Bernard Hill

Having developed a reputation as a steady onscreen presence in his native England, actor Bernard Hill made a smooth and successful transition to Hollywood movies that culminated in a career-defining performance as Theoden, King of Rohan, in the second and third installments of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Prior to that, Hill earned a deal of celebrity with his noted performance in the acclaimed miniseries, "I, Claudius" (PBS, 1977), before he played the most popular character on the hit British series "Boys from the Blackstuff" (BBC2, 1980-82). Following a small, but career-boosting turn in the Oscar-winning "Gandhi" (1982), Hill amassed a number of films to his credit, including "The Bounty" (1984) and "Drowning by Numbers" (1988). He delivered a quality starring performance in the small drama, "Madagascar Skin" (1995), before appearing in major studio pictures like "The Ghost and the Darkness" (1996) and "Titanic" (1997). But it was his role in "The Two Towers" (2002) and "The Return of the King" (2003) that helped the actor gain a strong foothold in the United States. With subsequent roles in big Hollywood movies like "The Scorpion King" (2002) and "Valkyrie" (2008), Hill was well-established as a prominent supporting player capable of turning in quality performances that helped anchor numerous hit movies.