Bob Anderson, Hollywood’s sword-play choreographer, passes away
When it came to choreographing swordfights for Hollywood, no one did it better than British Olympic fencer Bob Anderson. The man who brought the authenticity to the fights we’ve been watching in a host of movies, including Star Wars’ lightsaber battles, is no more. With a career that began bright in the 1950s, Anderson went on to train a host of Hollywood actors too. Choreographing fights for movies like The Empire Strikes Back, Anderson has at times stepped into the Darth Vader costume and is known for cutting of Luke Skywalker’s hand in the film! Also, Anderson is known for the flashing of swords in movies like The Lord of the Rings trilogy and has his share of inputs in The Hobbit. We pay our last respects to the man, without whom, swordplay in Hollywood would seem as fake as a three dollar bill.
[bbc]
