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James Winburn, the stunt double for the Michael Myers character in the original "Halloween" film, has died.

James' manager, Peter DeLorme, tells TMZ ... James died Saturday in a Los Angeles hospital after a short illness.

It sounds like a sudden health issue because we're told just about 3 weeks ago James traveled all the way to the United Kingdom for a convention.

James was in Manchester, England during the "For The Love of Horror" convention last month, and the company that put on the event says he "was an absolute pleasure to work with and shared some amazing stories with everyone over the weekend."

A veteran stunt performer, James doubled for Nick Castle's version of Michael Myers in 1978's "Halloween" ... including the famous scene at the end of the horror movie, where Dr. Loomis shoots Michael 6 times, sending Myers falling backwards over a balcony.

James also did stunt work on "The Fog" and "Escape from New York" among other films ... and even wrote and directed a handful of movies.

He was 85.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are starting their own production company that promises to put creatives first -- both in terms of less corporate red tape ... and more money long-term.

The two Hollywood titans -- who have three Oscars between the both of them, and who've starred in, written and directed countless hit films over the years -- announced Sunday they were launching something called Artists' Equity ... which speaks exactly to their goal here.

The idea behind this new enterprise is to host and cater to premier peeps in the film and TV industry -- but instead of paying 'em bank up front, the way a big studio/streamer might these days on talent-for-hire, BA and MD are taking it old-school ... with a cut of the profits.

Back in the day, pre-streaming, that was the playbook in showbiz. Actors and directors and other folks attached to a flick would often be contractually entitled to cash after the fact based on how well something did at the box office. If a movie crushed over time, it could mean more moolah than a one-time payout -- high as it may seem at first -- which is SOP now.

Ben and Matt wanna bring that back, with BA explaining to the NYT ... "As streamers have proliferated, they have really ended back-end participation, and so this is partly an effort to try to recapture some of that value and share it in a way that’s more equitable." He went on to add, "Not just writers and directors and stars. But also cinematographers, editors, costume designers and other crucial artists who, in my view, are very underpaid."

Artists' Equity also aims to do what big studios can't ... getting out of the way, and letting creatives have actual ownership/control of their vision without all the politics that tend to hinder production, sometimes for the worst. At AE, Ben and Matt are adopting laissez-faire.

It's a neat idea ... and it's not just a pipe dream either. Matt and Ben have secured at least $100 million in initial financing from RedBird Capital Partners -- plus an undisclosed amount of dough from their own pockets. Ben says he's going to lend his services exclusively to Artists' Equity going forward. Matt's committed to a handful of films as well.

Quentin Tarantino says he wishes he would've confronted his longtime collaborator Harvey Weinstein -- especially in the wake of the criminal allegations that have surfaced.

The director was grilled by Chris Wallace on his CNN show Friday night ... getting asked why he didn't do more to protect women in HW's orbit if he was, in fact, aware of the film producer's behavior -- something Tarantino has alluded to in recent years.

QT clarified that while he had heard things about Weinstein ... he insists he was never privy to anything regarding rape or sexual assault -- which, among other things, has been alleged against the ex-movie mogul by a lot of women ... dating back to the '90s.

Tarantino says his understanding of Weinstein's alleged MO was comparable to something from "Mad Men" -- AKA, office bosses chasing their secretaries around the desk and trying to get handsy. This is the characterization Tarantino says was communicated to him back then. He notes, yes, this was still wrong ... but denies knowledge of anything more serious.

Wallace asks if he has any regrets, and Tarantino says he does -- not about working with HW, though, but not confronting him about his supposed playful skirt-chasing. The reason Tarantino says he didn't talk to him about it is because he thought it was pathetic ... and didn't want to approach his friend, who was also kinda his boss, about something so juvenile.

Denise Richards is proving to be a pro's pro on the set of her new movie -- filming a scene with a bunch of guns and knives immediately after she'd been shot at in real life.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Denise was ready for action Tuesday around 4 PM when she filmed her first scene of the day. We got this behind-the-scenes footage and what immediately jumps out at you is she's surrounded by weaponry -- albeit props -- and even handles a dagger.

We're told she plays a weapons expert, so there was no avoiding the setting for this scene -- despite the fact she'd literally just gone through a life-or-death situation on her way to set. Regardless, she did her job for the flick ... director Ali Zamani's "Angels Fallen: Warriors of Peace."

