Fans label Bernard Hill's breakthrough role one of 'the very greatest performances in TV history' as legend dies aged 79

Fans have labelled Bernard Hill's breakthrough role one of 'the very greatest performances in TV history' after the TV legend died aged 79.

The Lord Of The Rings star passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to his agent. His fiancee Alison and his son Gabriel were with him at the time.

And while he was much remembered among a generation for his portrayal of the embattled King Theodon, he first embraced TV screens in 1980 with his performance as Yosser Hughes in the drama The Black Stuff.

His role as an out-of-work Scouser not only made him a sought-after star but cemented his place in TV history as the show and its 1982 sequel, The Boys Of The Black Stuff, became a landmark in postwar television drama.

After he coined a national catchphrase with his harrowing appeal 'Gizza job! Go on, gizzit! I could do that!', he went on to take Hollywood by storm.

But after decades of landing starring roles in hit films such as The Lord Of The Rings and the Titanic, fans still remember him for his iconic role in his debut movie.

After hearing of the tragic news of his death, fans flocked to Twitter, formerly known as X, to share the lasting memories of his breakout role, with many dubbing it 'the very greatest performances in TV history'.

One penned: 'RIP Bernard Hill. Yosser was one of the most incredible pieces of acting I've ever seen.'

'RIP Bernard Hill. Yosser Hughes up there with the very greatest performances in TV history.'

'Some images bring back a glut of memories and emotions. There are times when it feels like we are all just a pay day away from this. Surely one of the most powerful tv performances ever. RIP Bernard Hill.'

'One of the greatest TV characters ever Yosser- brought to the screen magnificently by Bernard. A power house and heart breaking performance.'

'R.I.P. Bernard Hill- aka Yosser Hughes, I'll never forget his remarkable portrayal of Yosser, acting of the highest quality, made me laugh, she'd a tear and the first time I became aware of mental health issues on a tv show, a brilliant actor.'

'RIP Bernard Hill. His performance as Yosser Hughes on Boys from the Blackstuff was perfection and British television at it's best'

The 80s hit saw Yosser as one of five unemployed tarmac-layers in the collpasing Merseyside economy.

With three ragged children to care for and an abandoned wife with no money, Yosser hunted the city in search of any job available.

But with most in the city also struggling to make ends meet, his character was met with polite rejections and minimal help from social security, leaving him feeling hopeless.

The overmounting stress to feed and fend for his family left him banging his head against the wall, literally, as he reached the depth of his despair.

And not even an Alan Bleasdale screenplay could grant an end to his struggle as he was thrown out of a park by police when he was found trying to leave the world through suicide.

He was dragged back, kicking and screaming, to a seemingly miserable life that promised him nothing but hard times.

Alan originally penned the story for a 1978 single BBC Play For Today, The Black Stuff, in which they desperately tried to make a living by moonlighting.

And while his role earned Bernard a slew of awards, he later admitted that his portrayal of Yosser almost 'drove him to the edge of insanity' as the character came to represent the devastating desperation of Britain's unemployed.

Bernard was nominated for a best-actor Bafta for what Alan described as 'the great, definitive performance of his generation'.

He also received the Press Guild Award for Achievement Of The Decade for his portrayal of Yosser.

The sequel won a Bafta for Best Drama Series in 1983 and was listed as the seventh best TV show ever made on a British Film Institute list in 2000.

The same year, he took the role of Sergeant Putnam in Richard Attenborough's Oscar-winning biopic Gandhi before starring in the BBC's 1983 adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play Henry VI, where he played the Duke of York.

He would later be cast as Captain Edward Smith in James Cameron's gargantuan film, Titanic. 

The 1997 movie saw him play the captain of the infamous vessel on what would be its maiden and only voyage across the Atlantic, before going down with the ship after it hit an iceberg.

It marked the start of a late career renaissance for Bernard, who was then chosen by Peter Jackson in the role of King Theoden in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

The actor was praised for his portrayal of the embattled King of Rohan who valiantly fights to save his people from the forces of evil.

Hollywood kept calling, with Bernard making appearances in Dwayne Johnson vehicle The Scorpion King, Halle Berry horror film Gothika and the tennis-themed romantic comedy Wimbledon.

He continued to make regular appearances on British television, before being cast in the 2015 BBC drama Wolf Hall. 

An adaptation of Hilary Mantel's historical fiction about the rise of Thomas Cromwell, Bernard portrayed the Duke of Norfolk in the first series of the show, before being replaced by Timothy Spall in the second.

He had been due to return to our screens once more on Sunday, with a role in Martin Freeman's BBC show The Responder.

The thespian lived in Suffolk and is survived by his wife Marianna Hill and their son Gabriel.