Legendary Sword Fight Choreographer Bob Anderson Dies

Bob Anderson, who choreographed sword fight scenes for classic films like The Princess Bride and Highlander, as well as newer hits like Pirates of the Caribbean and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has passed away at the tender old age of 89. Anderson had trained with famous swashbucklin' leading man Errol Flynn, among other big name actors, teaching them how to fence. Anderson supposedly developed fighting styles for the various cultures in the Lord of the Rings after reading the books.

My favorite contribution of the master swordsman? He did stunt work for the character of Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy, a series of films I hold near and dear to my heart.

Anderson, as well as other choreographers and stuntmen, are the unsung heroes of the film industry. All of those spectacular action sequences that make up Hollywood blockbusters might not even exist without the likes of people like him, and if they did exist, they wouldn't be nearly as spectacular.

For those interested, the 2009 documentary Reclaiming the Blade features Bob Anderson and is currently available on Netflix Instant Watch.