one of his crew to speed up the vessel. “Let’s stretch her legs,” he says. In the end, the film implies that the ship’s excessive speed contributed to its tragic collision with an iceberg.
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