Fans of the Halloween franchise received some sad news today, as it has been confirmed that stuntman George P. Wilbur – who played horror icon Michael Myers in both Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), the sixth entry in the series – has passed away at the age of 81.
Wilbur’s fellow Michael Myers performer Chris Durand, who played the character in 1998’s Halloween H20, broke the news of his passing on Facebook earlier today: “George P. Wilbur passed away last night. George, you were a class act and well loved. You will be missed. May you Rest in Peace.” Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers screenwriter Daniel Farrands reacted to the news by saying, “Very sad to hear of George’s passing. He was such a kind soul and a beloved member of the Halloween family.“
Born on March 6, 1941 in Connecticut, Wilbur served in the United States Navy before finding work as a wrangler on a ranch in Arizona. That ranch work led to him being hired as an extra and a stand-in for John Wayne on the 1966 Western El Dorado – and after he working on that production, he decided to move to California and become a stuntman. The movies and TV shows Wilbur performed stunts on over the decades include Planet of the Apes, Blacula, Mission: Impossible, The Poseidon Adventure, High Plains Drifter, Blazing Saddles, The Towering Inferno, Grizzly, The Clonus Horror, Escape from New York, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Poltergeist, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Beastmaster, They Call Me Bruce, Blue Thunder, Firestarter, Ghostbusters, Re-Animator, Fletch, Extreme Prejudice, The Monster Squad, Dead Heat, Die Hard, The ‘Burbs, Tales from the Crypt, Ghostbusters II, Lock Up, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Total Recall, The Exorcist III, Pump Up the Volume, Eve of Destruction, The Silence of the Lambs, Suburban Commando, Cast a Deadly Spell, The Last Boy Scout, Unlawful Entry, Dr. Giggles, Outbreak, Casino, Broken Arrow, Mars Attacks!, Vegas Vacation, Rush Hour, The Perfect Storm, Spider-Man, Deadwood, The Aggression Scale, Cheap Thrills, and many more. He also had acting roles in many of the movies he did stunts for.
Fellow stuntman Tom Morga was initially cast as Michael Myers for Halloween 4 and still appears in some scenes. But when Morga was let go in the midst of production, Wilbur was hired as his replacement. Wilbur wasn’t brought back for Halloween 5, but returned to play Myers in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (with A. Michael Lerner stepping in for reshoots).
Our sincere condolences go out to Wilbur’s family, friends, and fans. Halloween 4 is my favorite of the Halloween sequels, so I’m really sad to know that the film’s Michael Myers is no longer with us.