Hobbs was born in 1939 in
Hampstead, London, the son of Kenneth and Joan (née Kerlindsay). His father was an
RAF Lancaster bomber pilot who 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. 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==