Early life
Wilbur was born on March 6, 1941, in Kent, Connecticut.1 He served in the U.S. Navy before beginning his entertainment career.1 After leaving the service, he worked as a ranch wrangler in Tucson, Arizona, where he was hired as an extra on the 1966 John Wayne western El Dorado and subsequently became a stand-in for Wayne on that production.4 That opportunity set the course for a full professional career in Hollywood stunt work. He relocated to California to pursue stunt and extra roles full time.
Career
Wilbur accumulated 117 stunt credits and 43 acting credits across a career that began in 1966 and continued into the 2010s.5 His early work included the original Planet of the Apes (1968) and its sequel Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), as well as Blacula (1972) and The Poseidon Adventure (1972). Through the mid-1970s he became a reliable stunt performer on large-scale disaster productions, appearing on The Towering Inferno (1974), The Hindenburg (1975), Grizzly (1976), and Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979).
The 1980s and early 1990s represented the most prolific stretch of his career. He performed stunts on Escape from New York (1981), Poltergeist (1982), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Firestarter (1984), Re-Animator (1985), Fletch (1985), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), The Running Man (1987), The Monster Squad (1987), Dead Heat (1988), Die Hard (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), The 'Burbs (1989), Total Recall (1990), The Exorcist III (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Cast a Deadly Spell (1991), Dr. Giggles (1992), Casino (1995), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), among many others.5 His television credits included Mission: Impossible, The Six Million Dollar Man, Magnum P.I., and Days of Our Lives.5
In the later stages of his career, Wilbur moved into stunt coordination, serving as stunt coordinator on The Aggression Scale (2012) and Cheap Thrills (2013), and making a brief acting appearance in American Muscle.5
Michael Myers
Wilbur's most iconic role came when he was cast as the slasher villain Michael Myers in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988).6 Standing over 6 feet tall with a correspondingly powerful build, he met the producers' requirements for the physically imposing antagonist.7 He recalled: "The producers were looking for a specific body type... I happened to be the right height and build."7 His size and deliberate physicality gave Myers a particularly menacing quality that drew praise from fans of the franchise. Wilbur returned to the series as a stunt player on Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989, in which actor Don Shanks played Myers on screen), then reprised the full role of Myers in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995), making him the first performer in the series to portray the character in more than one film.1 Screenwriter Daniel Farrands remembered him as "such a kind soul and a beloved member of the Halloween family."7
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters (1984)
Wilbur performed uncredited stunt work on the original Ghostbusters in 1984, one of numerous genre productions he contributed to during the decade.2
Ghostbusters II (1989)
In Ghostbusters II (1989), Wilbur appeared on screen as the Bailiff, the court officer assigned to the hearing at which the Ghostbusters faced criminal charges following their unauthorized excavation under First Avenue.8 The Bailiff is present across two sequences of the film: the Ghostbusters' day in court, and the Scoleri Brothers scene, in which he provides security but has no means of stopping the ghost outbreak when the spirits of Nunzio and Tony Scoleri materialize in the courtroom.8 When the brothers manifested, the Bailiff exited through the juror's door. In earlier screenplay drafts dated November 27, 1988 and February 27, 1989, the Bailiff also tended to the Prosecutor following the supernatural attack. Wilbur was credited in some sources simply as George Wilbur.2
Personal life
Wilbur is survived by his daughter, Gena Wilbur.7
Death
George P. Wilbur died on February 1, 2023, at the age of 81.7 His passing was confirmed by fellow stuntman Chris Durand, who himself portrayed Michael Myers in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998),1 and who said of Wilbur: "George, you were a class act and well loved."2
References
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
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"George P. Wilbur," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_P._Wilbur
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Ghostbusters News, "Michael Myers performer and Ghostbusters stuntman George P. Wilbur has passed away" (February 2, 2023), https://ghostbustersnews.com/2023/02/02/michael-myers-performer-and-ghostbusters-stuntman-george-p-wilbur-has-passed-away/
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Collider, "'Halloween' Stuntman and Michael Myers Actor George P. Wilbur Dead at 81" (February 2023), https://collider.com/george-p-wilbur-dead-at-81/
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Racks and Razors, "George P. Wilbur," https://racksandrazors.com/georgep.html
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"George P. Wilbur," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0929793/
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JoBlo, "R.I.P.: George P. Wilbur, the Michael Myers of Halloween 4 and 6, has passed away" (February 2, 2023), https://www.joblo.com/george-p-wilbur-halloween-4/
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Looper, "George P. Wilbur, Stuntman Who Played Michael Myers, Dead At 81" (February 2023), https://www.looper.com/1187427/george-p-wilbur-stuntman-who-played-michael-myers-dead-at-81/
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Ghostbusters II (1989), Columbia Pictures. Court scenes.
