Daniel Logan (@Daniel_Logan) has tweeted that legendary swordmaster Bob Anderson has died. He may not have been a household name, but fans of swashbuckling and swordfights knew of him. Inspired by his work in film, I even once took a fencing course. I wanted to learn how to wield my Force FX lightsaber like a professional, but I don’t think I’ll be winning any duels anytime soon.
Born in England in 1922, Anderson competed in the 1952 Olympic Games in fencing. His movie career began shortly afterwards when he was contacted to help with Errol Flynn’s Master of Balantrae. He also doubled for David Prowse during the lightsaber battles in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, though initially his work on the films went unnoticed. Mark Hamill credited him in a 1983 interview: “Bob Anderson was the man who actually did Vader’s fighting. It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George [Lucas] 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.
In addition to the Star Wars films, his impressive resume includes Disney’s The Three Musketeers, The Princess Bride, Highlander, The Mask of Zorro, The Legend of Zorro, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, First Knight, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, just to name a few.
From EW.com regarding the filming of The Three Musketeers:
Under Anderson’s instruction, actors begin with slow-motion choreography, then gradually build up to real-time movements. For Musketeers that process took a month, and Anderson, to his delight, found his students eager learners. ”Chris O’Donnell became very athletic and gymnastic,” he says. ”Kiefer Sutherland got really wrapped up in his role — he couldn’t wait for the sword action to happen. Charlie Sheen was very precise, very technical. And they couldn’t have picked anybody better than Oliver Platt for Porthos. He’s a fun man, with a whole bag of tricks and gimmicks.” But Anderson’s students rarely take up the sport seriously. ”Actors almost never do,” he says. ”They enjoy the make-believe.”
One can probably safely say that he has been the greatest swordmaster and stunt fencer in cinema’s history, and that brief paragraph offers some insight into his training methods. He knew the strengths of each of the actors, and I’m impressed that anyone could train four actors in a month. Fencing is not nearly as easy as it looks, and Anderson had a way of making each fight seem effortless.
Bob Anderson was 89. He will be missed.