From the swash and buckle of Errol Flynn to the flashing lightsabers of Star Wars, some of cinema's greatest sword fights were choreographed by British Olympic fencer Bob Anderson.

His career began in the 1950s when he coached a host of Hollywood actors, often acting as their stunt double. Thanks to skilful editing, he was sometimes seen in a fight to the death with himself.

In the climax of The Empire Strikes Back, it was Anderson wearing the Darth Vader costume who cuts off Luke Skywalker's hand while the voice of James Earl Jones intones "I am your father". He was responsible for the sword play in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and was working on The Hobbit when he died. A noted perfectionist, he believed the sword was far superior to the gun: "When you get into a sword fight, you're standing toe-to-toe with someone who's trying to kill you and you're looking him in the eye - now that's thrilling."