Bernard Hill

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Bernard Hill (17 December 1944 – 5 May 2024) was an English actor. He was known for his versatile roles in both television and film, and his career spanned over fifty years.

Hill first gained prominence as the troubled hard man Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale's Play for Today drama The Black Stuff (1980) and its sequel serial Boys from the Blackstuff (1982), the latter earning him a nomination for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He received an additional nomination for his role as David Blunkett in the drama A Very Social Secretary (2005), for which he was also nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor. He also appeared on television in I, Claudius (1976), the BBC Television Shakespeare productions of Henry VI, Part 1, 2, and 3, and Richard III (all 1983), Great Expectations (1999), and Wolf Hall (2015).

Hill gained international recognition for his film roles as Captain Edward Smith in Titanic (1997) and Théoden, King of Rohan, in the second and third films of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2002–2003). His appearances in Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), two of only three films to receive 11 Academy Awards, make him the only actor to appear in more than one film which holds that record. His other film roles include Gandhi (1982), The Bounty (1984), Shirley Valentine (1989), The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), True Crime (1999), Valkyrie (2008), and ParaNorman (2012).

Early life and education

Bernard Hill was born in Blackley, Manchester, on 17 December 1944.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was brought up in a Catholic family of miners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After attending Xaverian College in Rusholme, Hill initially started training to be a teacher. However, a classmate, Mike Leigh, who would later become a renowned writer and director, persuaded him to pursue acting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hill enrolled at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama at the same time as Richard Griffiths.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1970, Hill graduated with a Diploma in Theatre.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref>

Career

Hill first came to prominence in 1980 as Yosser Hughes, a working-class Liverpudlian man ultimately driven to the edge by an uncaring welfare system, in Alan Bleasdale's BBC Play for Today programme, The Black Stuff, and its series sequel, Boys from the Blackstuff.<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> His character's much-repeated phrase Gizza job ("Give us a job")<ref name="bbc.co.uk"/> became popular with protesters against Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government, because of the high unemployment of the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hill then appeared as Sergeant Putnam in Gandhi (1982), directed by Richard Attenborough. Next for him was Roger Donaldson's The Bounty (1984), a fourth dramatisation of the mutiny on HMS Bounty.<ref name="tv">Template:Cite web</ref> He had previously taken smaller parts in a number of British television dramas, appearing in I, Claudius, in 1976, as the character Gratus.<ref name="tv"/>

In 1985 he played the lead role in a TV dramatisation of John Lennon's life, A Journey in the Life. In addition to TV roles, Hill appeared on stage in The Cherry Orchard,<ref name="tv"/> as Macbeth and in A View from the Bridge.<ref name="tv"/>

Hill appeared in Shirley Valentine (1989),<ref name="tv"/> as Joe Bradshaw the husband of Liverpool housewife (Pauline Collins), a former anti-establishment rebel who engages in an extramarital affair. Hill added more prominent films to his resume, including Mountains of the Moon (1990),<ref name="tv"/> Skallagrigg (1994) and Madagascar Skin (1995).<ref name="tv"/>

In the mid-1990s, Hill began appearing in films more regularly. His first major role came in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Hill then portrayed Captain Edward J. Smith in Titanic (1997), by James Cameron.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then played Luther Plunkitt, the Warden of San Quentin Prison, in the Clint Eastwood film True Crime (1999).<ref name="indie" />

Hill played Philos in The Scorpion King (2002), starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Michael Clarke Duncan and Kelly Hu.<ref name="tv"/>

File:Bernard Hill2 (cropped).jpg

Hill in 2007

Hill played King Théoden of Rohan in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, which were released in 2002 and 2003 respectively.<ref name=":0" />

Hill played a minor role in the 2008 film Valkyrie, as the commanding general of the 10th Panzer Division of the German Afrika Korps, and was a voice actor for the character Sir Walter Beck in the video game Fable III (2010).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hill was the voice of The Judge in the American stop motion animated comedy horror film ParaNorman in 2012.<ref name="norman">Template:Cite web</ref> He played Samuel Cotton, who ran a sweet factory with his son in the 2014 three-part BBC drama series about Manchester From There to Here.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hill appeared as Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, in the 2015 six-part BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel's novels, Wolf Hall.<ref name="wolf">Template:Cite web</ref> Later in 2015, he starred as John Claridge in the British gangster movie North v South.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life and death

