Famous Hollywood stuntman and actor George P. Wilbur died at the age of 81 this past Wednesday. While Wilbur had an over 60-year career, the actor will mainly be remembered for his numerous horror contributions. Particularly as Michael Myers in 1988’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and 1995’s Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. For many fans, Wilbur was one of the best actors to ever wear the iconic white mask with Return of Michael Myers being a fan-favorite film in the beloved slasher franchise.
Wilbur started out his career as a stand-in-actor for John Wayne throughout the 60s. He would then go on to work on films like Escape From the Planet of the Apes and The Running Man while having roles on TV shows like Mission: Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man, Magnum P.I., and Dynasty. His stunt work included iconic genre films like Die Hard, Total Recall, Casino, and Spider-Man. However, again, Wilbur will forever be associated with horror. In over 100 credits, the actor has starred in films like Firestarter and Ghostbusters II while his stunt work included Poltergeist, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Ghostbusters, The Monster Squad, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, The Exorcist III, The Silence of the Lambs, and Mars Attacks!. This incredible lineup of work also led Wilbur to become a member of the Hollywood Stuntmen’s Hall of Fame.
Wilbur's Halloween Legacy
When Wilbur starred in Return of Michael Myers, the Halloween franchise was starting a new era. After Michael Myers' “definitive” death by fire at the end of Halloween II, the series experimented with the anthology genre in 1982’s Halloween III: Season of the Witch. While rightfully a cult classic now, the lack of Michael Myers in the film rubbed many fans the wrong way at the time. This brought us to the grand return of Myers in 1988. If this particular Michael Myers film failed, then the franchise might have been gone for good, but Wilbur single-handedly brought the horror back to “The Shape” with his menacing presence and movement more in line with Nick Castle’s original performance in the first film. Halloween 4’s now considered a cult classic among horror fans and even though his second turn as the iconic slasher villain in Curse of Michael Myers wasn’t as well received, Myers' look in that particular film is arguably one of the character’s best.
Without Wilbur’s amazing contributions to Halloween, the franchise wouldn’t be where it is today. Wearing the Michael Myers mask is the horror equivalent of being given the role of Batman or being cast as James Bond. There’s a tremendous responsibility there and Wilbur left his weighty mark on this classic slasher franchise along with many others. The actor is survived by his daughter Gena Wilbur. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
You can celebrate Wilbur’s amazing legacy by watching Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers which is streaming on Shudder now. The trailer for the beloved slasher can be viewed down below.