Personal details
Born:
- Birthday: 1944-12-17
- Born Place: Blackley, Manchester, England, UK
Deathday:
2024-05-05
Also Known As:
برنارد هیل
Bernard Hill
Bernard Hill (1944-2024) was a highly respected English actor renowned for his powerful and versatile performances across film, television, and theatre. Born in Blackley, Manchester, he initially pursued a career in teaching before being persuaded by a classmate, Mike Leigh, to explore acting. He trained at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama, graduating in 1970.Hill first gained significant prominence in the early 1980s for his intensely memorable portrayal of Yosser Hughes, a working-class Liverpudlian man driven to despair by unemployment, in Alan Bleasdale's acclaimed BBC drama The Black Stuff (1980) and its sequel series Boys from the Blackstuff (1982). His character's desperate plea, "Gizza job!" ("Give us a job!"), became an iconic catchphrase reflecting the social climate of the time.He went on to build a robust career in film, appearing in a wide range of productions. Internationally, Hill is perhaps best known for two iconic roles in global blockbusters: Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron's Titanic (1997) and King Théoden of Rohan in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). His portrayal of Théoden, especially his character's arc from a diminished and despairing king to a heroic leader, resonated deeply with audiences. Notably, Hill holds the unique distinction of being the only actor to appear in more than one film that won 11 Academy Awards (Titanic and The Return of the King).His other significant film credits include Gandhi (1982), The Bounty (1984), Shirley Valentine (1989), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), Clint Eastwood's True Crime (1999), and Valkyrie (2008). On television, beyond Boys from the Blackstuff, he was praised for roles in series like I, Claudius (1976), Great Expectations (1999), and as the Duke of Norfolk in the critically acclaimed Wolf Hall (2015). Bernard Hill passed away on May 5, 2024, at the age of 79, leaving behind a legacy of compelling performances that solidified his place as one of Britain's most respected character actors.1
