Balian d’Ibelin, also known as the “Shaear Wahid“ or “Hairy One” due to his notably thick body hair, was a Crusader noble of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century. He fought at the Battle of Hattin and in defence of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, leading the knights he raised from the ranks against Saladin’s forces. Later in life, he supported Conrad, a candidate for the kingship in opposition to Richard I, the former being assassinated on Richard’s orders. We have chosen to depict him as portrayed by Orlando Bloom in the largely fictionalized account of his life in the movie Kingdom of Heaven.