Today we say farewell to another legend as The Lord of the Rings star Bernard Hill has passed away at the age of 79. He had some of the best dialogue in the LOTR trilogy as King Théoden and my favourite moments from the films.
His “Where is the horse and the rider?” speech is haunting and his rousing Ride of the Rohirrim battle speech in Return of the King is one of the many highlights.
His scene in The Two Towers when he buries his son is one of the most moving moments in the series where he states “no parent should have to bury their child”. In the audio commentary on the DVDs he mentioned how he was in Glasgow several years ago doing a play about Northern Ireland and a woman came up to him afterwards and said “no parent should have to bury their child” and he wanted to incorporate it into the role which worked perfectly.
Hill also starred as Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron’s Titanic and I also remember him having some choice lines in Shirley Valentine as well and countless other roles over the years.
I think I will be watching The Two Towers today as a tribute.
My body is broken. You have to let me go. I go to my fathers, in whose mighty company I shall not now feel ashamed.
R.I.P. Sir, you will be missed.
Source: BBC