R.I.P. Bob Anderson

[jdhowland]

Movie sword-fight master Bob Anderson dies at 89
Jan. 2, 2012, 8:09 AM EST
LONDON (AP) -- British fencing authorities say Bob Anderson, a former Olympic swordsman who staged fights for films including the "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings" series, has died. He was 89.

Anderson donned Darth Vader's black helmet and fought light saber battles in the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

His role was not initially publicized, but Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker, said in a 1983 interview that "Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader's fighting." The character was played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones.

Anderson worked as a sword master or trainer on movies including the James Bond adventures "From Russia With Love," "The Legend of Zorro" and "The Hobbit."

[GeneChing]

I've always had issues with the choreography in the original Star Wars. It's a great fight scene, but if you look at the footwork, it's great because light sabers are super cool. That should detract from Bob's body of work. He was a great one when it came to Hollywood stage combat. Anderson was an Olympic fencer so he brought a level of authenticity to much of his work.