Hill was born in Blackley, Manchester in 1944. He had a strong working-class background, with his Catholic family mostly working in the mining industry. Hill noted his interest in acting came out of nowhere and took everyone, including himself, by surprise. He studied drama at the Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama, graduating in 1970.
He acted in local theatre roles but kept an eye out for screen opportunities. In 1973 he made his screen debut in Hard Labour, an episode of the BBC's Play for Today anthology series. He made an impact playing John Lennon in the Beatles biographical play John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert in 1974, and followed that up with his movie debut in It Could Happen to You (1975). He played Gratus in two episodes of legendary BBC historical drama I, Claudius in 1976.
In 1978, Hill originated the role that would first make him famous. Returning to Play for Today, he starred as Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale's drama The Black Stuff. The TV film revolves around a group of tarmac-layers from Liverpool on a job near Middlesbrough. The film attracted a great deal of acclaim when it was finally released in 1980, inspiring Bleasdale to expand the premise into a full TV series.
Boys from the Blackstuff debuted in October 1982 and ran for five episodes. The premise is that the main characters from The Black Stuff have lost their jobs and are now searching for work. The episode focused on Hill's character struck a cord with the general public, with Yosser Hughes urgently seeking a new job whilst Britain's real-life economic situation appeared perilous, with over 3 million unemployed. His cry of "Gizza job!" became an instant catchphrase. The episode was praised for its mix of comedy with tragedy: Hughes' unemployment and inability to care for his children pushes him to the edge of sanity.
The same year Bernard Hill played the role of Sergeant Putnam in Gandhi. He also appeared in The Bounty (1984) and Shirley Valentine (1989). He reprised his role as John Lennon for the TV film A Journey in the Life (1985), and had notable appearances in Dennis Potter's Lipstick on Your Collar (1993) and Once Upon a Time in the North(1994).
In 1997 Hill was cast as Captain Edward J. Smith in James Cameron's epic film Titanic. Despite Cameron's tyrannical reputation whilst making the film, Hill and the film's British cast mostly got on well with Cameron, finding his no-nonsense film-making style refreshing in Hollywood. The scene where Smith stoically decides to go down with the ship attracted some acclaim and attention to Hill.
Hill followed that up with a memorable turn as Abel Magwitch in the 1999 BBC version of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.
In 2000, Hill decamped to New Zealand for a lengthy stint to film Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Playing Theoden, King of Rohan, Hill appeared in the second and third films in the series, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. His role was acclaimed, particularly for his speech rousing the Rohirrim to battle at the Pelennor Fields. He struck up strong friendships amongst the cast, particularly with Viggo Mortensen and Miranda Otto, and developed a fondness for the country of New Zealand. He returned in 2014 to film the mini-series Hope and Wire.
On Viggo Mortensen's last day of shooting on Lord of the Rings, Bernard Hill seized control of his make-up bus and drove it into the studio so the cast and crew could pay tribute to his work.
In 2015 he played Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, in the BBC mini-series Wolf Hall.
Hill was due to appear at a convention alongside fellow Lord of the Rings castmembers this weekend, but pulled out due to ill health. The convention dedicated their panel to his memory, and much of the time was taken up by attendees sharing fond memories of working alongside him.
I had my own brief encounter with Bernard Hill in the mid-1990s, when I and my mother met him on a trip to Southwold in Suffolk (Hill owned a house nearby). I had no idea who he was - this being many years before he was cast in Lord of the Rings - but my mother was a huge fan of Boys from the Blackstuff and chatted to him for some time. He was very kind and complementary of our pet dog, a very nice man.
Bernard Hill was a well-loved and respected actor across multiple decades and in many countries. His performances were iconic and his presence will be felt for many years to come. He will be missed.
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