Darth Vader Lightsaberist Dies at 89
Bob Anderson, who died on Sunday in a British hospital at 89, is known for bringing to life one of the most iconic Hollywood images -- the Star Wars lightsaber battle -- but we were never really suppose to know about him in the first place. The British-born fencer donned the black helmet and cape while working on the lightsaber scenes in two of the three original Star Wars after Vader actor David Prowse couldn't get the lightsaber swordsmanship quite right in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. "It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George (Lucas) I didn't think it was fair any more," Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill said in 1983, according to the AP. Though originally uncredited, he was later featured in the documentary Reclaiming the Blade about cinematic sword-fighting. Star Wars fanboys shouldn't forget that the fencer represented Britain in the 1952 Olympics to boot. Let's remember Anderson today by being awed at his fencing lightsabering skills below from The Empire Strikes Back, or by hearing him and Prowse talk about it in Reclaiming.
RELATED: 'Die Hard 5' Has a Director, But No Silly Subtitle
