It's a little known fact, but an actor from Manchester holds in a unique record when it comes to the biggest award in film.
Bernard Hill, 76, was born in Blackley in 1944, and has starred in some of the biggest movies ever made.
Many people will recognise the former Manchester Polytechnic School of Drama student from his roles in two of the Lord of the Rings films as King Théoden and Captain Edward J. Smith in Titanic.
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Hill, who has one child with his wife Marianne, started his stellar career in the early 70s starring in smaller roles in TV, theatre and film.
His big break came in 1979 playing Yosser Hughes – a working-class man from Liverpool driven to desperation by mass unemployment and lack of social support in the acclaimed Alan Bleasdale TV drama Boys From The Black Stuff.
The character became a popular figure with people protesting mass unemployment during the 1980s, particularly his catchphrase "Gizza job".
Continuing to work regularly in theatre, television and film, Hill received critical acclaim for his performance as Joe Bradshaw in Shirley Valentine in 1989. Few who've seen it will have forgotten his "chips and egg" speech!
The mid-90s brought more recognition for the Manchester actor's abilities with bigger film roles coming forward, eventually leading to him being cast in a leading role as Captain Edward J. Smith in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster Titanic.
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An astounding critical and commercial success, Titanic was the first film to break the billion-dollar mark. It remained the highest-grossing film of all time until Cameron's own Avatar surpassed it in 2010.
The role increased Hill's profile in Hollywood and as result was sought-after for more prominent parts. He played Philos in The Scorpion King (2002), starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
However, it was Hill's casting in the role of King Théoden of Rohan in two of Peter Jackson's The Lord Of The Rings films - The Two Towers and The Return Of The King - that cemented his place as the holder of a unique record in Oscar history.
He is the only actor in the world to have appeared in more than one of the three films awarded a record 11 Oscars.
Titanic and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King are two of only three films ever made to be awarded this many Academy Awards.
The only other film to have bagged 11 statuettes was the 1959 epic Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston.
Hill was also the first actor to have starred in more than one film grossing more than $1 billion USD, namely: Titanic and The Return Of The King.
Not bad for a boy from Blackley!
