Bernard Hill

Born: 1944-12-17 in Blackley, Manchester, England, UK

Died: 2024-05-05

Known For: Acting

Biography

Bernard Hill (17 December 1944 – 5 May 2024) was an English actor. He was known as a character actor of film, stage and television, having acted in nearly 130 projects. He is best known to British television viewers for playing Yosser Hughes in the groundbreaking 1982 TV series Boys from the Blackstuff. On film he has played Captain Edward John Smith in Titanic, King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, and the Warden of San Quentin Prison in the Clint Eastwood film True Crime. Hill is the only actor to have appeared in more than one of the three films awarded 11 Oscars, and one of only three actors to have starred in more than one film grossing more than $1 billion USD, namely: Titanic and The Return of the King (the others being Orlando Bloom who also starred in The Return of the King, as well as Pirates of the Caribbean and Johnny Depp who also starred in Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as Alice in Wonderland). Hill has appeared in three films which have won Best Picture: Gandhi, Titanic, and The Return of the King. Hill died on 5th May 2024 at the age of 79.

Filmography

2015

Unforgotten as Father Robert Greaves
Wolf Hall as Duke of Norfolk
North v South as John Claridge
India's Frontier Railways as Narrator - (Voice)

2014

From There to Here as Samuel
Hope and Wire as Len Russell

2013

The Sorrows

2012

ParaNorman as Judge Hopkins (voice)
Reflections on Titanic as Self
Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron as Captain EJ Smith
Titanic: Southampton Remembers
Titanic: Case Closed
Outpost 11 as Cranleigh

2010

Indian Hill Railways as Self - Narrator (voice)
The Kid as Uncle David
Canoe Man as John Darwin

2008

Valkyrie as General - Desert Sequence
Wild China as Himself - Narrator
Fairy Tales as Grettongrat
Franklyn as Esser
Sunshine as George Crosby
Exodus as Narrator (voice)
Bombay Railway as Narrator
Titus: The Gorilla King as Narrator

2007

Five Days as Gerard Hopkirk
Bombay Railway as Self - Narrator (voice)
Exodus as Pharoah Mann
Save Angel Hope as Oscar Kurz
The Heart of the Earth as Sr. Crown
The Crumblegiant as Narrator

2006

Joy Division as Dennis
Surviving Disaster as Himself - Narrator
The Making of 'The Return of the King' as Self
The Making of 'The Two Towers' as Self
Ocean Odyssey as Narrator (voice)
Cruel Sea: The Penlee Lifeboat Disaster as Narrator (voice)
JFK's Women: The Scandals Revealed as Self - Narrator (voice)
No Go: The Free Derry Story as Narrator (voice)
Tim Haines Deep Ocean as Erzähler

2005

Heatwave as Narrator (voice)
The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse as King William III
A Very Social Secretary as David Blunkett
Collectormania 7 as Self
Horizon: Einstein's Unfinished Symphony
The Last Tommy as Narrator

2004

Wimbledon as Edward Colt
The Grid
Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief as Self
Beatles Biggest Secrets as Narrator
On the Set of 'Gothika' as Self

2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Théoden
One Life
Gothika as Phil Parsons
The Boys & Girl from County Clare as John Joe

2002

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers as Théoden
The Scorpion King as Philos

2000

Scenes by the Sea: Takeshi Kitano as Narrator (voice)
Eisenstein as The voice of Stalin
A Question of Faith as Frederick
Going Off Big Time as Murray

1999

True Crime as Warden Luther Plunkitt
A Midsummer Night's Dream as Egeus
Great Expectations as Abel Magwitch
The Loss of Sexual Innocence as Susan's Father
Great Expectations as Abel Magwitch
The Criminal as Det. Insp. Walker
The Titanic Chronicles as (voice)

1998

Titanic: Secrets Revealed as Host

1997

Titanic as Captain Smith
The Mill on the Floss as Edward Tulliver

1996

The Ghost and the Darkness as Dr. David Hawthorne
The Wind in the Willows as The Engine Driver

1995

First Knight as Knight (uncredited)
The Gambling Man as Frank nickle
Madagascar Skin as Flint

1994

Once Upon A Time In The North as Len Tollit
Dirtysomething as Larry
Speaking In Tongues as Joe
Skallagrigg as John

1993

1992

Between the Lines as Chief Constable Harmsworth
HBO First Look as Self
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales as Bottom (voice)
The Law Lord as Martin Allport
Double X: The Name of the Game as Ignatius 'Iggy' Smith
A Midsummer Night's Dream as Bottom (voice)
A Question of Identity as Erwin van Haarlem

1991

Shrinks as Frank Beasley

1990

Mountains of the Moon as Dr. Livingstone
Shoot the Revolution as Octavian Barbu
From Moscow to Pietushki as Readings (voice)

1989

Shirley Valentine as Joe Bradshaw

1988

Drowning by Numbers as Henry Madgett

1987

Bellman and True as Hiller
Boy Soldier as Officer

1986

ScreenPlay as Octavian Barbu
Theban Plays: Antigone as Messenger

1985

Screen Two as John
No Surrender as Bernard
Restless Natives as Will's father
The Burston Rebellion as Tom Higdon
John Lennon: A Journey in the Life as John Lennon

1984

The Bounty as William Cole
The Chain as Nick
Squaring the Circle as Lech Walesa
Samson and Delilah as Willie

1983

Natural World
Runners as Trevor Field
Henry VI Part 1 as Duke of York / Master Gunner Of Orleans
The Tragedy of Richard III as First Murderer
Henry VI Part 2 as Duke of York
Henry VI Part 3 as Duke of York

1982

Gandhi as Sergeant Putnam
Boys from the Blackstuff as Yosser Hughes

1981

Say No to Strangers as Teresa's Dad
A Turn for the Worse as Simon Simpson

1980

Fox as Vin Fox
Fox as Vin Fox
The Black Stuff as Yosser Hughes

1978

Pickersgill People as Harry 'Sharky' Finn
The Spongers as Sullivan
Soldiers Talking, Cleanly as Mick
She Fell Among Thieves as Carson

1977

BBC2 Play of the Week as Carson
Premiere as Tom
Childhood as Janey's father
Daft Mam Blues as Billy
Our Flesh and Blood as Bernard Blincoe
Professional Foul as Broadbent
Pit Strike as Tom

1976

I, Claudius as Gratus
Housewives' Choice as Eric
Trial by Combat as Blind Freddie
The Peddler as Graham
It Could Happen to You as Syph

1974

Village Hall as Policeman

1973

Second City Firsts as Billy
Hard Labour as Edward Thornley

1970

Play for Today as Graham

1964

Horizon as Narrator