The Lord of the Rings cast mourns death of King Theoden actor Bernard Hill
New Line CinemaThe Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill has died at age 79, his fellow cast mates mourning the loss of the actor and sharing their admiration for his portrayal of King Théoden in the original trilogy.
Bernard Hill, best known for playing the role of King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as Captain Edward Smith in Titanic, has died at age 79.
Variety reported that he died early Sunday morning, his agent Lou Colson confirming the time of death. However, no cause of death has been given at the time of writing.
The BAFTA-nominated actor has over 100 acting credits to his name, though many love him from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His role as Théoden, the King of Rohan and Lord of the Mark or of the Riddermark, arguably his most recognizable performance.
In light of this, many actors from The Lord of the Rings trilogy have shared their condolences over the news of Hill’s death.
At Liverpool Comic Con, an event Hill was initially set to attend before pulling out just days before his death, Elijah Hill, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd all took a moment during their panel to mourn the death of their old cast mate and friend.
“We lost a member of our family this morning, Bernard Hill passed”, began Sean Astin.
“We want to take a moment before we walk off the stage to honor him. He was supposed to be here today so we love him. He was funny, he was gruff, he was beautiful.”
Billy Boyd then added, “We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did.”
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is still one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed series of films of all time, included many iconic scenes. The Ride of The Rohirrim touted by film lovers as “one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history.” In large part due to Hill’s gripping speech during the beginning of the battle.
Following their attendance at Liverpool Comic Con, Frodo actor Elijah Wood took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share his own message mourning the death of Hill.
“So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you.”
