Robert James Gilbert Anderson (15 September 1922 – 1 January 2012) was an English

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

fencer and a renowned film

fight choreographer Stage combat, fight craft or fight choreography is a specialised technique in theatre designed to create the illusion of physical combat without causing harm to the performers. It is employed in live stage plays as well as operatic and ballet p ...

, with a cinema career that spanned more than 50 years and included films such as ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'', ''

Highlander Highlander may refer to: Regional cultures * Gorals (lit. ''Highlanders''), a culture in southern Poland and northern Slovakia * Hill people, who live in hills and mountains * Merina people, an ethnic group from the central plateau of Madagasca ...

'', ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'', ''

The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to: * ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...

'', '' The Mask of Zorro'', ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's bo ...

'', and ''

Die Another Day ''Die Another Day'' is a 2002 spy film and the twentieth film in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. The fourth and final film st ...

''. He was regarded as the premier choreographer of Hollywood sword-fighting, and during his career he coached many actors in

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

, including

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...

Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...

Antonio Banderas José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...

, Adrian Paul, and

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Awa ...

. He also appeared as a

stunt double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes FOR another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

for

Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...

's lightsaber battles in ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a stor ...

'' and '' Return of the Jedi''.

Biography

Anderson was educated at The

Royal Hospital School ) , established = 1694 Royal Charter1712 Greenwich1933 Holbrook , type = Public School Independent day and boarding School Royal Foundation , founders = William III and Mary II , head = Simon Lockyer , head_labe ...

, in Raleigh House. It was here that he began to fence. Anderson joined the

Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious warfare, amphibious light infantry and also one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighti ...

and won several combined services titles in the sport of fencing. He served in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

.Darth Vader stand-in Bob Anderson dies
''espn.com'', 2 January 2012 As a competitive fencer, he represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

at the

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

1952 Summer Olympic Games The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...

, and the World Championships in 1950 and 1953 in the

sabre A sabre (French: �sabʁ or saber in American English) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the early modern and Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such as t ...

event. He finished tied for fifth in the team sabre event at

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. After his retirement from fencing competition, he studied under Prof. Roger Crosnier and was appointed the first official British National Coach, in charge of the National Training System, the day he was awarded his full Professorship. He succeeded Prof. Crosnier as President of the

British Academy of Fencing The British Academy of Fencing (BAF) is a membership organisation for those involved in coaching and coach education in the sport of fencing in the United Kingdom. The Academy claims to trace its roots to the reign of Henry VII and the Compan ...

. During the late 1950s to the 1970s he travelled around Britain, and between fencing courses he combined his official duties with television and film work. Eventually emigrating to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

, he went on to become technical director of the Canadian Fencing Association in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

. During the 1960s and 1970s he was also the president of the British Academy of Fencing. Anderson's cinema career began in 1953 when he fought Errol Flynn in '' The Master of Ballantrae''. Patrick Crean staged the fights and coached Flynn, and stated that he called up every fencer he knew to fill out the final battle, which is how Anderson got the job. During rehearsal for a scene he accidentally slashed Flynn on his thigh, leading to notoriety in Hollywood as "the man who stabbed Errol Flynn". He went on to work as a stunt performer and/or fight choreographer in films such as '' The Guns of Navarone'' and the

Bond Bond or bonds may refer to: Common meanings * Bond (finance), a type of debt security * Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States * Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...

films '' From Russia With Love'' and '' Casino Royale''. His stature in Hollywood was cemented when he was selected by

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

in 1974 to act as the sword master for ''

Barry Lyndon ''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 period drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel '' The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Starring Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Le ...

''. Anderson subsequently went on to be involved in all three of the original ''

'' films. Anderson did not receive much recognition for his work for years after their initial release.

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his role as Luke Skywalker in the '' Star Wars'' film series, beginning with the original 1977 film and subsequently winning three Saturn Awards ...

in 1983 revealed, "Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader's fighting. It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George I didn't think it was fair any more. Bob worked so bloody hard that he deserves some recognition. It's ridiculous to preserve the myth that it's all done by ''one'' man." Anderson in 1994 specified that for ''

'' and '' Return of the Jedi'' he staged the

lightsaber A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the '' Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the ori ...

duels and also wore the Vader costume in fight scenes. Published under title
Giving Some Pointers
. David Prowse, who played Vader, said he did his own swordplay in the first ''

'' film but afterward, "having one of the principals do his own stunts made

he filmmakers He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

very weird from an insurance point of view." Anderson continued to work in cinema for the next 30 years, and was responsible for the swordsmanship in many films, including ''

'', ''

'', '' The Mask of Zorro'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' and ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy. Shortly before his death he was working on ''

The Hobbit ''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...

