Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom© Amy Sussman

Orlando Bloom supported by Katy Perry as he mourns former Lord of the Rings co-star's passing: 'Never broken'

The pair starred together in the LOTR movies The Two Towers and The Return of the King

Ahad Sanwari - New York
Senior WriterNew York
May 7, 2024

Orlando Bloom is paying tribute to a late co-star, English actor Bernard Hill, after his passing on Sunday, May 5 at the age of 79.

The pair starred together in two of the 2000s' highest grossing movies, part of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, 2002's The Two Towers and 2003's The Return of the King.

The late Hill, at the time, had credits stretching all the way back to the '70s, including a Screen Actors Guild nomination for his appearance in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic.

Orlando, now 47, at the time was still on the rise, with the first in the LOTR franchise (2001's The Fellowship of the Ring) being his breakout role, making him a star overnight thanks to his turn as the dashing Legolas.

Hill played King Théoden, and Orlando paid tribute to his late coworker with a few photos, including a throwback of theirs together. He captioned it: "You will be missed, never broken, always a king."

Fans sent many messages of support and his fiancée Katy Perry liked the post as well, which received comments like: "We are so fortunate to have experienced you both in the greatest film trilogy ever made," and: "He will go to the halls of his fathers in whose mighty company he will now not feel ashamed."

Other members of the trilogy's cast, Elijah Wood, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, and Sean Astin, made an appearance at Comic Con in Liverpool and paid tribute to their late colleague, mourning the loss of a "family member."

Per BBC, Sean, who played Samwise Gamgee, stated: "So we lost a member of our family this morning, Bernard Hill passed, King Théoden. So we want to take a moment before we walk off the stage to [honor] him.

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"We love him. He was intrepid, he was funny, he was gruff, he was irascible, he was beautiful."

© Getty Images

Two of LOTR's key stars reunited at the latest SAG Awards as well

Billy, who played Pippin, added: "I don't think anyone spoke Tolkien's words as great as Bernard did. The way he grounded those words in a realism. He would break my heart. He will be sorely missed."

Hill's family shared a statement on Sunday announcing his passing, which read: "It is with the greatest sadness that we must announce that Bernard Hill, renowned actor known for his roles in 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' passed away in the early hours of this morning at the age of 79."

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"He was with his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel."

© Getty Images

The actor held the distinction of being the only star in two movies with 11 Oscars each

Hill made a name for himself as a fixture of British television, but also holds the distinct honor of being the only actor to have starred in two blockbuster films that won 11 Oscars each, Titanic and The Return of the King.

Speaking with Metro on the occasion of Titanic's 25th anniversary two years ago, the actor admitted that he didn't expect the James Cameron film to become as popular as it did, saying: "It didn't seem iconic from my point of view."

© CBS Photo Archive

He was best remembered for his stately turn in "Titanic" as well

"I know others on the cast don't see it like that. It was kind of a group thing. A small-budget film, everybody really liked each other and there was no strain. It was quite intimate."

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