Bernard Hill (born 17 December 1944) is an English film, stage and television actor. He is known for playing Yosser Hughes, the troubled 'hard man' whose life is falling apart in Alan Bleasdale's groundbreaking 1980s TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff. He is also known for roles in blockbuster films, including Captain Edward Smith in Titanic, King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and as the Warden of San Quentin Prison in the Clint Eastwood film True Crime.
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble
Nominations
British Academy Television Award for Best Actor, International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor
Movies
Titanic, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Scorpion King, ParaNorman, Gothika, Shirley Valentine, The Ghost and the Darkness, Valkyrie, Drowning by Numbers, The Bounty, True Crime, The Boys from County Clare, Franklyn, Gandhi, Madagascar Skin, ...
TV Shows
Boys from the Blackstuff, Wild China, Wolf Hall, Five Days, Unforgotten, From There to Here, Sunshine, The Grid, India's Frontier Railways, Fox, Surviving Disaster, Telltale, Once Upon A Time In The North
Star Sign
Sagittarius
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Fact
1
He is left-handed.
2
His role of King Theoden was previously played by Jack May in the BBC Radio version of The Lord of the Rings. He and May appeared together in The Bounty (1984).
3
Believed while filming The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) that castmate Brad Dourif was actually English as Dourif never stopped using the accent. When Dourif finally began using his American accent Hill thought it was fake and accused Dourif of the worst fake accent he had ever heard.
4
Was considered for the role of Russell in Doctor Who: Attack of the Cybermen, which went to Terry Molloy.
Although his character Yosser Hughes in "Boys from the Blackstuff" (1982) is a Liverpool FC supporter and he appeared in a scene with actual Liverpool players Graeme Souness and Sammy Lee, Hill is a longtime supporter of their biggest rivals Manchester United FC.
8
In film, he has been on the final voyage of two famous ships: the Bounty (in the Mel Gibson film The Bounty (1984)) and the Titanic (as Captain Edward J. Smith in Titanic (1997)).
9
He has worked with two actors who played Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Sir Christopher Lee, with whom he appeared in the Lord of the Rings films, played the role in the film Jinnah (1998). The film Gandhi (1982), in which Hill appeared, featured Jinnah as a character, played by Alyque Padamsee.
10
He has been in three different versions of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". In the animated miniseries "Shakespeare: The Animated Tales", he voiced Nick Bottom. In the 1999 live-action movie, he played Egeus. In the English version of the 2005 animated Spanish film (English title: "Midsummer Dream"), he was the voice of Theseus.
11
He has had supporting roles in two of the seven most successful films of all time: Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Both had made more than $1 billion worldwide; both won exactly 11 Oscars including Best Picture; and both are over three hours long.
Before being cast as King Theoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson considered Hill for the role of the wizard Gandalf, which went to Sir Ian McKellen.
14
Has a son with his wife Marianne Hill: Gabriel Hill.
In his commentary on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) Extended Edition DVD, he admits that during the course of shooting he first broke his sternum, then had his ear slashed open by a sword.
$9 Million
