William Hobbs (choreographer)

William Hobbs (29 January 1939 – 10 July 2018) was a choreographer of stage combat.^[1]

Born in Hampstead, London, he arranged some of the most notable scenes of cinematic fencing from the 1960s to the 2000s as well as working in theatre productions.^[2]

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 Lancaster bomber 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 and the theatre. He later returned to the UK and studied for three years at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.^[2]

Filmography[]

Choreography[]

Actor[]

• Othello (1965) - Cypriot Officer / Senators-Soldiers-Cypriots
• The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971) - Young Seyward
• The Three Musketeers (1973) - Assassin
• Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter (1974) - Hagen
• The Duellists (1977) - Swordsman
• Tod oder Freiheit (1977) - Hauptmann (final film role)

Publications[]

• 1967, Techniques of the Stage Fight, Studio Vista, ISBN 978-0-289-36985-2.
• 1980, Stage Combat: "The Action to the Word", Barrie & Jenkins, ISBN 978-0-214-20574-3.
• 1995, Fight Direction for Stage and Screen, Heinemann, ISBN 978-0-435-08680-0.

References[]

External links[]

• William Hobbs at IMDb
• New York Times Article on William Hobbs' work on the 2008 Broadway production of Hamlet