Which actor played King Théoden in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films?

Bernard Hill played King Théoden in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films.

Hill portrays Théoden, the king of Rohan, in The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Théoden begins The Two Towers under the influence of the corrupting adviser Gríma Wormtongue and the wizard Saruman. After Gandalf breaks that influence, he resumes leadership of Rohan.

The character’s most important military moment comes at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields in The Return of the King. Théoden leads the Rohirrim in a major charge against Sauron’s forces outside Minas Tirith. Hill’s performance gives the king both the authority of a battlefield commander and the vulnerability of an aging ruler facing the destruction of his kingdom.

The role is sometimes mixed up with other prominent human characters in the trilogy. John Rhys-Davies played Gimli, David Wenham played Faramir, and Hugo Weaving played Elrond. Hill later appeared in another major historical epic, Titanic, as Captain Edward Smith.