One of the first to play one of the big screen’s biggest horror icons, James Winburn donned the Michael Myers mask in John Carpenter’s original Halloween back in 1978, and we’ve learned the sad news this week that the legendary stuntman has passed away at the age of 85.
Winburn passed away on November 19 following an undisclosed illness, EW reports.
A few people, including Nick Castle, played Michael Myers in the original Halloween, with James Winburn performing the memorable balcony stunt in the horror classic’s climax.
“I put on the Michael Myers mask a number of times,” Winburn said during a Halloween Q&A session years back, noting that he filled in whenever John Carpenter needed Michael Myers to do things Nick Castle, Tony Moran and various others could not. Winburn added during that same convention interview, “I doubled [for] whatever John wanted me to do.”
Halloween is just one of over 60 movies James Winburn did stunt work for throughout his career, including The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, The Sentinel, The Fog, Escape from New York, Graduation Day, Mortuary, TRON, The Big Chill, Once Bitten, and Popcorn.
Winburn also directed three films between 1988 and 1993, beginning with Evil Altar in 1988. He followed his directorial debut with The Death Merchant and Miami Beach Cops.
James Winburn, the actor and stuntman who famously assisted in the portrayal of Michael Myers in the original 1978 ‘Halloween’ movie, has died at 85. https://t.co/UBfnMik2so
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) November 21, 2022
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