Stuntman Terry Richards, the swordsman from 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' dies at 81

From ew, Terry Richards—who battled James Bond, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, and many others onscreen—died yesterday. He was 81.

Richards’ most famous onscreen appearance was as a swordsman in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. In a chase through the streets of Cairo, the swordsman confronted Indiana Jones in a square and whipped out his scimitar. Jones, weary from the chase, pulled out a gun and shot him.

At a 30th anniversary screening of the movie, Ford revealed that a bigger fight scene was planned, but he was ill during the shoot. “I was no longer capable of staying out of my trailer for more than it took to expose a role of film,” he said. “Which was 10 minutes, and then I would have to flee back there for sanitary facilities.”

Richards worked on nine James Bond films with four separate actors in the title role. His last performance was opposite Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies in 1997.

In a 2012 interview, Richards reflected on how the stunt acting industry has changed. “Now it’s all CGI,” he said. “After a day’s stunting when I was doing it, you really knew you did a day’s work, you were covered in bruises.”