Martin Freeman said working with Bernard Hill on The Responder was a "fantastic treat", following the death of the actor aged 79.
Hill, who died in the early hours of Sunday morning, can currently be seen in his final performance opposite Freeman in the second season of the gritty cop drama, which began on Sunday night on BBC One.
Freeman plays Chris Carson, a police response officer, while Hill stars as his estranged father Tom Carson.
"Working with Bernard on The Responder was such a fantastic treat for all of us," Freeman said in a statement given to the PA news agency.
"He was unassuming, funny and, of course, ridiculously talented.
"A Mancunian lad who was Liverpool royalty, it was a privilege for us all to have shared in his last brilliant performance."
During his career, Hill played King Theoden in the Oscar-winning fantasy franchise Lord Of The Rings directed by Peter Jackson, opposite Elijah Wood's Frodo Baggins.
He was also well known for playing Captain Edward Smith in the box-office juggernaut Titanic, as well as roles in Boys From The Blackstuff and Wolf Hall.
US star Wood shared a photo of Hill taken by their co-star Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, and wrote: "So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill. We will never forget you."
He also shared a quote from JRR Tolkien’s novel, on which the films are based, writing: "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."
Dominic Monaghan, who played Merry Brandybuck in Lord Of The Rings, shared the same photo of Hill, taken by Mortensen.
He wrote: "The Broken king has passed to the grey havens but he will always be remembered. #ripbernard."
So long to our friend, our king, Bernard Hill.
— Elijah Wood (@elijahwood) May 5, 2024
We will never forget you.
"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."
photo by Viggo pic.twitter.com/lxjepm5rUZ
Hill joined the Lord Of The Rings cast for the second film in the trilogy, 2002’s The Two Towers, which won two Academy Awards for best sound editing and best visual effects.
He returned to the franchise for 2003’s The Return Of The King, which picked up 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director for Sir Peter.
Hill first made a name for himself as Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale’s BBC drama series Boys From The Blackstuff, about five unemployed men, which aired in 1982.
The role earned him a Bafta TV nomination in 1983, the same year the show picked up the Bafta for best drama series.
He went on to play Captain Smith in the Oscar-winning 1997 epic romance Titanic, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.
In the 2015 BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s novel Wolf Hall, about the court of Henry VIII, he played the Duke of Norfolk, uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.
The BBC described him as an "incredible talent" who "blazed a trail across the screen" during his career.
Source: Press Association
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