Lord of the Rings star dies aged 79

ENGLAND – Bernard Hill, who starred in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has died at the age of 79. The actor, who played Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film, died in the early hours of yesterday morning, his agent has said.

A father-of-one, he became known to a generation for his portrayal of King Theoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In the process he starred in two films – Titanic and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King – which won 11 Oscars and crossed $1billion at the box office.

Hill had first become familiar to many in the UK for his emotive and nuanced performance as Yosser Hughes in the 1980’s drama – Boys from the Blackstuff. His passing comes hours before he was due to return to TV in Martin Freeman drama The Responder.