Legendary stuntman and horror genre favorite George P. Wilbur has passed away. A veteran stuntman who spent four decades in the business, which includes an induction into the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall of Fame, Wilbur may be best known for his work in the Halloween franchise, playing the masked killer Michael Myers in two separate films. It was Halloween H20's Michael Myers actor Christopher Durand who broke the news online that Wilbur had died at the age of 81.
"George P. Wilbur passed away last night," Durand said on Facebook. "George, you were a class act and well loved. You will be missed. May you Rest in Peace."
Wilbur began his career working as an extra and stunt double, serving as a stand-in for John Wayne early on in his career. He would go on to be involved with more than 100 movies and TV shows, doing both stunt work and sometimes appearing in on-camera roles. Some movies to feature Wilbur include Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Pennies from Heaven, Firestarter, The Running Man, Ghostbusters II, and American Muscle. He's also appeared in notable TV shows such as Mission: Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man, Magnum, P.I., and Days of Our Lives.
George P. Wilbur Played Michael Myers Twice
Wilbur is of course particularly popular with horror fans as one of very few actors to have ever played the Michael Myers role in more than one film. He debuted as the masked killer in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, sharing the part with Tom Morga in the 1988 film. Wilbur did stunt work for Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, though Don Shanks took over the role of Michael for that film. Wilbur was back under the mask for Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, though he shared the role with A. Michael Lerner who played Michael for reshoots.
Because of his role in Halloween 4, Wilbur had also been referenced in a memorable Family Guy episode in 2012. The episode, called "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream," reveals that TV reporter Tom Tucker is secretly Wilbur. This greatly excites Peter Griffin, who names the sequel as the "greatest movie of all time." With the assistance of Peter, the episode follows Tom/George as he decides to resume his acting career. Actual footage of Halloween 4 featuring Wilbur and co-star Danielle Harris is shown in the episode.
Wilbur's survivors include a daughter, Gena. Our thoughts are with her and Wilbur's other loved ones at this time. Rest in peace, George P. Wilbur, as your memory continues to live on. For fans wanting to revisit one of Wilbur's most revered performances, you can stream Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers on Shudder.