Stephen Hibbert

Stephen Hibbert, an actor and screenwriter whose career ranged from improv with the Groundlings to writing for hit TV shows like "Late Night with David Letterman" to a role as the masked Gimp in "Pulp Fiction," died March 2, 2026, in Denver after a heart attack at the age of 68.

Born September 19, 1957, in Fleetwood, Lancashire, England, Hibbert came to the U.S. with his parents as a child and grew up in California. He got his start in the entertainment industry as a writer, with an early break coming on "Late Night with David Letterman." As his writing career advanced, he wrote for animated series like "Animaniacs" and "Darkwing Duck," as well as for the popular 1990s sitcom "Boy Meets World."

While he was working as a writer, Hibbert was also a member of the Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based sketch comedy and improv troupe. It was through the Groundlings that he found his way to his best-known role. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino was a big fan of the troupe, and he ultimately made a few guest appearances with the troupe.

While Tarantino worked with the Groundlings, he became friends with Hibbert and his then-wife, Julia Sweeney. Tarantino invited both husband and wife to read for roles in his upcoming film, and they were both successful auditions: Sweeney was cast as Raquel, the daughter of a junkyard owner who appears alongside Harvey Keitel's character, and Hibbert became the Gimp.

Hibbert's best-known role was not one that made him a household name or a recognizable actor. In fact, he was fully disguised in a leather suit and mask for his time onscreen, and he didn't utter a single understandable word. But "Pulp Fiction" was such a runaway success, and the Gimp such a strange and unforgettable character, that it brought Hibbert a kind of cult fame.

In a 2014 interview for Vulture, Hibbert talked about how much he loved being part of "Pulp Fiction," saying, "[W]hatever else I've done before or will do in show business, I don't think I'll ever have a cooler credit than that. I love the fact that I did that." He also talked about how he brought his own interpretation to his portrayal of the Gimp: "In the script, it didn't say anything other than, 'The Gimp stands guard.' So I tried other things, like when I pointed at Bruce Willis' character, [as if to say] You and me are next, and danced around. I decided to do a weird dance and act all creepy towards Bruce Willis, and Quentin liked those things."

In the same year Hibbert and Sweeney appeared together in "Pulp Fiction," she also starred in a movie they wrote together, "It's Pat: The Movie." Based on her confusingly androgynous "Saturday Night Live" character, the film was not as successful as the sketches on the show, bombing at the box office and receiving several Golden Raspberry nominations.

But Hibbert told Trainwreck'd Society that he had fond memories of making the movie: "While the film didn't turn out as well as any of us would have liked, I still think there are some wonderful performances: Julia's, Dave Foley's, Charlie Rocket, and there are lots of truly funny jokes and scenes. So I'm actually pretty proud of much of the movie, and think it's fair to say it's better than you remember it, that is in the unlikely event you've actually seen it."

Hibbert made a few other acting appearances, in the movies "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me," "Rush Hour," and "The Cat in the Hat" and in such TV shows as "Just Shoot Me."

By the 2010s, Hibbert had largely retired from writing, choosing instead to teach writing and sketch comedy in Denver. He also worked with the nonprofit School on Wheels, working as a tutor for homeless children.

He is survived by his children, Ronnie, Rosalind, and Greg.

By Linnea Crowther

(Image: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for The Groundlings)