“The actor Bernard Hill, known for his roles in Titanic and Lord of the Rings, has passed away at the age of 79.”

“He portrayed Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 Oscar-winning film and played the role of King Théoden in Lord of the Rings.”

Her breakout role was in the 1982 BBC TV drama “Boys from the Blackstuff,” where she portrayed Yosser Hughes, a character struggling with unemployment in Liverpool and often facing failure.

She passed away on Sunday morning, confirmed by her agent, Lou Coulson.

At that time, she was accompanied by her fiancée Alison and their son Gabriel as well.

Actor Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd, who played the roles of Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, paid tribute to their co-star at the Liverpool Comic Con.

“Astin began by saying, ‘We love him. He was brave, he was funny, he was angry, he was ornery, he was beautiful.'”

Boyd, while talking about watching “Troy” with Monaghan, said, “I don’t think anyone has said Tolkien’s words as magnificently as Bernard. He will break my heart. He will be remembered entirely.”

Alan Bleasdale, who wrote “Boys from the Blackstuff,” said that Hill’s death was a “big loss and a big surprise.”

“This was a remarkable, mesmerizing performance – Bernard gave it his all, and you can see it in every scene. He became Joseph Hughes.”

He continued, “I was eager to work with him. Whatever he did – his entire process of working, the way he worked, and his performance – it was everything you could ever wish for.”

“It always seemed to me that Bernard would live forever. He had immense strength both physically and in personality.”

“In The Lord of the Rings, as King Théoden flowed seamlessly...”

“In the role of Captain Edward James Smith on the Titanic…”

Hill, who hailed from Manchester and resided in Salford, was returning to the TV screen in the BBC drama series “The Responder,” starring Martin Freeman, which is set to premiere on Sunday.

BBC drama director Lindsay Salt paid tribute to him, saying, “Bernard Hill has left his mark on the screen, and his long-standing career filled with prestigious and memorable roles is a testament to his incredible talent.”

“We truly feel honored to work with Bernard at the BBC, from Boys from the Blackstuff to Wolf Hall, The Responder, and many others. In this sad time, our thoughts are with his loved ones.”

In Boys from the Blackstuff, Hill received acclaim for his portrayal of Yosser Hughes, a profound character who famously pleaded ‘Gizza job’ when seeking employment.”

“The show won the BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series in 1983 and was ranked seventh on the British Film Institute’s list of the greatest TV shows of all time in 2000.”

The drama series “Wolf Hall” aired on BBC Two in 2015, adapted from Hilary Mantel’s book about the court of Henry VIII. Hilary portrayed the Duke of Norfolk – Anne Boleyn’s uncle and an enemy of Cardinal Wolsey.

In Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy “The Lord of the Rings,” Hill joined the cast for the second film, “The Two Towers,” in 2002, and returned to the franchise for “The Return of the King” in 2003, which won 11 Oscars.

Throughout Hill’s decades-long career, he also appeared in other roles, including a presence in the 1976 BBC TV series “I, Claudius,” the 1982 film “Gandhi,” a role in “Shirley Valentine” in 1989, “The Scorpion King” in 2002, and the 2008 film “Valkyrie” starring Tom Cruise.

He was supposed to come to Comic Con Liverpool on Saturday, but had to cancel at the last minute, the convention said in a post. As news of his death broke, organizers said on stage that they were “heartbroken” at Hill’s death, and wished his family “a lot of strength.”