Hill had a daughter from a relationship with Sue Allen, and a son from a relationship with Annabel Turner.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

Hill was a longtime supporter of Manchester United.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2019, he received an honorary degree from the University of East Anglia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Hill, who was living in Reydon, Suffolk,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> died on 5 May 2024, aged 79.<ref name=":1" /> Tributes were paid to him by his Lord of the Rings trilogy co-stars, Boys from the Blackstuff writer Alan Bleasdale and musician Barbara Dickson.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Filmography

Film

Year	Film	Role	Notes	Template:Reference column heading
1975	It Could Happen to You	Syph	Film also known as Intimate Teenage Secrets	<ref name="TalentAgencyBio">Template:Cite web</ref>
1976	Trial by Combat	Blind Freddie	Film also known as Dirty Knights Work	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1978	The Sailor's Return	Carter		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	The Spongers	Sullivan		<ref name="Lacey">Template:Cite book</ref>
1982	Gandhi	Sergeant Putnam		<ref name="indie" />
1983	Squaring the Circle	Lech Walesa	Documentary	<ref name="guardian" />
	Runners	Trevor Field		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1984	The Bounty	Cole		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1985	Restless Natives	Will's father		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	The Chain	Nick		<ref name="guardian" />
	Samson and Delilah	Willie Naknervis		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1986	Milwr Bychan	Officer	Film also known as Boy Soldier	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	New World	John Billington		<ref name="Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd p.">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
	No Surrender	Bernard		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1987	Bellman and True	Hiller		<ref name="guardian" />
1988	Drowning by Numbers	Henry Madgett		<ref name="guardian" />
1989	Shirley Valentine	Joe Bradshaw		<ref name="indie" />
1990	Mountains of the Moon	Dr. David Livingstone		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1991	The Law Lord	Martin Allport		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1992	The Name of the Game	Ignatius "Iggy" Smith	Film also known as Run Rabbit Run and Double X	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1993	Shepherd on the Rock	Tam Ferrier		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1994	Skallagrigg	John		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Drug Taking and the Arts	Presenter and narrator	Documentary	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1995	Madagascar Skin	Flint		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1996	The Ghost and the Darkness	David Hawthorne		<ref name="indie" />
	The Wind in the Willows	Engine driver	Film also known as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1997	Titanic	Captain Edward J. Smith	Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture One of two films in which Hill stars that have won 11 Oscars.	<ref name="bbc">Template:Cite web</ref>
1999	The Criminal	Det. Insp. Walker		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	True Crime	Lunther Plunkitt		<ref name="indie" />
	A Midsummer Night's Dream	Egeus	Film also known as Sogno di una notte di mezza estate	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	The Loss of Sexual Innocence	Susan's father		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2000	Blessed Art Thou	Frederick		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Eisenstein	Stalin	Voice only; Film also known as The Furnace	<ref name="Willis Monush">Template:Cite book</ref>
	Going Off Big Time	Murray		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2002	The Scorpion King	Philos		<ref name="guardian" />
	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	King Théoden	Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated – DVD Exclusive Awards for Best Audio Commentary Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	<ref name="bbc" />
2003	The Boys from County Clare	John Joe		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	Gothika	Phil Parsons		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	King Théoden	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated – Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast The second film in which Hill starred that won 11 Oscars.	<ref name="bbc" />
2004	Wimbledon	Edward Colt		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	The Deal	Victor	Short film	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2005	The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse	King William III		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2006	Joy Division	Dennis		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	Save Angel Hope	Oscar Kurz		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2007	Exodus	Pharoah Mann	Broadcast on Channel 4	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2008	Valkyrie	Wolfgang Fischer		<ref name="bbc" />
	Franklyn	Peter Esser		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2011	The Wraith	The Narrator	Short film	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2012	ParaNorman	The Judge	Voice only	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2015	North v South	John Claridge		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2016	Golden Years	Arthur Goode		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	Interlude City	Richard		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2018	Second Chance	Peter
2023	Forever Young	Oscar Smith		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	The Moor	Thornley	Last on-screen role before death in 2024

