(CNN) â British actor Bernard Hill, best known for supporting roles in âTitanicâ and âThe Lord of the Ringsâ trilogy, has died, his family announced on Sunday.
âIt is with the greatest sadness that we must announce that Bernard Hill, renowned actor known for his roles in âTitanicâ and âLord of the Rings,â passed away in the early hours of this morning at the age of 79,â his family said in a statement.
âHe was with his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel.â
Hill found fame in his home country starring in 1982âs âBoys from the Blackstuff,â a gritty drama about unemployed men that become symbolic of the Thatcher era.
But it was in smaller roles, lending quiet dignity to some of the most successful films in cinema history, that he will be most familiar to audiences.
In James Cameronâs 1997 multi-Oscar winning âTitanicâ, Hill plays the shipâs Captain Edward Smith as a man haunted by his role in the tragedy and ultimately resigned to his fate.
We last see him alone, still clutching the shipâs helm, before the rising water bursts in through the windows.
Hill later appeared in two parts of Peter Jacksonâs blockbuster âThe Lord of the Ringsâ series as Theoden, King of Rohan, who in âThe Two Towersâ is manipulated by his adviser before becoming a heroic leader in âThe Return of the King.â
Other film roles included âGandhi,â âShirley Valentineâ and âThe Scorpion King.â
His agent Lou Coulson told the PA news agency that he died in the early hours of Sunday. CNN has reached out separately for comment.
Paying tribute, Director of BBC Drama, Lindsay Salt said Hill âblazed a trail across the screen, and his long-lasting career filled with iconic and remarkable roles is a testament to his incredible talent.â