Marilyn Burns
Encyclopedia
Mary Lynn Ann Burns better known as Marilyn Burns, is an American
actress, best known for her roles in the horror cult films The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
(1974), and Eaten Alive
(1977). She is also known for portraying Linda Kasabian
in the three time Emmy nominatied miniseries Helter Skelter (1976).
, and raised in Houston, Texas
. She always had an interest in the arts. During seventh grade, she appeared in a musical production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
. In 1970, she made her first film appearance in the Robert Altman
movie Brewster McCloud
(1970). Burns attended the University of Texas at Austin
and graduated from there with a degree in Drama in 1971.
Burns was cast in Lovin' Molly
(1974) but was replaced by Susan Sarandon
. Burns stayed on as a stand-in
for Saradon and Blythe Danner
.
She also had a small part in George Roy Hill's The Great Waldo Pepper
(1975), where she helped cast some of the film's extras.
, Burns, in her first lead role, played Sally Hardesty
, a teenager who travels with her brother and some friends to the cemetery
where her grandfather is buried to investigate reports of grave vandalism
, and then encounters an insane, murderous family including the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface
, played by Gunnar Hansen
. Her character, Sally, was the sole survivor of the film, earning her the title, final girl
.
The film was a massive hit, both critically and commercially, becoming one of the most successful independent films ever at the time, and earned more than 30 million dollars in U.S. box office receipts, only overtaken by John Carpenter
's Halloween
in 1978.
After the success of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
, she appeared in Hooper's next film Eaten Alive
opposite Mel Ferrer
, Carolyn Jones
and Robert Englund
.
and several others. In the series, she played Linda Kasabian
, a member of the Manson Family who was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony against the defendants. The miniseries was nominated for three Emmy awards.
Recalling her memories of working on Helter Skelter, Burns said: "It was a great experience. But nobody really wanted to touch it [due to the subject matter]. It was like, 'who wants to be in that picture? Who's actually gonna do that picture?'"
Burns had a few roles in the 1980s (Kiss Daddy Goodbye (1981), Future Kill (1985)) and had an uncredited cameo as her character from the original film, Sally Hardesty, in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
(1994), which was her last film appearance as of 2011.
She currently lives in Texas
and is active in community theatre
.
As of July 21, 2011, Marilyn Burns is set to make a cameo appearance in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
" as Verna Carson. The release date for the film is October 5, 2012.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, best known for her roles in the horror cult films The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
(1974), and Eaten Alive
Eaten Alive
Eaten Alive is a 1977 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper...
(1977). She is also known for portraying Linda Kasabian
Linda Kasabian
Linda Kasabian is a former member of Charles Manson's "family". She was the key witness in District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's prosecution of Manson and his followers for the Tate-LaBianca murders, one of the highest-profile murder trials in American history.-Early life:Born as Linda Darlene...
in the three time Emmy nominatied miniseries Helter Skelter (1976).
Early life and career
Burns was born in Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, and raised in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. She always had an interest in the arts. During seventh grade, she appeared in a musical production of A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
. In 1970, she made her first film appearance in the Robert Altman
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director and screenwriter known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective. In 2006, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized his body of work with an Academy Honorary Award.His films MASH , McCabe and...
movie Brewster McCloud
Brewster McCloud
Brewster McCloud is a 1970 movie, directed by Robert Altman, about a young recluse who lives in a fallout shelter of the Houston Astrodome, where he is building a pair of wings so he can fly. He is helped by his fairy godmother, played by Sally Kellerman....
(1970). Burns attended the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and graduated from there with a degree in Drama in 1971.
Burns was cast in Lovin' Molly
Lovin' Molly
Lovin' Molly is a 1974 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Anthony Perkins, Beau Bridges, Blythe Danner in the title role, Ed Binns, and Susan Sarandon. The film is based on one of Larry McMurtry's first novels, Leaving Cheyenne...
(1974) but was replaced by Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
. Burns stayed on as a stand-in
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
for Saradon and Blythe Danner
Blythe Danner
Blythe Katherine Danner is an American actress. She is the mother of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.-Early life:...
.
