Gunnar Hansen, aka Leatherface in ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, Dead at 68

Gunnar Hansen, who played the iconic villain Leatherface in the original "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", died on Saturday at his home in Maine after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 68.

Hansen starred in the 1974 film that has become a classic among horror movie fans and subsequently spewed a series of sequels.

In the movie, friends visiting their grandfather's house are hunted by Leatherface, a chainsaw wielding maniac.

According to Hansen's agent, Mike Eisenstadt, Leatherfaces "is one of the most iconic evil figures in the history of cinema."

Hansen had lived in Maine for about 40 years, where he worked as an actor and writer. He was however, born in Reykjavik, Iceland. He came to the U.S. and studied at the University of Texas, where he majored in English and Scandinavian Studies.

Hansen is survived by his partner of 13 years, Betty Tower.