Bernard Hill, the 79-year-old leading actor in Titanic and The Lord of the Rings, is dead.

Hill's character portrayals as Captain Edward Smith in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic and King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy were his moments of popular glory.

He made his big break, however, in the 1982 BBC TV drama Boys from the Blackstuff, where he played the character Yosser Hughes, depicting the misery of being unemployed in Liverpool.

Coulson added that Hill died in the small hours of Sunday morning, in the arms of his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel.

Other Lord of the Rings trilogy cast members, such as Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, and Billy Boyd, also honored him at Comic Con in Liverpool. They recalled him as brave, funny, and irreplaceable.

Alan Bleasdale, the writer of Boys from the Blackstuff, said he was shocked to hear of the death and described Hill's performance as "absolutely captivating" in the role of Yosser Hughes.

Hill's last appearance on screen was in the Martin Freeman-led BBC drama The Responder, in which he starred in part two of the show that aired last Sunday.

Lindsay Salt, head of BBC Drama, said: "[Stephen] Hill was a master of his art, with a career packed full of iconic roles and incredible talent.".

Over his very long career, Hill provided excellent performances in an immense variety of work, including the award-winning Boys from the Blackstuff and the universally acclaimed television series Wolf Hall. Comic Con Liverpool organizers deeply felt his absence and expressed their sadness and condolences to his family. Scottish singer Barbara Dickson also hailed Hill and described him as a "marvellous actor," adding that she was "blessed" to have known him.