Robert James Gilbert Anderson (15 September 1922 – 1 January 2012) was an English Olympic fencer and a renowned film fight choreographer, with a cinema career that spanned more than 50 years and included films such as '' Highlander'', ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'', ''

Barry Lyndon ''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 epic historical drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel '' The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Narrated by Michael Hordern, and starring Ryan O'N ...

'', '' The Princess Bride'', '' The Mask of Zorro'', the ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' film series, ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'' film series, the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' film series and the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' film series. 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 an ...

, including

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

Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...

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

Mark Hamill Mark Richard Hamill (; born September 25, 1951) is an American actor. He is best known for starring as Luke Skywalker in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, and the Joker (character), Joker in various animated DC Comics projects, starting with ''Batm ...

Viggo Mortensen Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received nominations for three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Mortensen made his film debut with a small role in ...

Adrian Paul Adrian Paul Hewett (born 29 May 1959) is an English actor, martial artist and director best known for the title role of Duncan MacLeod on the television series '' Highlander: The Series''. In 1997, he founded the Peace Fund charitable organis ...

, 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 as well as nominations for ...

. 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. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...

'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 film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' and ''

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''.

Biography

Anderson was educated at The Royal Hospital School, in Raleigh House. It was here that he began to fence. Anderson joined the

Royal Marines The Royal Marines provide the United Kingdom's amphibious warfare, amphibious special operations capable commando force, one of the :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, five fighting arms of the Royal Navy, a Company (military unit), company str ...

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 east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. As a competitive fencer, he represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

at the

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

1952 Summer Olympic Games, and the World Championships in 1950 and 1953 in the

sabre A sabre or saber ( ) is a type of backsword with a curved blade associated with the light cavalry of the Early Modern warfare, early modern and Napoleonic period, Napoleonic periods. Originally associated with Central European cavalry such a ...

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

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

. 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. 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 Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

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

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. During the 1960s and 1970s he was also the president of the British Academy of Fencing. Anderson's cinema career began in 1952, when he fought Errol Flynn in the 1953 film '' 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 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 filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

in 1974 to act as the sword master for ''

''. 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.

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 ''

'' he staged the

lightsaber A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout ''Star Wars''. A typical lightsaber is shown as a luminous laser sword about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' ...

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 (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

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

in many films, including '' Highlander'', '' The Princess Bride'', ''

'', '' 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 the 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 ...

''. 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 and producer. He is best known for his works in the Action film, action and thriller film genres, including the James Bond in film, James Bond films ''GoldenE ...

giving him the nickname "Grumpy Bob". Anderson was interviewed at length for the 2009 documentary on cinematic sword-fighting, '' Reclaiming the Blade'', where he commented, "I never took up the sword, I think the sword took me up."

Death

Anderson died on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

, 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'' (2006): Sword Master * '' The Legend of Zorro'' (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 * '' Die Another Day'' (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'' (1995): Sword Master * ''

'' (1993): Sword Master * '' Highlander:The Series'' (1992–1994): Sword Master * '' By the Sword'' (1991): Sword Master * '' The Princess Bride'' (1987): Sword Master * '' Highlander'' (1986): Sword Master * ''

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

'' (1975): Fencing Coach * '' Kidnapped'' (1971): Fight Arranger * '' Don't Lose Your Head'' (1966): Fight Arranger ''(uncredited)'' * ''

The Moonraker ''The Moonraker'' is a 1957 British swashbuckler film directed by David MacDonald (director), David MacDonald and starring George Baker (British actor), George Baker, Sylvia Syms, Marius Goring, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, John Le Mesurier and Pa ...

'' (1958) Fencing Coach

Stunts

* ''

'' (1983): Stunt Double for

* ''

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

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

Actor

* '' Reclaiming the Blade'' (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, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' (1968): Fighting Guard in the serial ''

The Enemy of the World ''The Enemy of the World'' is the fourth serial of the fifth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in six weekly parts from 23 December 1967 to 27 January 1968. The serial is set in Aust ...

References

Notes

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

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English 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 ...

. p. 264.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Bob 1922 births 2012 deaths English expatriates in Canada English male fencers Olympic fencers for Great Britain Fencers at the 1952 Summer Olympics English male film actors Sportspeople from Gosport Royal Marines personnel of World War II English choreographers Film choreographers English stunt performers Commonwealth Games gold medallists in fencing Commonwealth Games silver 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 Medallists at the 1950 British Empire Games 20th-century English sportsmen