Bob Anderson (fencer)
Robert James Gilbert "Bob" Anderson (born September 15, 1922 in Gosport , Hampshire , England , † January 1, 2012 in West Sussex ) was a British fencer and actor .
Life
Anderson, born in Gosport in 1922, began fencing at an early age. He joined the Royal Navy before the outbreak of World War II , where he taught fencing on warships, among other things.
Bob Anderson first came to fame when he made it to the quarter-finals with the British saber team at the 1952 Summer Olympics . In the singles it was already over for him in the second round. A year later he worked with the screen legend Errol Flynn and was used in blockbuster films until his death when it came to spectacular duels.
Anderson choreographed the fencing matches for Barry Lyndon (1975), the original Star Wars films (1976–1983), Highlander - There Can Only Be One (1986), The Prince's Bride (1987) and the two Zorro - Films with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones . The fact that he himself had slipped into the Darth Vader costume in the Star Wars trilogy because the actual actor, David Prowse , “could not handle the sword”, only became known through an indiscretion by the main actor Mark Hamill .
He was also responsible for the sword and fencing matches in Die Another Day and trained Viggo Mortensen , who was previously completely inexperienced in fencing, for the Lord of the Rings trilogy (1999–2002) within a few days. Mortensen was Anderson's most talented student to date. For Pirates of the Caribbean , he trained Orlando Bloom , Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley .
Bob Anderson died on New Year's Morning 2012 in an English hospital. He left behind his wife and three children.
Web links
- Bob Anderson in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Bob Anderson in the database of Sports-Reference (English; archived from the original )
- Bob Anderson The Real Darth Vader FAZ ( Online )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Legendary sword master, Bob Anderson, dies
- ↑ a b Bob Anderson died: The man who wielded Darth Vader's lightsaber. Spiegel online , January 3, 2012, accessed January 3, 2012 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Anderson, Bob |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Anderson, Robert James Gilbert (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British fencer and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 15, 1922 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gosport , Hampshire |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1, 2012 |
| Place of death | West Sussex |