William Hobbs (29 January 1939 – 10 July 2018) was a choreographer of

stage combat Stage combat, fight craft or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet p ...

. Born in Hampstead,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he arranged scenes of cinematic fencing from the 1960s to the 2000s as well as working in theatre productions.

Early life and education

Hobbs was born in 1939 in Hampstead, London, the son of Kenneth and Joan (née Kerlindsay). His father was an

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

Lancaster bomber The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirling ...

pilot, and was killed in 1942 during a raid on Germany. Six years later, Hobbs moved to Australia with his mother and his aunt Lesley. While at school in Australia, Hobbs developed interests in

fencing Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, ...

and the theatre. He later returned to the UK and studied for three years at the

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

. He worked on community enterprises, being the co-owner of the Swash and Buckle Fencing Club (established initially for Equity members), and was a founder of the Actors' Centre in 1978. Gene Wilder accepted the patronage of Swash and Buckle, a friendship formed during Hobbs' work on the Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother.

Filmography

Choreography

Actor

* '' Othello'' (1965) - Cypriot Officer / Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots * ''

The Tragedy of Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those wh ...

'' (1971) - Young Seyward * ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight ...

'' (1973) - Assassin * ''

Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter ''Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter'' is a 1974 British swashbuckling action horror film, written and directed by Brian Clemens, produced by Clemens and Albert Fennell for Hammer Film Productions, and starring Horst Janson, John Carson, Shane ...

'' (1974) - Hagen * ''

The Duellists ''The Duellists'' is a 1977 British historical drama film and the feature film directorial debut of Ridley Scott. It won the Best Debut Film award at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The basis of the screenplay is the Joseph Conrad short story "T ...

'' (1977) - Swordsman * ' (1977) - Hauptmann (final film role)

Publications

* 1967, ''Techniques of the Stage Fight'', Studio Vista, . * 1980, ''Stage Combat: "The Action to the Word"'', Barrie & Jenkins, . * 1995, ''Fight Direction for Stage and Screen'', Heinemann, .

References

External links

*
New York Times Article on William Hobbs' work on the 2008 Broadway production of Hamlet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, William 1939 births 2018 deaths Choreographed combat People from Hampstead English choreographers