As reported by the BBC, British stuntman Terry Richards died on June 14 at his home in London. He had reportedly fallen ill recently, and Terry Richards Jr., his son, explained that he suddenly took an unexpected turn for the worse. “He’d been dragged behind cars, fallen off buildings, shot, punched,” his son told the BBC. “He always used to get up, but this time sadly he wasn’t getting up.”
Though his career stretches all the way back to the ‘60s, with him doing stunt work in iconic films like The Empire Strikes Back and about seven James Bond movies, Richards’ most famous role is probably that of the Egyptian swordsman that Indiana Jones faces in Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Easily one of the most famous scenes in action movie history, it sees Harrison Ford’s rugged archaeologist running through the streets of an Egyptian city before being confronted by Richards’ swordsman, who pulls off a quick and impressive display of sword mastery. Rather than joining him in an elaborate duel—as the script intended—Ford then drew his gun and shot the swordsman. Anyone familiar with the scene’s backstory knows the real reason it went down like that, but the point is that Richards came out looking pretty cool even up against Harrison Ford. That’s certainly a feat.
“He fought Indiana Jones, James Bond, Luke Skywalker and Rambo,” Terry Richards Jr. pointed out, adding, “there’s not many people who can say that.”