The Lord of the Rings Actors Pay Touching Tribute to Bernard Hill: 'He Grounded [Tolkien's] Words'

After Bernard Hill, the actor who played King Théoden in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, died yesterday morning, his co-stars paid their respects with a heartwarming tribute to the Hollywood legend at 2024's Liverpool Comic Con before walking off stage.

"We lost a member of our family this morning," said Sean Astin, who appears as Samwise Gamgee in the Peter Jackson trilogy. "He was supposed to be here today. We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful."

Astin was accompanied onstage for the May 5 event by fellow cast members Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan and Elijah Wood, marking the first time fans had seen a full hobbit reunion in about a decade.

Boyd, who portrayed Peregin "Pippin" in the film series, chimed in to reflect on a conversation he'd had while re-watching the trilogy with Monaghan, who rose to fame for his role as Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck.

"We were talking about the movies and I said to Dom, 'I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did.' The way he just — he grounded those words in a realism. He would break my heart. He was a wonderful man and he'll be sorely missed."

The 4 Hobbits pay their respects to Bernard Hill at Liverpool Comic Con

"He was intrepid, he gruff, he was irascible." - Sean Astin

Echoing Sean's words, Billy Boyd, said: “We were watching the movies and I said to Dom, I don’t think anyone spoke Tolkien’s words as great as… pic.twitter.com/fNzOLpVh2o

— Fellowship of Fans (@FellowshipFans) May 5, 2024

Later that day, Wood, who played protagonist Frodo Baggins, posted a tribute message to the late actor on X/Twitter: "So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill," he wrote. "We will never forget you." Wood concluded the sentiment with a quote from author J.R.R. Tolkien that reads, "For he was a gentle heart and a great king and kept his oaths; and he rose out of the shadows to a last fair morning.”

On Instagram, Monaghan posted a photo of Hill with the caption, "The Broken king has passed to the grey havens but he will always be remembered."

Hill was 79 years old when he died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Coulson told BBC, though the cause of death has yet to be shared. His fiancee Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time of his passing.

Beyond his legacy in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Hill also played Captain Smith in James Cameron's Titanic — the naval officer who went down with his ship in the haunting final moments of the 1997 film. Most recently, Hill appeared in several episodes of The Responder, a BAFTA-winning series that stars Martin Freeman, Adelayo Adedayo and Emily Fairn.

Katie Reul is a freelance journalist whose entertainment reporting has been featured in IGN and Variety.