William Hobbs (choreographer)

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William Hobbs (29 January 1939 – 10 July 2018) was a British fight choreographer known for creating fight scenes for films and theatre from the 1960s to the 2000s. He was born in Hampstead, London, the son of Kenneth Hobbs, an RAF Lancaster bomber pilot who was killed in 1942, and Joan Hobbs. At age six he moved to Australia with his mother and aunt, where he developed an interest 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.

Back in Britain, Hobbs worked on community projects. He co-owned the Swash and Buckle Fencing Club (established initially for Equity members) and helped found the Actors’ Centre in 1978. During his work on The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes’ Smarter Brother, he befriended Gene Wilder, who became patron of Swash and Buckle.

Hobbs arranged cinematic fencing and stage combat for many productions, continuing his work from the 1960s through the 2000s. He was married to Janet Hobbs and had two children, Laurence and Edwin. He died on 10 July 2018 at Hillingdon Hospital in London, aged 79.