She's putting on a brave face here, no sign of the real-life violence she'd just survived -- but, our sources say Denise was, in fact, badly shaken up. We're told this scene was shot after a weapons safety meeting with cast and crew, including Denise.

As we reported ... Denise and her husband Aaron were shot at in a road rage incident, as they were driving to Denise's gig. The bullet hit the back end of their truck, and no one was injured.

Amber Heard has been treated atrociously by the public -- vilified and harassed -- and it's gotta stop now ... so says Gloria Steinem and more than a hundred others.

The famed feminist and 130 others have signed onto an open letter, condemning "the vilification of Ms. Heard and ongoing online harassment of her and those who have voiced support for her [sic] have been unprecedented in both vitriol and scale."

Steinem and co. go on ... "We condemn the public shaming of Amber Heard and join in support of her. We support the ability of all to report intimate partner and sexual violence free of harassment and intimidation."

Thing is ... the jury in the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard case rejected all of her claims of abuse and, even decided her claims were not only false ... they were malicious.

Nonetheless, Steinem and others challenge the verdict, saying it indicates "a fundamental misunderstanding of intimate partner and sexual violence and how survivors respond to it."

As you know, A.H. was ordered to cough up $10.35 million dollars for her defamatory claims. J.D. was ordered to pay $2 mil for the defamatory claims his lawyer made.

It's undeniable ... the vast majority of the public ended up siding with Depp and many did indeed viciously attack Amber, especially on social media.

Amber is now living abroad with her daughter ... presumably to break free from all the drama and attacks.

Andrew Garfield will turn 40 next year, but that hasn't stopped him from getting in the best shape of his life -- as evidenced by a new photo shoot.

AG flashed his abs in a recent GQ shoot ... and it's clear the 39-year-old actor's been recently putting in the work -- because it shows!

Of course, Andrew's always been in pretty great shape, most notably while playing 'Spider-Man' in his early 20s -- but despite reprising his superhero role last year, Andrew's been steering clear from physically-demanding performances -- starring in films like "Tick, Tick... Boom!" and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."

Andrew left everyone's jaw dropped back in August when he snapped a shirtless pic with a fan while on vacay, showin' off just how ripped he's recently become.

Margot Robbie won't be sailing off in a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie after all ... which could be a good sign for Johnny Depp.

The actress revealed her would-be 'POTC' film is dead at Disney in a new interview with Vanity Fair. Margot explained they'd been developing an idea with her as a lead for a few years now, but at this point ... she says it's been killed.

As for why ... all MR said was, "I guess they don't want to do it." It's interesting ... earlier this year an OG producer on the 'Pirates' franchise, Jerry Bruckheimer, said 2 'Pirates' scripts were in active development at the Mouse House, including one with Margot.

He also left the door open for a possible reunion with Depp, although he noted JD wasn't attached at that time. Since then, the guy's been successful in court and is attempting a career comeback -- and based on his milestones thus far, you could argue he's achieving it.

No official word on Disney and Johnny linking back up for more Jack Sparrow -- a partnership that grossed the studio upwards of nearly $2 billion -- but, the fact they're scrapping the Margot idea entirely might be a signal they're musing about another JD installment.

The man whose bizarre life inspired the Steven Spielberg film "The Terminal" has died.

Iranian-born Mehran Karimi Nasseri reportedly passed away Saturday after suffering a heart attack in Terminal 2F at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Nasseria had lived in the airport for 18 years -- from 1988 to 2006 -- after losing his travel documents while trying to fly to England. As a result, he was barred from taking a flight and entering France, leaving him in legal limbo at the airport. Later on, he apparently lived there by choice.

Nasseria -- played by Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks in the 2004 film -- was viewed as an “iconic character" at Charles deGaulle.

An airport official said employees looked after Nasseria "as much as possible during many years, even if we would have preferred him to find a real shelter." Nasseria always lived in public spaces at the airport and was free to move about.

He slept on a plastic bench and showered in staff facilities. He spent his days people-watching, writing in his diary and reading magazines and newspapers.

In the film, Hanks' character, Victor Navorski, sets up a makeshift home at New York's JFK Airport after he's unable to return to his fictional country, Krakozhia, following an attack. He's also barred from entering the U.S. since his passport is no longer valid because his country's new government is considered illegitimate. Like Nasseria, everyone in the airport falls in love with Norvorski, including a stewardess played by Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Nasseria was born around 1945 in Iran, making him roughly 76 when he died.

