Mandy Patinkin is a consummate performer who has been in countless iconic roles over the years, though perhaps none so much as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, a movie beloved by Millennials (his oft-quoted line is one of my personal favorites).
It's a perfect comfort movie: Fred Savage's sick kid listens to a story told by his grandfather (Peter Falk). The more he, and we, learn about the world of Princess Buttercup, Westley, the Six-Fingered Man, and Humperdink, the more we love diving further into the story.
In the film, Montoya wants to find and kill the Six-Fingered Man (played by Chris Sarandon) in an act of revenge for the death of Montoya's father.
When Inigo finally duels the Six-Fingered Man, the man says he'll give Inigo anything he wants. Inigo replies, with horrific gusto, “I want my father back, you son of a bitch.”
The moment is incredibly powerful and there have been rumors online that part of the reason it is so emotionally raw is because Patinkin, who lost his own father, channeled that grief into the performance.
Patinkin has also recently become somewhat of an Internet celebrity, joining the world on Twitter and TikTok as his son posts videos of the star and his wife.
So when Amanda Webb took to TikTok to wonder if that story was true, it seemed inevitable that the question eventually came to Patinkin himself.
Webb explains that her father died of cancer in 2021 and really loved the film and Inigo Montoya. She then asks if that rumor, that Patinkin's performance was informed by his loss, is true.
Check out the absolutely heart-wrenching reply from Mandy and his wife Kathryn below:
Patinkin offers Webb comfort, explains that yes, the rumor IS true, and that he would say her father's name in his daily prayers.
His wife Kathryn chimes in with offers of support and knowledge that Webb isn't alone, despite having such a huge grief so early in her life.
Patinkin's Twitter thread of the entire conversation was also worth a read. He finished with, "One of my favorite quotes is from the book written by Oscar Hammerstein from the Musical Carousel it's "As long as there's one person on earth who remembers you, it isn't over." That's part of why I like saying peoples names in my prayers and why I'll add your dad's name."
Webb followed up with a response to Patinkin's video:
The post Mandy Patinkin Breaks Down When Talking To A Grieving Fan About Losing His Dad And ‘Princess Bride’ appeared first on The Mother of All Nerds.
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