Television

Year	Programme	Role	Episodes	Broadcasting Network	Notes	Template:Reference column heading
1973	Hard Labour	Edward Thornley	N/A	BBC		<ref name="guardian" />
1976	I, Claudius	Gratus	2			<ref name="guardian" />
1977	Our Flesh and Blood	Bernard Blencoe	1			<ref name="TalentAgencyBio" />
1978	Pickersgill People	Harry 'Sharky' Finn				<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1979	Telford's Change	Jack Burton				<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1979	Play for Today	Yosser Hughes	The Black Stuff			<ref name="indie">Template:Cite news</ref>
1980	Fox	Vin Fox	11	ITV		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1982	Boys from the Blackstuff	Yosser Hughes	5	BBC	Broadcasting Press Guild Awards for Best Actor Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor	<ref name="bbc" />
1983	BBC Television Shakespeare	Duke of York/First Murderer / Sir William Brandon	Henry VI, Part 1/Henry VI, Part 2/Henry VI, Part 3/Richard III		Part of the BBC Television Shakespeare series	<ref name="guardian" />
1984	Antigone	Messenger	1
1985	The Burston Rebellion	Tom Higdon
	John Lennon: A Journey in the Life	John Lennon				<ref name="TalentAgencyBio" />
1993	Olly's Prison	Mike				<ref name="TalentAgencyBio" />
	Telltale	Det. Sgt. Gavin Douglas	3	ITV		<ref name="TalentAgencyBio" />
	Lipstick on Your Collar	Uncle Fred		Channel 4		<ref name="guardian" />
1994	Once Upon a Time in the North	Len Tollit	N/A	BBC		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1995	The Gambling Man	Frank Nickle	all	Tyne Tees TV		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
1997	The Mill on the Floss	Mr Tulliver	N/A	BBC	Television film
1999	Great Expectations	Abel Magwitch	2	BBC		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	The Titanic Chronicles	Captain Stanley Lord (voice)	N/A
2001	Horizon	Narrator	9	BBC		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2002	Timewatch	Narrator	1
2004	Atheism: A Rough History of Disbelief	Himself	1
2005	A Very Social Secretary	David Blunkett	1	Channel 4	Nominated – BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor Nominated – International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actor	<ref name="guardian">Template:Cite news</ref>
2006	Ocean Odyssey	Narrator	2		Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program
2007	Egomania		1	Channel 4
	Bombay Railway		2	BBC Series
2008	Sunshine	Granddad George Crosby	3	BBC		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	Wild China	Narrator	6		A BBC/CTV/Travel Channel co-production in association with Canal+
2009	Folk America	Narrator	3
	Ice Patrol		4	National Geographic
2010	Old Trafford 100 Years	Narrator and Presenter	1	MUTV
	Five Days	Gerard Hopkirk	5	BBC		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	Indian Hill Railways	Narrator	3			<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Canoe Man	John Darwin	1			<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2012	Falcón	Ramón Salgado	2	Sky	Episode "The Blind Man of Seville"	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2014	From There to Here	Samuel Cotton	3	BBC		<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
	Hope And Wire	Len Russell		TV3	New Zealand mini-series	<ref name=TalentAgencyBio/>
2015	Wolf Hall	Duke of Norfolk	6	BBC		<ref name="indie" />
	India's Frontier Railways	Narrator	3	BBC		<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	Unforgotten	Father Robert Greaves	6	ITV		<ref name="indie" />
2024	The Responder	Tom Carson	5	BBC	Posthumous release	<ref name="bbc" />

Theatre

Year	Play	Role	Theatre	Template:Reference column heading
1974	John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert	John Lennon	Everyman Theatre, Liverpool	<ref name="guardian" />
1978	Twelfth Night	Toby Belch	Young Vic, London
1983	Short List	Howard	Hampstead Theatre, London
1984	The Plough and the Stars	Fluther Good	Royal Exchange, Manchester
1986	Macbeth	Macbeth	Haymarket Theatre, Leicester	<ref name="guardian" />
1989	The Cherry Orchard	Lopakhin	Aldwych Theatre, London	<ref name="guardian" />
1990	Gasping	Sir Chiffley Lockheart	Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London	<ref name="guardian" />
1995	A View from the Bridge	Eddie Carbone	Strand Theatre, London

Video games

Year	Video game	Role	Template:Reference column heading
2010	Fable III	Sir Walter Beck	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

External links

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• Interview with BBC Suffolk