Gunnar Milton Hansen (March 4, 1947 – November 7, 2015) was an Icelandic-born American actor and author. He played the mentally impaired cannibal

Leatherface Leatherface is a character from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise), ''The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'' series. He first appeared in ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974) as the mentally disabled member of a family of deranged Human cannibalis ...

in ''

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' is a 1974 American independent horror film produced, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, ...

'' (1974).

Early life

Hansen was born in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, Iceland, to Icelander Skúli Hansen, a dentist, and Norwegian Sigrid Hansen. He moved to the United States with his mother and brother when he was five years old. He lived in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

until age eleven, when his family moved to

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

, where he attended Austin High School and the

University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...

. He majored in English and mathematics as an undergraduate and then went to graduate school in Scandinavian Studies and English.

Career

His first job out of high school was as a computer operator before he began theater work during college. He was also a football player during high school and for a while a bar bouncer. In 1973, just after finishing graduate school, Hansen heard that ''

'' was being filmed in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

and decided to audition. He got the part of Leatherface, the masked killer in the movie. After writing (and occasionally editing) for magazines and writing books, Hansen returned to acting in 1988, appearing in the horror spoof ''

Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers ''Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers'' (also known as simply ''Hollywood Hookers'' in the United Kingdom) is a 1988 American black comedy horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray, and starring Gunnar Hansen, Linnea Quigley, Jay Richardson, and Michelle Bau ...

''. He acted in 20 films thereafter, including ''

Texas Chainsaw 3D ''Texas Chainsaw 3D'' (stylized on-screen and in home media simply as ''Texas Chainsaw'') is a 2013 American 3D slasher film directed by John Luessenhop, with a screenplay by Adam Marcus, Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms. It is the seventh in ...

'' as one of the Sawyers. He state that he considered his later acting as a side project and continued to write books. He also wrote film scripts and wrote and directed documentary films. His final film project was a cameo in ''

Death House ''Death House'' is a 2017 American horror film written by Gunnar Hansen, who has a cameo in the film, and directed by Harrison Smith. The film features an ensemble cast of horror icons including Kane Hodder, Barbara Crampton, Bill Moseley, Dee W ...

'', which he co-wrote with Harrison Smith. Hansen was also an author; his nonfiction travel memoir, ''Islands at the Edge of Time; A Journey to America's Barrier Islands'', was published in 1993. In 2013 he wrote the nonfiction book '' Chain Saw Confidential'' about the making of and reception for ''The Texas Chain Saw Massacre''.

Death

Hansen died at his home in

Northeast Harbor, Maine Northeast Harbor is a village on Mount Desert Island, located in the town of Mount Desert in Hancock County, Maine, United States. The village has a significant summer population, and has long been a quiet enclave of the rich and famous. S ...

, of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

on November 7, 2015, at the age of 68.

Filmography

As self

* 1984 ''

Terror in the Aisles ''Terror in the Aisles'' is a 1984 American documentary film about horror films, including slasher films and crime thrillers. The film is directed by Andrew J. Kuehn, and hosted by Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen. The original music score is ...

'' archival footage * 1988 ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait'' * 2000 ''Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Shocking Truth'' * 2001 ''Leatherface Speaks: An Informal Interview with Gunnar Hansen'' * 2002 ''Behind the Attic Door: The Making of "Rachel's Attic"'' * 2004 ''UnConventional'' * 2006 ''Flesh Wounds: Seven Stories of the Saw''

References

External links

Gunnar Hansen official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hansen, Gunnar 1947 births 2015 deaths

Gunnar Hansen Gunnar Milton Hansen (March 4, 1947 – November 7, 2015) was an Icelandic-born American actor and author. He played the mentally impaired cannibal Leatherface in '' The Texas Chain Saw Massacre'' (1974). Early life Hansen was born in Reykja ...

American male film actors Austin High School (Austin, Texas) alumni Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Maine 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers People from Northeast Harbor, Maine American memoirists 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors