Théoden actor Bernard Hill passed away on May 5, 2024. His Lord of the Rings family around Peter Jackson and Elijah Wood have now paid public tribute to him.
Bernard Hill, who played the role of King Théoden of Rohan in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, passed away on May 5, 2024 at the age of 79. His fellow cast members of the fantasy series have now responded to the actor’s death and paid public tribute to their ‘king’.
The Lord of the Rings stars around Elijah Wood mourn Bernard Hill
Frodo actor Elijah Wood, among others, spoke out on X (formerly Twitter) and left a touching quote about King Théoden by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien:
Until then, our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We shall never forget you. ‘For he was a gentle heart and a great king, and he kept his oath; and he rose out of the shadows on a last morning.’
So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill.
We will never forget you.
“For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”
photo by Viggo pic.twitter.com/lxjepm5rUZ
– Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) May 5, 2024
At Comic-Con in Liverpool, Wood and his co-stars Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and Sean Astin had the opportunity to pay a personal tribute to Bernard Hill on stage. Bernard Hill was supposed to support the Lord of the Rings cast live, but had to cancel the event shortly beforehand due to illness. So explained Sam actor Sean Astin:
‘He was supposed to be here yesterday. We love him. He was fearless, he was funny, he was gruff, he was quick-tempered, he was wonderful.
Pippin actor Billy Boyd added of Astin’s speech:
‘We were watching the films recently and talking about it and I said to Dom[inic Monaghan], ‘I don’t think anyone has spoken Tolkien’s words as magnificently as Bernard Hill. The way he grounded the words broke my heart on screen.’
The 4 Hobbits pay their respects to Bernard Hill at Liverpool Comic Con
“He was intrepid, he gruff, he was irascible.” – Sean Astin
Echoing Sean’s words, Billy Boyd, said: “We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as… pic.twitter.com/fNzOLpVh2o
– Fellowship of Fans (@FellowshipFans) May 5, 2024
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson pays public tribute to Bernard Hill
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson also made a joint statement with screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens on Facebook about the death of his Théoden actor:
‘It’s hard to imagine a world without Bernard Hill – to say he was full of life would be an understatement. He was one of the funniest and smartest people we’ve ever had the good fortune to work with. His portrayal of Théoden, King of Rohan, is loved by millions and stands as a testament to his brilliance as an actor.
But we will remember him as a deeply loyal and loving person. Our hearts go out to his partner Alison and his son Gabriel at this time. On behalf of the entire cast and crew of The Lord of the Rings trilogy – we will miss you dearly. Peter, Fran and Philippa
