Gunnar Hansen died Saturday evening of pancreatic cancer at his home in Northeast Harbor, Maine, according to his agent, Mike Eisenstadt, who described Hansen's "Chainsaw" character as "one of the most iconic evil figures in the history of cinema."
The Icelandic-born actor was an unknown graduate student in Texas when director Tobe Hooper cast him in the low-budget horror film, which became a cult hit and spawned three sequels, two remakes and a prequel.
I personally met and talked with Gunnar many times over the years as he was a regular at the TransWorld Haunt Shows. Gunnar was really a nice quite guy. He will be missed.