Posted by - Who: Gunnar Milton Hansen (Reykjavík, 4 March 1947 – Northeast Harbor, 7 November 2015).
- Why he is famous: he was Leatherface in the original “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974).
- Not just an actor: writer, screenwriter and documentary director.
- Death: from pancreatic cancer, at his home in Maine, aged 68.
Yesterday Gunnar Hansen, the Leatherface of the original “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”, died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Northeast Harbor, Maine.
Goodbye Leatherface
Gunnar was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, on 4 March 1947, the son of an Icelandic dentist and a Norwegian mother, but at five he moved to the United States with his mother and brother, where he later became a citizen. He lived in Maine until he was 11, then the family moved to Austin, Texas.
At the University of Texas he graduated in English and mathematics, then went on to graduate studies in Scandinavian studies and English. He never studied acting, although he took part in theatre activities at university.
His jobs after high school included computer operator and, for a short time, bouncer; in high school he had also played football. In 1973, just after finishing his studies, he heard that a film was going to be shot in his city, Austin, and decided to audition.
He immediately got the part of Leatherface, for which he is said to have studied the behaviour of some young people with intellectual disabilities, then transferring it to his character.
After the film’s great success he also had a role in “The Demon Lover”, and then decided to leave acting for a career as a writer, writing for magazines and publishing books.
He was offered the part of Leatherface in the sequel to “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and a role in “The Hills Have Eyes”, but turned both down and kept writing.
In 1988 he returned to acting in “Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers”, a horror spoof, and from then on, while still writing books, he appeared in 20 more films, including “Texas Chainsaw 3D” in 2013, where he made a cameo in his old role. He himself, however, considered acting a side project.
His books include a travel memoir about America’s barrier islands, “Islands at the Edge of Time” (1993), and “Chain Saw Confidential” (2013), about the making of the film that made him famous. He also wrote screenplays and directed documentaries. His last project was a cameo in “Death House”, a horror film he co-wrote with Harrison Smith, released after his death.
He died at 68 at his home in Maine. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the ocean.
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