While Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise villain Leatherface is quite iconic, the character has rarely been played by the same actor twice. It’s not hard to understand why Leatherface is such a towering figure in horror history. A physically imposing psychopath carrying a huge chainsaw and wearing someone else’s face is the type of character it’s hard for someone to forget. Especially the way Leatherface is portrayed in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film, where he’s almost impossible to escape from, and attacks his victims with an almost animalistic savagery.
There’s also the added wrinkle that Leatherface doesn’t just want to kill his victims, although that’s certainly bad enough. Instead, Leatherface wants to eat them, and – explicitly confirmed in the second film – Leatherface’s family wants to turn them into old-fashioned Texas barbecue. Sure, most victims will probably be dead before they start getting turned into a nice juicy steak or baby-back ribs, but that doesn’t make the prospect of becoming someone else’s dinner any more appealing.
Unlike most famous movie characters, masked slashers tend to get recast multiple times, as studios generally aren’t concerned about retaining the same actor if his face won’t be seen onscreen. That’s definitely the case for Leatherface, who has been portrayed by a different actor in every Texas Chainsaw Massacre to date, save for one.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Every Actor Who Played Leatherface
As even the most casual of horror fans likely knows, actor Gunnar Hansen originated the Leatherface role in 1974’s original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It was Hansen’s first film role, and he would go on to work primarily within the genre afterward, until his death in 2015. Bill Johnson took over as Leatherface in the more comedic Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, after producers were unable to reach a deal with Hansen. R.A. Mihailoff played Leatherface in 1990’s Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3, an attempt to get the franchise back on a more serious track. He would go on to appear in sequels like Pumpkinhead 2 and Hatchet 2.
Robert Jacks played Leatherface in 1994’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, a movie so bad stars Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger tried to get it buried after they became famous. Sadly, Jacks passed away at only 41 in 2001. Hulking former bodybuilder Andrew Bryniarski would land the Leatherface role in the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, and return for its 2006 prequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. He’s also appeared in films like Batman Returns and Any Given Sunday, as well as played Zangief in the 1994 Street Fighter movie. Dan Yeager played Leatherface in 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D, and finally, Sam Strike (Nightflyers) portrayed a young version of the titular character in a 2017 prequel simply called Leatherface.
