Marilyn Burns was an actress best known her performances in the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the made-for-TV movie Helter Skelter.
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Burns grew up in Houston, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She was working for the Texas Film Commission when she was cast in Chainsaw. The film, which was released in 1974, is considered a classic of its genre. Burns played one of a group of five friends who are terrorized by a chainsaw-brandishing maniac known as Leatherface. The blood-drenched saga became one of the most successful independent films ever.
Marilyn Burns was an actress best known her performances in the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the made-for-TV movie Helter Skelter.
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Burns grew up in Houston, Texas, and attended the University of Texas at Austin. She was working for the Texas Film Commission when she was cast in Chainsaw. The film, which was released in 1974, is considered a classic of its genre. Burns played one of a group of five friends who are terrorized by a chainsaw-brandishing maniac known as Leatherface. The blood-drenched saga became one of the most successful independent films ever.
Two years later, Burns appeared in the Emmy-nominated miniseries Helter Skelter, about Charles Manson and his murderous followers. She played Linda Kasabian, one of the members of Manson's so-called "family."
Her other credits included the films Eaten Alive, Kiss Daddy Goodbye, The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation and Texas Chainsaw 3D.
Burns died August 5, 2014, in Houston. She was 65.
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