Mandy Patinkin Named USA Fencing’s First Honorary Team Captain Ahead of LA28 Olympics

The Princess Bride star will help lead USA Fencing’s new Ambassador Program as the organization builds toward the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

Nearly 40 years after Mandy Patinkin picked up a sword as the legendary Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, the Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor is returning to the world of fencing.

USA Fencing has announced that Patinkin will serve as its first Honorary Team Captain and join the organization’s Ambassador Council as part of a new initiative leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The announcement also launches USA Fencing’s new Ambassador Program, created in collaboration with the International Fencing Federation and World Para Fencing. The program will bring together artists, athletes and cultural figures who share a passion for fencing and its ability to build confidence, discipline, community and lifelong connections.

For Patinkin, the appointment is a natural extension of a relationship with fencing that began with one of cinema’s most memorable sword fights.

From Inigo Montoya to Honorary Team Captain

Patinkin’s connection to fencing began when director Rob Reiner sent him William Goldman’s script for The Princess Bride and offered him the role of Inigo Montoya.

The character was described as the world’s greatest sword fighter, which meant Patinkin had quite a bit of training ahead of him.

His first instructor was Henry Harutunian, an Olympic fencing coach at Yale. Patinkin, who is naturally right-handed, initially trained with his left hand for the role and ultimately became a better left-handed fencer than right-handed.

He then continued his training in England with legendary swordmaster and fight choreographer Bob Anderson.

Patinkin spent months training with Anderson while The Princess Bride was being filmed, working daily to develop the skills needed to make the film’s elaborate sword fights believable.

“I had five or six months to become the world’s greatest sword fighter,” Patinkin recalled, acknowledging that the assignment was anything but easy.

Fencing Was More Than Swordplay

For Patinkin, the appeal wasn’t simply learning how to fight with a sword.

He describes fencing as a form of dance, pointing to the rhythm, music and discipline involved. His work alongside Cary Elwes and Christopher Guest remains one of his favorite memories from making The Princess Bride.

Decades later, the film continues to follow Patinkin wherever he goes. Fans still approach him to talk about what the movie meant to them growing up, with many now sharing those memories as parents and grandparents.

That enduring connection has now come full circle.

A Lesson From a Master

Patinkin’s final training session with Anderson provided a particularly humbling reminder of the difference between performing fencing for the camera and competing in the real sport.

Anderson put Patinkin into full fencing gear and challenged him to fence for real. The results were not exactly what the future Inigo Montoya might have hoped for.

Patinkin recalled that Anderson “killed me a million times in seconds,” giving him an immediate understanding of the difference between choreographed screen combat and competitive fencing.

That experience helped shape Patinkin’s appreciation for fencing as a genuine athletic and mental discipline.

He describes the sport as requiring both the body and the mind, with much of its appeal coming from anticipating an opponent’s movements before they even know what they are going to do.

Helping Build the Road to Los Angeles

As Honorary Team Captain, Patinkin will support Team USA’s fencers as they work toward the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He is also expected to appear at select USA Fencing events and hopes to eventually pick up a weapon himself.

USA Fencing CEO Phil Andrews said Patinkin’s understanding of what fencing provides beyond competition made him an ideal choice for the position.

The organization currently represents more than 50,000 members and 750 clubs nationwide, with the new Ambassador Program designed to introduce fencing to even more audiences as the sport prepares for its home Games in Los Angeles.

And Patinkin isn’t pretending to be the greatest fencer in the room.

He readily acknowledges that today’s competitive fencers are far better than he ever was, describing himself as a “pretend fencer” while saluting the athletes who continue the tradition.

Still, after nearly four decades of playing one of cinema’s most famous sword fighters, seeing Patinkin return to the strip feels like a particularly fitting sequel.

This time, there are no six-fingered men to avenge.

Instead, Inigo Montoya is helping Team USA prepare for Los Angeles. And if Patinkin gets his way, he may even pick up a sword again, this time with his naturally dominant right hand.