Bernard Hill may be one of the most underrated and underappreciated actors of our time, but he is the only person to have the privilege of playing two characters in two separate films with 11 Academy Award wins. He has had the honor of playing Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron’s Titanic, and the honorable King Theoden in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. While his name isn’t mentioned when talking about actors who have changed the game, or have been immensely influential, this achievement is a feather on his hat and only his hat alone. This is also not just mere luck, nor was it just a coincidence. Hill managed to portray a certain humanism that grounded both pictures in two epics, one based on fiction and the other based on historical occurrences.

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Who Did Bernard Hill Play in ‘Titanic’?
Image via Paramount Pictures

In Titanic, the entire plot of the film centers around the love story of Jack and Rose, two star-crossed lovers destined to meet each other in the direst of circumstances. While the film featured career-making turns from its top-billed stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, there were other factors that made it great. It is necessary to note that ‘Titanic’ the picture, garners most of its foundations from ‘Titanic’ the ship.

Rather than just focusing on a romance for the ages, it also recreates the feeling of panic, fear, and sheer terror of its ill-fated passengers. However, it excels in presenting the human condition of its captain, who by the notion of command responsibility, is ultimately accountable for all the proceedings in the ship, and the final moments of its voyage. Hill’s character was a much-needed injection of character actor gravitas, whose performance helps spectators feel the sheer guilt and hopelessness the real Captain Smith must have felt during the ship’s last surviving instances. Captain Smith was the representation of the fallibility of Man.

For instance, while he did recognize in the beginning that there were warning signs about Icebergs, he willfully downplays these thoughts. He didn’t really buy into the notion that the ship was unsinkable, but he could have done something more to avert the disaster. When the inevitable happened, you can sense a change in Hill’s demeanor. The inflections of his face are representative of a plethora of emotions, ranging from terrified to accepting.

In one of the most iconic sequences in the film, he personifies the age-old adage that the captain always goes down with the ship. When he realizes that all hope is indeed lost, he walks back into the wheelhouse and holds the helm, waiting for the pressure to give in. The windows eventually break, and for a split second, the viewers could imagine themselves in the shoes of a captain willing to make up for his mistakes, no matter how futile his attempts may be. Captain Smith was a memento of human folly from a bygone era, but Bernard Hill made it a lasting image that still continues to reverberate throughout popular culture.

Who Did Bernard Hill Play in ‘The Lord of the Rings’?
Image via New Line Cinema

Quite similar to the role he filled in the first of two award-winning pictures, Hill was cast as the King of Rohan in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Much like Captain Smith, Theoden son of Thengel represented the quintessential figure for Man, in an age where hope was lost, and the light was slowly but surely fading. His position may be of the monarchy, but his land was treated as second fiddle to the city of Gondor. Man has an affinity for prestige after all, and Theoden is an examination of what happens when there is a lack thereof compared to your much-heralded contemporary.

He experiences loss on a catastrophic scale. Theoden loses his only son Theodred to the evil forces of Mordor. He was on a constant mission to defend his people from impending death, with the last one at Helms Deep almost wiping out their entire population. Here, he is faced with the task of riding out to defend Gondor, a city that never came to their aid. However, since he understands that this is where the final skirmish for freedom will be held, he valiantly musters up his army to defend not only Minas Tirith, but also the entire race of Men. The charge to Pelennor fields was bone-chilling, and his leadership fueled a seemingly impenetrable rally until the Nazgul appeared. King Theoden’s end was near and was perfectly played by Hill in a sequence that oozes pure emotion.

The Witch King of Angmar, orders its fell beast to pounce on the helpless king. Before its mouth reaches the King, we see Theoden’s face emanating horror and disappointment and is subsequently tossed to the ground in front of his niece, Eowyn. In what can simply be called a miracle, Eowyn kills The Witch King, but her uncle’s fate is already determined. With his last ounce of strength, he sends a farewell message and meets his maker. It is a remarkable scene, one of if not the most heartbreaking of the entire trilogy. With his stellar acting, Hill drives home the point of the Theoden character. He was flawed and may have even failed his own people, but he did so with the passion, charisma, and utter love of a leader who wanted only the best for his kingdom.

How Are These Bernard Hill Roles Similar?
Image via New Line Cinema

Smith and Theoden, in more ways than one, are interconnected. Both of them were leaders who had their own victories and failures but were absolutely selfless when facing adversity. While both of them may not be the main viewing, or even selling point of these two blockbusters, they are vital pillars of their own narratives. Figuratively, they represent what it means to be truly human, in both dignity and defeat.

Bernard Hill isn’t one that chases fame. Rather, he is the opposite, rarely showing up in tabloids or hounded by the press. He continues to be the epitome of a great character actor, one who doesn’t overshadow the performances of the leads but complements them in a multitude of ways. Perhaps it is due to his private nature that people don’t give him as much credit as he deserves. Nonetheless, he is still the only man who has starred in two films that have won 11 Academy Awards. His characters may both have perished dietetically, but his remarkable achievement will be remembered in the history of cinema, at least until another actor comes to be included in this conversation. For now, Bernard Hill is the only one who can have that prestigious distinction.