''. He had a reputation for being a perfectionist, with director

Martin Campbell Martin Campbell (born 24 October 1943) is a New Zealand film and television director based in the United Kingdom. He is known for having directed '' The Mask of Zorro'' as well as the James Bond films '' GoldenEye'' and '' Casino Royale''. He ...

giving him the nickname "Grumpy Bob". Anderson was interviewed at length for the 2009 documentary on cinematic sword-fighting, ''

Reclaiming the Blade ''Reclaiming the Blade'' is a 2009 documentary written and directed by Daniel McNicoll and produced by Galatia Films on the topic of swords. ''Reclaiming the Blade'' was a number one movie rental on iTunes. The feature-length film was distribute ...

'', where he commented, "I never took up the sword, I think the sword took me up."

Death

Anderson died on

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Whi ...

, 2012 in a West Sussex hospital at the age of 89. After his death his widow, Pearl, and daughter, Simone, visited the Royal Hospital School and donated Anderson's swords, medals and movie footage to a museum.

Filmography

Miscellaneous crew

* ''

Alatriste ''Alatriste'' is a 2006 Spanish epic historical fiction war film directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, based on the main character of a series of novels written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, '' The Adventures of Captain Alatriste'' (). The film, which ...

'' (2006): Sword Master * ''

The Legend of Zorro ''The Legend of Zorro'' is a 2005 American Western swashbuckler film directed by Martin Campbell, produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald and Lloyd Phillips, with music by James Horner, and written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. ...

'' (2005): Sword Master * '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' (2003): Sword Master * '' Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'' (2003): Sword Master, Additional Sword Training * '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'' (2002): Sword Master * ''

'' (2002): Sword Master * '' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' (2001): Sword Master * '' The Parent Trap'' (1998): Fencing Consultant * '' The Mask of Zorro'' (1998): Sword Master * ''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'' (1996): Sword Master * ''

First Knight ''First Knight'' is a 1995 medieval film based on Arthurian legend, directed by Jerry Zucker. It stars Sean Connery as King Arthur, Richard Gere as Lancelot, Julia Ormond as Guinevere and Ben Cross as Malagant. The film follows the rogue L ...

'' (1995): Sword Master * ''

'' (1993): Sword Master * '' Highlander:The Series'' (1992–1994): Sword Master * '' By the Sword'' (1991): Sword Master * ''

'' (1987): Sword Master * ''

'' (1986): Sword Master * ''

'' (1977): Fight Arranger ''(uncredited)'' * ''

'' (1975): Fencing Coach * ''

Kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Cam ...

'' (1971): Fight Arranger * '' Don't Lose Your Head'' (1966): Fight Arranger ''(uncredited)'' * '' The Moonraker'' (1958) Fencing Coach

Stunts

* '' Return of the Jedi'' (1983): Stunt Double for

* ''

Superman II ''Superman II'' is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the second installment in the ''Superman'' film se ...

'' (1980): Stunts ''(uncredited)'' * ''

'' (1980): Stunt Double for Darth Vader * '' Candleshoe'' (1977): Stunt Arranger * ''

'' (1977): Stunts/Stunt Double ''(uncredited)'' * '' One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing'' (1975): Stunt Arranger * ''

'' (1971): Fight Arranger * '' Casino Royale'' (1967): Stunts ''(uncredited)'' * '' From Russia with Love'' (1963): Stunts ''(uncredited)'' * '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961): Stunts ''(uncredited)'' * ''

Il maestro di Don Giovanni ''Crossed Swords'' or ''The Teacher of Don Juan'' (Italian: ''Il Maestro di Don Giovanni'') is a 1954 historical swashbuckling adventure film directed by Milton Krims and starring Errol Flynn, Gina Lollobrigida and Nadia Gray. It was co-produ ...

'' (1954): Stunts * '' The Master of Ballantrae'' (1953): Stunts ''(uncredited)''

Actor

* ''

'' (2009): himself * ''

'' (1993) (Uncredited) * ''

'' (1980): Trey Callum, Rebel Officer on Hoth (Uncredited) * '' Candleshoe'' (1977): Hood ''(Uncredited)'' * ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' (1968): Fighting Guard in the serial '' The Enemy of the World''

References

Notes

*Wallechinsky, David (1984). "Fencing: Sabre, Team". In ''The complete Book of the Olympics: 1896 - 1980''. New York:

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.1922 births 2012 deaths English expatriates in Canada English male fencers Olympic fencers of Great Britain Fencers at the 1952 Summer Olympics English male film actors People from Gosport Royal Marines personnel of World War II English choreographers Film choreographers English stunt performers Commonwealth Games medallists in fencing Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games silver medallists for England Fencers at the 1950 British Empire Games Royal Marines ranks Military personnel from Hampshire