# Gunnar Hansen

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For other people of the same name, see [Gunnar Hansen (disambiguation)](/source/Gunnar_Hansen_(disambiguation)).

**Gunnar Milton Hansen** (March 4, 1947 – November 7, 2015) was an Icelandic-born American actor and author. He played the deranged cannibal [Leatherface](/source/Leatherface) in *[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre](/source/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre)* (1974).

## Early life

Hansen was born in [Reykjavík](/source/Reykjav%C3%ADk), Iceland, to Icelander Skúli Hansen, a dentist, and Norwegian Sigrid Hansen.[2] He moved to the United States with his mother and brother when he was five years old.[3] He lived in [Maine](/source/Maine) until age eleven, when his family moved to [Austin, Texas](/source/Austin,_Texas), where he attended [Austin High School](/source/Austin_High_School_(Austin,_Texas)) and the [University of Texas at Austin](/source/University_of_Texas_at_Austin).[4] He majored in English and mathematics as an undergraduate and then went to graduate school in Scandinavian Studies and English.[5]

## 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.[citation needed] In 1973, just after finishing graduate school, Hansen heard that *[The Texas Chain Saw Massacre](/source/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacre)* was being filmed in [Austin](/source/Austin,_Texas) and decided to audition. He got the part of Leatherface, the masked killer in the movie.[6]

After writing (and occasionally editing) for magazines and writing books, Hansen returned to acting in 1988, appearing in the horror spoof *[Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers](/source/Hollywood_Chainsaw_Hookers)*.[7] He acted in 20 films thereafter, including *[Texas Chainsaw 3D](/source/Texas_Chainsaw_3D)* as one of the Sawyers.[citation needed] He stated that he considered his later acting as a side project and continued to write books.[2] He also wrote film scripts and wrote and directed documentary films.[8]

His final film project was a cameo in *[Death House](/source/Death_House)*, which he co-wrote with Harrison Smith.[9]

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.[8] In 2013 he wrote the nonfiction book *[Chain Saw Confidential](/source/Chain_Saw_Confidential)* about the making of and reception for *The Texas Chain Saw Massacre*.[8][10]

## Death

Hansen died at his home in [Northeast Harbor, Maine](/source/Northeast_Harbor,_Maine), of [pancreatic cancer](/source/Pancreatic_cancer) on November 7, 2015, at the age of 68. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered into the ocean. [11][12]

## Filmography

Film and television Year Title Role Notes 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Leatherface 1977 The Demon Lover Professor Peckinpah 1988 Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers The Stranger 1991 Campfire Tales Ralph 1995 Mosquito Earl, The Bank Robber Freakshow Freakmaster Direct-to-video Exploding Angel Walter 1996 Repligator Dr. Kildare 1999 Hellblock 13 The Executioner Direct-to-video 2002 Hatred of a Minute Barry Witchunter Michael Jones Direct-to-video Rachel's Attic Ronald Sinister The Piper Short film 2003 Next Victim Dr. Howard (segment "rehabilitation Center") 2004 The Business Grandfather Short film, direct-to-video Chainsaw Sally Daddy Murder-Set-Pieces The Nazi Mechanic 2005 Wolfsbayne The Elder Apocalypse and the Beauty Queen Reggie 2006 Swarm of the Snakehead Gunner The Deepening Dr. Chambers 2007 Brutal Massacre: A Comedy Krenshaw Shudder Samson Direct-to-video Gimme Skelter Porter Sandford 2009 Won Ton Baby! Dr. Kurt Severson It Came from Trafalgar "Tex" Ghoul Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre Captain Pétur 2013 Texas Chainsaw 3D Boss Sawyer / Jedidiah Sawyer / Leatherface (archive footage) Cameo, final role 2017 Death House Albert Kenny Cameo; Posthumous Release

### As self

- 1984 *[Terror in the Aisles](/source/Terror_in_the_Aisles)* 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*

## See also

- *[The White Bird](/source/The_White_Bird)*

## References

1. Associated Press "Gunnar Hansen, killer of 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre,' dies" Associated Press via *[The State](/source/The_State_(newspaper))* Columbia, SC November 8, 2015. [Thestate.com](http://www.thestate.com/entertainment/celebrities/article43664967.html)[dead link]

1. ["Bauðst tækifæri til að verða kvikmyndaleikari"](https://timarit.is/page/3074582) (in Icelandic). *[Dagblaðið](/source/Dagbla%C3%B0i%C3%B0)*. 25 January 1978. p. 4. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

1. ["Íslensk hrollvekjustjarna í Bandaríkjunum"](https://timarit.is/page/3362967) (in Icelandic). *[Vísir](/source/V%C3%ADsir)*. 18 July 1977. p. 3. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

1. Kjartan Hreinn Njálsson (8 November 2015). ["Maðurinn með ljótu grímuna og alþýðlega nafnið"](https://www.visir.is/g/2015151108951) (in Icelandic). *[Vísir.is](/source/V%C3%ADsir.is)*. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

1. ["Gunnar Hansen, leikari í Texas Chain Saw Massacre, er látinn"](https://kjarninn.is/frettir/2015-11-08-gunnar-hansen-leikari-i-texas-chain-saw-massacre-er-latinn/) (in Icelandic). *[Kjarninn](/source/Kjarninn)*. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

1. Matthías Árni Ingimarsson (13 August 2010). ["Heill þér, mikla Leðurfés!"](https://timarit.is/page/5335616) (in Icelandic). *[Morgunblaðið](/source/Morgunbla%C3%B0i%C3%B0)*. p. 36. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

1. Charles Runells (4 June 2004). ["'Chainsaw' star a cut above his film character"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-press-chainsaw-star-a-cut-above-h/143333680/). *News-Press*. p. 27. Retrieved 14 March 2024. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Vera Illugadóttir (8 November 2015). ["Gunnar Hansen leikari látinn"](https://www.ruv.is/frett/gunnar-hansen-leikari-latinn) (in Icelandic). *[RÚV](/source/R%C3%9AV)*. Retrieved 16 September 2021.

1. ["Gunnar Hansen, leikari í Texas Chain Saw Massacre, er látinn"](https://kjarninn.is/frettir/2015-11-08-gunnar-hansen-leikari-i-texas-chain-saw-massacre-er-latinn/) (in Icelandic). *[Kjarninn](/source/Kjarninn)*. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2024.

1. Collis, Clark (October 4, 2013). ["*Texas Chainsaw* memoir: Leatherface speaks!"](http://ew.com/article/2013/10/04/gunnar-hansen-texas-chainsaw-massacre-leatherface/). *Entertainment Weekly*. Meredith Corporation. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171030052821/http://ew.com/article/2013/10/04/gunnar-hansen-texas-chainsaw-massacre-leatherface/) October 30, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 30, 2017.

1. staff, ABC7 com (2015-11-08). ["Gunnar Hansen, original Leatherface from 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' dies at 68"](https://abc7.com/1073907/). *ABC7 Los Angeles*. Retrieved 2021-11-11.

1. ["Gunnar Hansen, killer of ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre,’ dies"](https://apnews.com/general-news-movies-4173e3fea4c34926a3ab0d247b1b3001). *AP*. November 8, 2015. Retrieved July 23, 2024.

## External links

- [Gunnar Hansen official website](http://www.gunnarhansen.com)
- [Gunnar Hansen](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm360815/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gunnar Hansen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_Hansen) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunnar_Hansen?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.