Bob Anderson, sword master who fought as Darth Vader, dies at the age of 89

Olympic fencer Bob Anderson, who went on to be known as a sword master who trained actors for films from From Russia with Love (1963) to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), died Sunday in England at the age of 89. Anderson is also known for appearing as Darth Vader during the dueling scenes in the final two original Star Wars films.

Anderson’s death was confirmed by Philip Bruce, president of the British Academy of Fencing, to The New York Times.

Anderson was a versatile athlete who served in the Royal Marines during the 1940s. In 1952, he represented Great Britain at the Helsinki Olympics in fencing. He also won the world championships twice.

He began his movie career with 1953’s The Master of Ballantrae, where he dueled against Errol Flynn. Over the next few decades, he would continue to act as a sword master, training Sean Connery for From Russia with Love, Ryan O’Neal on Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975) and Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland for 1993’s The Three Musketeers. He also worked with Antonio Banderas on both The Mask of Zorro (1998) and The Legend of Zorro (2005). Anderson also worked behind the scenes on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

According to The Associated Press, Anderson was already 60-years-old when he famously dueled Mark Hamill in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). Anderson is seen in the films in the Darth Vader suit, standing in for David Prowse, who wore the suit in all three of the original films. "David Prowse wasn't very good with a sword and Bob couldn't get him to do the moves...Fortunately Bob could just don the costume and do it himself,” Anderson's former assistant, Leon Hill told the AP.

Anderson was not credited and his role was unknown by most until Hamill told a magazine in 1983 about his work.

He is survived by his wife, Pearl and three children. “It is true to say that nearly 100 percent of fencing in Britain today is directly or indirectly attributable to the work of this man,” the British Academy of Fencing said in a statement.