Lord of the Rings castmates pay tribute after Bernard Hill dies

Veteran actor who played King Theoden in the trilogy died on Sunday aged 79

The Lord of the Rings cast have paid tribute to co-star Bernard Hill who died on Sunday morning aged 79.

Actors Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Sean Astin, who played hobbits Frodo Baggins, Peregrin ‘Pippin’ Took, Meriadoc ‘Merry’ Brandybuck, and Samwise Gamgee respectively, honoured him on stage at a Comic Con event in Liverpool.

Hill played King Theoden in the Oscar-winning fantasy franchise directed by Peter Jackson.

The actor, also known for his roles in Titanic, Boys From The Blackstuff, and Wolf Hall, died in the early hours of Sunday, his agent told the PA news agency.

The cast said they had lost a “family member” and said goodbye to their “irascible” and “beautiful” friend.

“So, we lost a member of our family this morning. Bernard Hill passed. King Théoden,” Astin said.

“And so we just want to take a moment, before we walk off this stage, to honour him. He was supposed to be here. He was supposed to be here today and yesterday.”

Hill was scheduled to appear at the event but had pulled out.

“We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful,” Astin said.

Boyd added: “I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as Bernard did. The way he grounded those words in a realism.”

“He would break my heart. He was a wonderful man and he’ll be sorely missed.”

Elijah Wood posted a message on X, saying: “We will never forget you.”

Dominic Monaghan posted  a message on Instagram, saying Hill had “passed to the grey havens”.

Hill joined the Lord Of The Rings cast for the second film in the trilogy, The Two Towers, which was released in 2002 and won Academy Awards for best sound editing and best visual effects.

He returned forThe Return Of The King in 2003 which picked up 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director for Jackson.

Actors Sean Astin, Bernard Hill, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis attend a Film Society of Lincoln Center special screening of ‘The Lord Of The Rings’ trilogy in New York City in 2004 (Getty)

Richard Armitage, who played Thorin II Oakenshield in the film adaptation of The Hobbit, also posted a tribute, calling Hill’s death “a terrible loss”.

Hill first made a name for himself as Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale’s BBC drama series Boys From The Blackstuff about five unemployed men which aired in 1982.

The role earned him a Bafta TV nomination in 1983, the same year the show picked up the Bafta for best drama series.

He went on to play Captain Edward Smith in the Oscar-winning 1997 epic romance Titanic, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

In the 2015 BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall, about the court of Henry VIII, he played the Duke of Norfolk, uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.

He also starred in the second series of BBC drama The Responder starring Martin Freeman.

Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said: “Bernard Hill blazed a trail across the screen, and his long-lasting career filled with iconic and remarkable roles is a testament to his incredible talent.”

“From Boys From The Blackstuff, to Wolf Hall, The Responder, and many more, we feel truly honoured to have worked with Bernard at the BBC,” Salt added. “Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time.”

Hill appeared in Clint Eastwood’s True Crime, the 1989 rom-com Shirley Valentine, the 1999 film adaptation of Great Expectations, and the 2002 fantasyThe Scorpion King starring Dwayne Johnson.

Left to right, Phillip Joseph as George Harrison, Antony Sher as Ringo Starr, Trevor Eve as Paul McCartney and Bernard Hill as John Lennon in a rehearsal of the musical ‘John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert’ (Getty)

Actress and singer Barbara Dickson, who starred with Hill in a musical based on the Beatles, was among those paying tribute, describing him as a “marvellous actor”.