R.I.P. Gunnar 'Leatherface' Hansen

Actor Gunnar Hansen, best known for playing Leatherface in Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, passed away November 8th, at the age of 68. Hansen’s agent told the Associated Press the beloved horror icon died of pancreatic cancer Saturday at his home in Maine.

Hansen was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, but moved to the US with his family at the age of 5. He studied at the University of Texas in Austin, where Hooper and his Texas Chain Saw Massacre cowriter Kim Henkel were based. Hansen secured the role of Leatherface after, literally, filling the door with his tall, massive physique when he met to audition for the part.