Bernard Hill in the film, and found the scene of him on the bridge very powerful when the water collapsed in around him.

In my research, for years I had seen urban legends of Captain Smith swimming up to a lifeboat with a child, and then swimming away. I long wrote them off as romanticized legend, but a book published this month includes over 6 primary source accounts from eyewitnesses that actually make the story at least credible, if not likely. Captain Smith was also very actively engaged in the evacuation that night.

Anyway, a semi-related note as I've been reflecting on Bernard Hill's great career and also engaging in some Titanic research. He was perfect as King Theoden, my favorite role of his, but his portrayal of Captain Smith in Titanic is a close second, even if the character wasn't historically accurate. That's fine. He did a great job with it and I loved him as Captain Smith.