Gunnar Hansen

Gunnar Hansen ( born March 4, 1947 in Reykjavík, Iceland ) is an Icelandic- American actor and writer. Best known is his role as " Leatherface " in the horror film Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974).

Born in Iceland Hansen moved at the age of five with his family to the United States. Up to the age of eleven Hansen lived in Maine before his family eventually moved to Texas. He attended both the Austin High School and the University of Texas at Austin. He studied English language and mathematics. During his college years he gained his first theater experience.

In 1973, Hansen competed successfully at the casting for Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel's film Texas Chainsaw Massacre: he won the role of the masked, chainsaw wielding killer " Leatherface ". The film became a cult film, and Hansen has been a household name among fans of the horror genre. However, Hansen was acting not continue, but devote himself to writing. After he had completed another year of school, he returned to Maine and began to write. He turned down an offered role in the film The Hills Have Eyes (1977).

After he had written a while for magazines and books herself, Hansen returned to acting. He acted in the 1988 horror spoof with chainsaws not humor. He has appeared in 20 other films, mostly low-budget productions, on. In 2009 he was seen in the produced in Iceland Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre. At the same time, he wrote further books and screenplays for horror films and documentaries. He also appeared in 2013 in ' Riddick survival is his revenge ' as a visual effects specialist with.