| Roberta Brown | |
|---|---|
| Born | Roberta Ellen Brown 1965 Warwick, Rhode Island |
| Website | |
| http://www.robertabrown.com | |
Roberta Brown is an American actress, writer, and swordmaster.[1] She is most notable for her work on the syndicated TV series Queen of Swords. In Queen of Swords, Roberta worked onscreen as sword double for female characters played by Tessie Santiago, Bo Derek, and Paulina Galvez. In addition, she worked as fight director and swordplay coach in that series. Roberta has, also, choreographed numerous fights and swordfights for other television series, theatre, and motion pictures. Among the actors Roberta has trained, coached, and occasionally fenced onscreen are Billy Campbell, Tessie Santiago, Peter Wingfield, Valentine Pelka, Anthony Lemke, Patricia Arquette, Lucy Liu, Elizabeth Gracen, Andrew Helm, Bob Golec, Patrick Fabian, Noah Wyle, Goran Visnjic, Mary Reinhardt, Hugo Speer, Emily Blunt, and Alex Kingston. Though never having trained him, Roberta has fenced actor and swordmaster Anthony De Longis onscreen.
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In 1987, Roberta earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors--Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa--in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University. There she studied fencing under Maestro Bill Shipman. She discovered her skills and strengths when she enrolled in a stage combat class. Also, while at Brandeis, Roberta worked as a research assistant with the Linguistics Department. Upon graduation, she traveled to London to study at and receive her Master of Fine Arts degree equivalent (Diploma with Merit) from the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. There she studied with Master Roy Goodall and became a member of the Society of British Fight Directors.
In 1993, Roberta moved to Hollywood. She studied and taught acting in studios run by Lee Strasburg and Howard Fine. After a small acting role in the story of feuding ice skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan, Roberta took a position as an Olympic style fencing instructor with the Westside Fencing Center in Culver City, California. In the grand tradition of Douglas Fairbanks, whose fencing uniform was on display at the studio, she was soon teaching stage fighting to local actors in addition to her work as a fencing coach. It was at Westside that Roberta met Robert "Bob" Chapin, another fencer, who needed a sparring partner in Los Angeles. Bob cast Roberta in his "Dragon Fury" film. From there, he introduced Roberta to members of the "Highlander: The Series" world including Anthony De Longis, Andrew Helm, Ken Gord, and David Abramowitz.
As David Abramowitz started putting together his syndicated series, Queen of Swords, Roberta was asked to teach fencing moves to the three actresses who were finalists for the role of the Queen of Swords. All three could act, but since the Queen was supposed to be an expert swordswoman, the one who could learn fencing movement technique the quickest would be chosen so the producers would know that the actress playing the role of the Queen could make herself look like an expert in the use of swords. Dancer and actress, Tessie Santiago, won the role.
Roberta received a call from the producers of Queen of Swords shortly after filming had begun in Spain at Texas Hollywood. The stuntwoman, Natalia Guijarro Brasseur, who had been hired to do sword work along with other stunt work was not as adept with the sword as was Roberta. In order to complete filming on schedule the producers hired Roberta to work as sword double for Tessie Santiago. Roberta flew to Spain, was fitted for the costume and put to work. In addition to doubling for Tessie Santiago, Roberta doubled for actresses Paulina Galvez and Bo Derek in various episodes. Roberta would also do swordplay coaching with the actors when they were not filming so that everyone could look as if they had been fencing for a long time and so that everyone on set would be safe.
After the first episodes were filmed and before the Americans went home for a break, Roberta and Fight Director Anthony De Longis were informed that they were being released from their roles in the series so that more visas could be made available for guest actors. She was replaced by the French stunt performer Gaёlle Cohen.
After her work on Queen of Swords ended, Roberta returned to her position as fencing instructor at Westside Fencing Center. In the meantime, she continued to obtain work as a fight director and sword double in various films and TV shows. Fellow fencing instructor, Andy Armstrong, called on Roberta to double for actress Lucy Liu in an opening fencing sequence for the 2003 film Charlie's Angels. She drove up the coast of California to the home of Patricia Arquette to teach the actress to use the bullwhip for her role in the popular children's film, "Holes." Finally, Roberta was hired to choreograph the sword duel between actors Noah Wyle and Goran Višnjić in an episode of Warner Brother's hit show, ER. As she taught the actors their moves in the scene that mimicked a great fencing move from the Olympics, they became friends. So when, Alex Kingston who played Dr. Elizabeth Corday on ER, started to shoot the film "Boudica/Warrior Queen" in Romania she convinced producers to hire Roberta as her stunt double.
Between movies, Roberta was hired as fight director and swordmaster in live theater productions in Los Angeles and Europe. In 2003, she choreographed the heroine-led play "Maria Morevna" which was presented from May 8 - June 15, 2003 at the Gascon Center Theatre in Culver City. Then in 2007, she and her young son were brought to Austria to choreograph fight scenes for "Hamlet." By 2009, Roberta had become resident Fight Director for both the Los Angeles Shakespeare Company and for the European Shakespeare Days Shakespeare in Styria Festival.
Although Roberta never worked on "Highlander: The Series," her connections from "Queen of Swords," and the Westside Fencing Center gave her the opporunity to participate in Highlander Fan Conventions. When Anthony De Longis could not appear as swordmaster at the Highlander Down Under Number 4 convention in Brisbane, Australia, Roberta was asked to fill in for him at the last minute. Roberta happily complied and created the "Swords on Set" video with actor Peter Wingfield. While at Highlander Down Under Number 4, Roberta made the acquaintance of actress Elizabeth Gracen ("Lizzie"). Although they had both appeared on Queen of Swords, Roberta had left before Lizzie performed her role on the series. Lizzie and Roberta became friends. So at the Highlander Reunion Convention held August 24–26, 2001 at the LAX Westin Hotel in Los Angeles to mark the 15th year of the existence of Highlander, Lizzie and Roberta joined to start to present Chinese Flying Fan classes. From 2001 to its demise in 2006, Roberta and Lizzie continued their Chinese Flying Fan classes at Fan Odyssey conventions in Culver City, California run by actor Valentine Pelka's American handler, Mary Lee Holzheimer.
At the same time, Bob Chapin and Andrew Helm had started to create some of the first webisodes ever made in their comical vampire tracking series, "The Hunted." Roberta appeared as Raquel in a number of episodes for "The Hunted."
By the middle of the first decade of the 21st century, money problems and disagreements hit Westside. So, when they could not pay their lease anymore, Westside Fencing Center closed its doors. Roberta started teaching Chinese Fighting Fan to pregnant mothers and eventually started teaching fencing again at the Beverly Hills Fencers Club. By the end of 2009, she had become the Director of Theatrical Combat at Beverly Hills Fencers Club.