Winburn had a lengthy history of success in the stunt community. Winburn has a long list of credits under his belt, including roles in “The Six Million Dollar Man,” “TRON” (1982), and of course, “Halloween.” As a stunt double, Winburn performed the riskier parts that the actors couldn’t perform safely. His performance as Michael Myers in the film “Halloween” is the most recognisable.
Winburn, who was well-liked in the horror community, is most known for his famous performance as The Shape. The scene in which Dr. Samuel Loomis (Donald Pleasence) shoots Michael repeatedly in an effort to terminate Michael’s murderous rampage is the one for which he is most frequently recognised as a stand-in for Michael’s actors, Nick Castle and Tony Moran. Michael stumbles back and drops off the edge of the balcony in the most dramatic way possible after taking many shots. All of us are aware that Michael wasn’t truly killed by this, but owing to Winburn’s stunt work, it felt like a highly convincing demise. Until The Shape stood up and vanished, that is.
Winburn was upfront about his devotion to the horror genre and his unfailing gratitude for the support of the fans. He continued to attend horror conventions even at the age of 85. Winburn attended Monster-Mania in November and appeared at the U.K.’s For the Love of Horror fan convention just one month before he passed away, according to Deadline.
The details of James Winburn’s death aren’t public
The circumstances of James Winburn’s death are not well known. The only information that has been made public so far is that he developed an ailment that hasn’t been made public. Although there hasn’t been any further information released about the circumstances of his passing as of yet, his absence has already been felt.
Winburn was set to appear at Monster-Mania this month in Pennsylvania, but he was regrettably unable to do so, according to Deadline.
The event’s organiser said in a statement that James “was always appreciative of the Halloween fans and sincerely liked meeting everyone.” “We send our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and fans.”
James Winburn had a tonne of projects under his belt for fans to enjoy and revisit for decades to come, despite the sad news of his passing. Fans will always be able to see his amazing work in movies and TV shows like “Halloween,” “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” “The Night Stalker,” “Beyond Evil,” and many others because he has nearly 80 credits for stunt work to his name.
Winburn has also acted in a number of films, including “Hunter,” “Island of Witches,” and “Charlie Chan and the Curse of the Dragon Queen,” in addition to all of his stunt work. Even three movies, “The Death Merchant,” “Evil Altar,” and “Miami Beach Cops,” were directed by him.
Following Winburn’s passing, Monopoly Events, the convention’s organizers, tweeted this touching message. Winburn had performed at this convention a month earlier.
James was “an absolute pleasure to work with” and told everyone over the weekend some amazing stories, according to the post.
“We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters.”
