It was early this morning when Bernard Hill died. He was in a lot of big hits, like Boys from the Black Stuff and Gandhi.

His agent, Lou Coulson, told the BBC today that he had died tragically, and tributes to the star are already coming in.

Hill played Captain Edward Smith in Titanic, the movie that won an Oscar in 1997.

Barb Dickson wrote on X, “It makes me very sad to hear about Bernard Hill’s death.”

“We worked together on the great show John Paul George Ringo and Bert Willy Russell from 1974 to 1975.”

“A truly wonderful actor. It was an honor to have met him. Benny, rest in peace.”

He was called a “incredible talent” by the BBC, and he “blazed a trail across the screen” during his career.

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

“We are very proud to have worked with Bernard at the BBC on shows like Boys from the Black Stuff, Wolf Hall, The Responder, and many more.” At this sad time, our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Bernard grew up in Manchester and went to school at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama.

As Police Constable Cluff in the Granada TV show Crown Court in 1976, he had his first TV role.

After that, he played Yosser Hughes on Alan Bleasdale’s BBC show Boys from the Blackstuff.

In theater, Hill has also played the lead in “The Cherry Orchard” and “A View from the Bridge.”

Around the middle of the 1990s, Hill started to show up in movies more often.

Before he played Captain Edward J. Smith in Titanic, his first big role was in The Ghost and the Darkness.

In The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Hill played King Théoden of Rohan.

He came back to the series for The Return of the King in 2003. It won 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director for Sir Peter.

Online, Lord of the Rings fans remembered him. One said he was “the man responsible for the most iconic scene in cinematic history” during a battle scene where he rode to Gondor, the trilogy’s made-up kingdom.

Martin Freeman stars in the BBC drama The Responder, and Hill was set to return to TV next Sunday in the second season.

Hill was a huge Manchester United fan outside of work. In 2019, the University of East Anglia gave him an honorary degree.

The late actor was married to American actress Marianna Hill, who was best known for her roles in Westerns like El Condor and High Plains Drifter.

Their son was named Gabriel, and they had a daughter together.

Before his tragic death, Bernard and Marianna lived in Suffolk, England