Hill made his acting debut in “Hard Labour” (1973), directed fellow Englishman Mike Leigh (“Topsy-Turvy”). In this made-for-TV movie, Hill played Edward, son of a working-class family who must deal with a haranguing wife (Alison Steadman), who looks down upon his family. After a couple more small movies, Hill landed an important role in arguably one of the greatest miniseries of all time, “I, Claudius” (1976). Based on the novels by Robert Graves, “I, Claudius” followed the surprising rise of the lame and stuttering Claudius to the height of the Roman Empire. Hill played Gratus, procurator (a sort of consigliere to the Emperor) in Jerusalem during the reign of Tiberius Caesar. A few years later, Hill appeared in Alan Bleasdale’s acclaimed television series, “The Black Stuff” (1980). For his portrayal of Yosser Hughes, Hill received a nomination for a BAFTA award as well as the Press Guild Award for Achievement of the Decade.
Hill then appeared as Sergeant Putnam in “Gandhi” (1982), one of Hollywood’s last great epic movies, directed by Richard Attenborough. Though Hill didn’t figure prominently in the cast, he benefited from being part of a multi-Oscar winning film, which included Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Ben Kingsley. Next up for Hill was Roger Donaldson’s “The Bounty” (1984), a fourth dramatization of the famed mutiny on the HMS Bounty. Hill starred alongside acting greats, including Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence Olivier and Daniel Day-Lewis, as well as Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson. Hill then received critical acclaim for his performance as Joe in “Shirley Valentine” (1989), about a Liverpool housewife (Pauline Collins) who was a former anti-establishment rebel and engages in an extra-marital affair. Hill added more prominent films to his resume, including “Mountains of the Moon” (1990), “Sallagrigg” (1994) and “Madagascar Skin” (1995).
In the mid-1990s, Hill began appearing in America-made films more regularly. His first major role was as Dr. Hawthorne in “The Ghost and the Darkness” (1996), starring Val Kilmer as a bridge-building engineer who must trust a big game hunter (Michael Douglas) despite their mutual animosity. Hill then went down with the ship when he played Captain Smith on the ill-fated “Titanic” (1997), directed by James Cameron, whom Hill got along with quite well—an experience most working on the film did not have. Being in the biggest grossing film of all time attracted attention to his career, as Hill became more sought-after for more prominent parts. Hill played Philos in “The Scorpion King” (2002), starring The Rock, Michael Clarke Duncan and Kelly Hu.
Then came the part of Theoden, the 17th King of Rohan in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002). Theoden, once a mighty warrior, suffers under a spell cast on him by Saruman, the evil wizard controlled by Sauron, until Gandalf (Ian McKellen) comes to save him. Hill reprised his role in “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (2003), the highly anticipated last installment of the trilogy, which was released on his 59th birthday.