Bernard Hill, renowned for his portrayal of Captain Edward Smith in Titanic and King Théoden in the Lord of the Rings series, has passed away.
The esteemed actor, who courageously led his forces into battle with a stirring battle cry in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and tragically went down with his ship as the captain in Titanic, died at the age of 79.
Hill’s death occurred on the morning of Sunday, May 5, confirmed by his agent, Lou Coulson.
He joined the cast of the Lord of the Rings in the trilogy’s second installment, The Two Towers (2002), as Théoden, King of Rohan. He reprised this commanding role in The Return of the King, which clinched 11 Academy Awards.
In a pivotal scene of the film, Hill’s character ignites his outnumbered troops with a fierce battle cry from atop his horse, charging downhill towards the enemy and facing his own potential demise.
“Arise, arise, riders of Théoden!” he declares passionately. “Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now! Ride now! Ride! Ride for ruin and the world’s ending! Death! Death! Death!”
