Robert James Gilbert Anderson, known professionally as Bob Anderson, was a competitive fencer who represented Great Britain in the Helsinki 1952 Summer Olympic Games (via The Washington Post). While he didn’t take home the gold, his accomplishments were nonetheless reputable enough that he made an entire career out of it after his retirement from the sport. Among many other notable feats, his post-fencing journey took him to Hollywood, where he became a mainstay for fight choreography.
Anderson is credited as a sword master for “The Princess Bride,” “The Three Musketeers,” “Die Another Day,” and yes, the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. As if that weren’t enough, he also pulled an “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and created a different sword fighting style for each of the sentient races of Middle-earth so that it would feel more real when they fought (via Lordoftherings.net). While not famous, the man had power — he literally shaped an entire generation of viewers’ perception of what made a fight sequence look engaging.
Read More: The Lord Of The Rings’ Battle Choreography Had Some Help From An Olympic Legend
