Stephen Hibbert, a British actor and TV writer, best known for his portrayal of The Gimp in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, has died. He was 68.
Hibbert died unexpectedly Monday, March 2, in Denver, Colorado, his family confirmed in a recent statement.
“Our father, Stephen Hibbert, passed away unexpectedly this week,” the actor’s three children said, according to TMZ. “His life was full of love and dedication to the arts and his family. He will be dearly missed by many.”
A family member said that Hibbert had died of a heart attack, though they are still waiting for the autopsy report for further details.
Hibbert was born in Fleetwood, England. He jump-started his career in the industry as a writer on Late Night with David Letterman from 1984 to 1986. He also went on to write episodes of Darkwing Duck, Animaniacs, Mad TV and Boy Meets World.
In 1994, he co-wrote the slapstick comedy It’s Pat: The Movie with his then-wife, Julia Sweeney, who led the film as the titular eccentric, androgynous character, a role she originated on Saturday Night Live years earlier.
That same year, Hibbert landed the role of The Gimp in Tarantino’s 1994 crime-thriller Pulp Fiction, featuring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman.
In a 2024 interview with AARP, Hibbert shared that he and Sweeney, who also starred in Pulp Fiction, first met Tarantino at the Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles.
“He would guest with the improv show on Thursday nights,” the actor recalled of the two-time Oscar-winning director. “He was pretty much the same then as now, hilarious, endlessly curious and passionate about film. Quentin, Julia and I were moviegoing buddies and sometime collaborators already, so he asked us to audition for Pulp Fiction.”
His standout performance as the tortured victim of criminals Maynard (Duane Whitaker) and Zed (Peter Greene) earned him an eager fanbase that would bombard him with dozens of messages on his answering machine. “Almost all from guys telling me they really enjoyed my performance and would I like to meet them for coffee? Yikes!” he said. “These fellas had to wait for the end credits to see who played the Gimp, then find a pay phone, call L.A. 411 and snag my number. I quickly changed my number and became unlisted.”
As an actor, Hibbert also appeared in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), The Cat in the Hat (2003), and several episodes of the Keke Palmer-led TV series True Jackson, VP.
Hibbert is survived by his three children: Ronnie, Rosalind and Greg.