Elijah Wood says lots of folks confuse him for Harry Potter instead of Frodo Baggins ... and he's down to pull the old switcheroo and play Daniel Radcliffe on camera.

We got the 'Lord Of The Rings' star at LAX ... where our photog asked about Daniel floating Elijah's name as a candidate to play Radcliffe in a biopic.

Elijah is clearly flattered by Daniel's casting preferences ... telling us the 'Harry Potter' star is a "lovely human being" ... whom EW would love to work with someday.

There's no denying Elijah looks the part ... he tells us lots of people mistake him for Daniel, especially those pesky autograph hounds.

Elijah and Daniel being doppelgängers begs the question ... does Elijah ever play into it by dropping any famous Harry Potter quotes?

The new 'Black Panther' is mostly being hailed as a triumph/a great tribute to Chadwick Boseman -- but there are still some who aren't happy with how the page was turned.

Indeed ... the #RecastTChalla crowd is out in full force right now on Twitter -- this after 'Wakanda Forever' hit theaters this weekend -- and they're voicing their ongoing grievances about Marvel/Disney choosing not to find a new lead hero in the wake of CB's real-life death.

They've been on this for a while now, with their main argument being that the character is bigger than just Chadwick alone ... something Kevin Feige and co. firmly disagreed with.

Now that the sequel is out, the #Recast crew feels like their argument is even stronger than ever ... pointing out what they see as holes and flaws in the new flick that they think a simple recast would've fixed. At this point, we're getting into ***SPOILERS AHEAD***

You can hop into the trend yourself to see all the points, but basically ... super fans just aren't happy with how T'Challa's death is addressed, probably because they never quite explain what killed him -- other than to mention some vague disease he succumbed to.

There is certainly a lot of onscreen mourning, and Chadwicks' shadow looms large as the backdrop -- but you never hear his voice in the film ... only silent flashbacks/montages. Some say there should've been more of a creative effort to actually have him reappear/speak on camera somehow -- like Carrie Fisher did in 'Rise of Skywalker' -- but it never happens.

There's also the issue of Letitia Wright/Shuri -- who, in fact, becomes the new Black Panther ... but literally just for the last 30 minutes or so, and only has one big fight sequence before she loses the suit. It's badass, but super brief -- and a fair amount of people feel like there simply wasn't enough Black Panther in 'BP' ... so they're complaining about this too.

Last but not least -- and this one is a *HUGE SPOILER* -- there's a new "T'Challa," of sorts, that's introduced at the very, very end in the post-credits scene ... T'Challa's son, Toussaint.

Essentially, they tease the notion that the kid will one day become the new king of Wakanda/assume the Black Panther mantle ... which effectively means more movies, etc.

Leonardo DiCaprio turned 48 this week -- and anyone who's anyone swung by to party.

The A-lister threw a massive bash Friday to celebrate his birthday at a private mansion in Beverly Hills, where a lot of famous faces were seen coming and going throughout the night. Truly, it was a classic who's-who of Hollywood ... something only a select few can pull off.

Among the high-profile guests ... LeBron James, Bradley Cooper, Sir Mick Jagger, Tobey Maguire, Adrien Brody, Jamie Foxx, Rami Malek, Casey Affleck, Wesley Snipes, Stella Maxwell, Nicky Hilton, Sommer Ray, Jennifer Meyer, Caylee Cowan and many, many more.

This shindig was pretty private -- Leo reportedly had folks throw their phones into secure bags before entering, so you might not be seeing many photos posted on anyone's Story.

Definitely on par with the type of pomp and circumstance we'd expect from LDC -- after all, the guy played the Great Gatsby ... so he knows how to throw a good rager, it seems.

Jason Momoa says he's not cutting bacon from his diet, despite adopting a wild pig ... but PETA's lookin' to change his mind, by sending him a gift basket full of piggy alternatives.

PETA tells TMZ ... the company's sending Aquaman a package with staples from the vegan/vegetarian community -- including fakin' bacon, plant-based jerky, sham ham, and pigless pork rinds.

Jason's not just getting food -- the basket's coming with a cute plush pig ... with a message -- "Pigs are friends, not food."

