Jackson tribute for veteran swordmaster
The Hobbit director Peter Jackson has issued an emotional statement after the death of Hollywood swordmaster Bob Anderson.
Anderson, who coached the likes of Errol Flynn, Sean Connery and Johnny Depp in sword-fighting during his 50-year movie career, died on New Year's Day in West Sussex at the age of 89.
He had trained actors in swordfighting on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and had been working on The Hobbit prior to his death over the holiday period.
Jackson has joined the ranks of Hollywood stars and filmmakers paying tribute to Anderson, saying he was "thrilled" to work with a "legend" like the fight choreographer,
Posting on his Facebook page, Jackson added: "In fact, it took a while for it to sink in that I was going to get to work with the same man who had helped create some of cinema's greatest fight sequences - from Star Wars to The Princess Bride.
"Bob was a brilliant swordsman and a gifted teacher; I will remember him as a wonderfully patient man, possessed of a terrific sense of humour. It was a privilege to have known him."
Anderson, who fenced in the Olympics, worked on Bond films From Russia with Love and Casino Royale, with Stanley Kubrick on Barry Lyndon and played Darth Vader in two of the most famous lightsaber fights in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Source: Facebook
