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
Outpost 11 as Cranleigh
Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron as Captain EJ Smith
Titanic: Case Closed
Titanic: Southampton Remembers

2010

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

2008

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

2007

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

2006

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

2005

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

2004

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

2003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as Théoden
Gothika as Phil Parsons
One Life
The Making of 'The Two Towers'
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

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

1999

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

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

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

Boy Soldier as Officer
Bellman and True as Hiller

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
John Lennon: A Journey in the Life as John Lennon
The Burston Rebellion as Tom Higdon

1984

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

1983

Natural World
Runners as Trevor Field
Henry VI Part 2 as Duke of York
Henry VI Part 1 as Duke of York / Master Gunner Of Orleans
The Tragedy of Richard III as First Murderer
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
The Black Stuff as Yosser Hughes
Fox as Vin Fox

1978

The Spongers as Sullivan
Soldiers Talking, Cleanly as Mick
She Fell Among Thieves as Carson

1977

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

1976

I, Claudius as Gratus
The Peddler as Graham
Trial by Combat as Blind Freddie
Housewives' Choice as Eric
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 Edward

1964

Horizon as Narrator