ICYMI, we got Jason in L.A. Wednesday after he posted about his little pig, Manapua ...  but told us he's stickin' to his diet as usual -- despite having a new porky pal.

PETA's rep says JM clearly loves his adopted pig, so their team's hoping he'll open himself up to leaving pigs off the table ... after getting a taste for what else is out there.

Comedian Gallagher, famously known for smashing watermelons as part of his legendary act, has died ... his longtime manager tells TMZ.

Gallagher died while under hospice care in the Palm Springs area early Friday morning, TMZ has learned. His manager tells TMZ Gallagher died of massive organ failure. He had been in ill health for a while, suffering numerous heart attacks over the years.

The rep tells TMZ, "Gallagher stayed on the road touring America for decades. He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand-up dates, by attrition alone," adding, "While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story."

Gallagher started working as a comedian after college ... getting his big break after appearing on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' back in 1975 ... showing off his prop humor and quickly becoming one of the most popular and recognizable comedians in America.

His trademark bit was the "Sledge-O-Matic," where he'd use a large mallet to destroy a bunch of foods and objects -- always ending with a watermelon. While it started as a parody of the Veg-O-Matic commercials, it would go on to be what millions would remember him for.

Gallagher's since become a pop culture phenomenon, getting parodied and referenced over the years for his act ... most recently being played by fellow comedian Paul F. Tompkins in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story."

The comedian had 17 specials spanning decades of his work ... with his first special, "An Uncensored Evening," debuting in 1980. He appeared in episodes of "Hollywood Squares," "WTF with Marc Maron," "Tosh.0" and "Celebrity Big Brother."

He had a health scare back in 2011, as we reported, he collapsed onstage during a performance in Minnesota. He also suffered a heart attack the following year in Texas, moments before he was supposed to perform.

We last saw the comedian back in 2014 ... and he offered us some fantastic advice for those looking to get someone a gift while stuck on a budget -- and it's as hilarious as you'd expect.

Gallagher, who was retired, is survived by his daughter, Aimee, and his son, Barnaby.

He was 76.

Kevin Conroy, known as the voice of animated Batman for decades, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin passed away Thursday, according to his rep Gary Miereanu ... following a short battle with cancer.

The actor moved out to California in 1980, first getting cast in the soap opera "Another World" ... before working in theater and television for a number of years.

Many remember Kevin as the titular voice of Batman for decades, first playing the dark knight in "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1995.

Since first breaking out as the comic book hero, Kevin's played the character on TV, in movies and even in video games countless times -- including "Batman Beyond," 2001's 'Justice League' series, "Batman: The Killing Joke" and every Batman 'Arkham' series video game.

He took home 7 awards over the years for his voice acting ... including Best Actor for his video game work in 2015.

Kevin wrote a story called "Finding Batman" as part of DC Comics' Pride anthology in 2022 ... going over his experiences in his life as a gay man.

Fellow voice actor Diane Pershing, known for playing villain Poison Ivy alongside Kevin, shared her pain following Kevin's passing ... writing, "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."

Kevin is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.

He was 66.

Jason Momoa and his new four-legged pal are gonna have some major philosophical differences, we think -- because Jason's still eating pork after adopting a wild pig.

We got the actor outside Jimmy Kimmel's show Wednesday in Hollywood, and asked if he was considering changing his diet now that he's taken in the little piggy he met while shooting his new Netflix movie, "Slumberland."

His answer can't be too shocking -- keep in mind, Jason admits naming the pig after 2 Hawaiian dishes made with pork ... Lau Lau and Manapua.

He told us why doing away with bacon and the like just isn't an option for him ... at least not now.

Don't get it twisted, Jason's not planning to chow down on his adopted pet ... and he's feeling sorry about not being able to stop eating the little guy's friends.

Johnny Depp's clearly moved on from walking the plank ... he's now strutting his stuff at Rihanna's Savage X Fenty fashion show.

J.D. looked swag walking through a fake forest with dancers in tow -- gussied up in Rihanna's men's collection.

The actor hit the runway to Outkast's "So Fresh, So Clean" ... unclear if the reference is to the dude or the duds.

TMZ broke the story ... Johnny would model at Rihanna's show, which has been littered with stars over the years, including Cindy Crawford and Erykah Badu. J.D. has the distinction of being the first man to assume the role.