Hill’s character, King Theoden of Rohan, is a pivotal figure in the books, personifying the awakening of good to combat evil. Hill did a masterful job of transforming from a mesmerised dotard to a heroic leader in combat. In return he was gifted one of the great death scenes.
Such nobility was light years away from the Manchester-raised Hill’s breakthrough role of Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale’s acclaimed series Boys From The Blackstuff. A searing indictment on unemployment, his delivery of Hughes’ desperate plea "gizza’ job ... I can do that" transcended the show and became a catchphrase. It earned Hill a Bafta nomination and secured a steady stream of television work.
As well as the Lord of the Rings films, he appeared in Gandhi, Valkyrie and Titanic. He played Captain Edward Smith in the latter, one of the few characters based on a real person in the Academy Award-winning film.
He died on May 5, aged 79. On the same day the second series of The Responder, in which he played the father of the show’s star, Martin Freeman, went to air.
