Actor. He originated the role of ‘Leatherface’ in the 1974 horror film “Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. Born in Iceland, he moved to Maine with his family at the age of 5, and then to Texas, where he studied at the University of Texas, majoring in English and Scandinavian Studies. In 1973, just after finishing graduate school, Hansen heard that The ‘Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ was being filmed in Austin and decided to try out. He got the part of Leatherface, the sadistic chainsaw wielding villain, which would go on to become one of the most iconic characters in the horror film genre. Although he didn’t appear in any ‘Texas Chain Saw’ sequels, he appeared in as many as 20 movies, including ‘Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers’, ‘The Demon Lover’, ‘Freakshow’ and ‘Chainsaw Sally’. He also worked as a magazine editor, wrote screenplays and books, and directed a documentary on Greenland. At the time of his death from pancreatic cancer, he was working on a film called ‘Death House’, which he wrote and produced, about a secret government facility where a horrific prison break takes place. (bio by: Louis M.)