Darth Vader Swordsman Dies
January 2, 2012 11:00 AM Early in the “Frog Days of Winter” 2012, a celebrity of sorts, has died. The sword-master who was inside the Darth Vader suit in the light saber fight scenes in two of the original Star Wars movies, Bob Anderson has died at age 89. While we may never have seen his face or heard his voice, we’ve seen Mr. Anderson’s great moves with the light saber.
According to Huffington Post Entertainment:
LONDON — Bob Anderson, a former Olympic swordsman who staged fights for films including the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” series, has died, British fencing authorities said Monday. He was 89.
The British Academy of Fencing said Monday that Anderson died early New Year’s Day at an English hospital.
Anderson donned Darth Vader’s black helmet and fought light saber battles in two of the three original “Star Wars” films, “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi.”
The villainous character was played by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones, and Anderson’s 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.”
Here’s a duel scene between Luke and Darth Vader from “Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back”.
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