She also had a small part in George Roy Hill's The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper
The Great Waldo Pepper is a 1975 drama film directed, produced, and co-written by George Roy Hill. It stars Robert Redford as a discontented airplane pilot in the years 1926-1931....
(1975), where she helped cast some of the film's extras.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
In The Texas Chain Saw MassacreThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
, Burns, in her first lead role, played Sally Hardesty
Sally Hardesty
Sally Hardesty is a fictional character, the heroine of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the 2003 remake. She is played by Marilyn Burns in the original and by Jessica Biel in the remake.-The Texas Chain Saw Massacre:...
, a teenager who travels with her brother and some friends to the cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
where her grandfather is buried to investigate reports of grave vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
, and then encounters an insane, murderous family including the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface
Leatherface
Leatherface is the main antagonist in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series and its spin-offs. He wears masks made of human skin and engages in murder and cannibalism alongside his inbred family. He is considered by many to be one of the first major slasher film villains alongside Michael...
, played by Gunnar Hansen
Gunnar Hansen
Gunnar Milton Hansen is an Icelandic-born actor and author best known for playing Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre .- Early life:Hansen was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, and moved to the United States when he was five...
. Her character, Sally, was the sole survivor of the film, earning her the title, final girl
Final girl
The final girl is a trope in thriller and horror films that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story...
.
The film was a massive hit, both critically and commercially, becoming one of the most successful independent films ever at the time, and earned more than 30 million dollars in U.S. box office receipts, only overtaken by John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
's Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
in 1978.
After the success of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
, she appeared in Hooper's next film Eaten Alive
Eaten Alive
Eaten Alive is a 1977 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper...
opposite Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer
Mel Ferrer was an American actor, film director and film producer.-Early life:Ferrer was born Melchor Gastón Ferrer in Elberon, New Jersey, of Catalan and Irish descent. His father, Dr. José María Ferrer , was born in Cuba, was an authority on pneumonia and served as chief of staff of St....
, Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Jones
Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress.Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses...
and Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
.
Other works
In 1976, Burns had a role in the television mini-series Helter Skelter about the real-life trial of Charles MansonCharles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
and several others. In the series, she played Linda Kasabian
Linda Kasabian
Linda Kasabian is a former member of Charles Manson's "family". She was the key witness in District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's prosecution of Manson and his followers for the Tate-LaBianca murders, one of the highest-profile murder trials in American history.-Early life:Born as Linda Darlene...
, a member of the Manson Family who was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony against the defendants. The miniseries was nominated for three Emmy awards.
Recalling her memories of working on Helter Skelter, Burns said: "It was a great experience. But nobody really wanted to touch it [due to the subject matter]. It was like, 'who wants to be in that picture? Who's actually gonna do that picture?'"
Burns had a few roles in the 1980s (Kiss Daddy Goodbye (1981), Future Kill (1985)) and had an uncredited cameo as her character from the original film, Sally Hardesty, in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is a 1994 independent American comedy-horror film written and directed by Kim Henkel, and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, both before they became mainstream stars...
(1994), which was her last film appearance as of 2011.
She currently lives in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and is active in community theatre
Community theatre
Community theatre refers to theatrical performance made in relation to particular communities—its usage includes theatre made by, with, and for a community...
.
As of July 21, 2011, Marilyn Burns is set to make a cameo appearance in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D is an upcoming 3D horror film directed by John Luessenhop and written by Debra Sullivan and Adam Marcus, with later drafts by Kirsten Elms and Luessenhop. It is the seventh film in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and is a direct alternate sequel to the 1974...
" as Verna Carson. The release date for the film is October 5, 2012.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Texas Chain Saw Massacre The Texas Chain Saw Massacre The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the... |
Sally Hardesty |
| 1976 | Helter Skelter | Linda Kasabian |
| 1977 | Eaten Alive Eaten Alive Eaten Alive is a 1977 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper... |
Faye |
| 1981 | Kiss Daddy Goodbye | Nora Dennis |
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles Terror in the Aisles Terror in the Aisles is a 1984 documentary film about horror films featuring clips from Friday the 13th I and/or II, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween I and II, Jaws 1 and 2, Alien, John Carpenter's The Thing, The Shining and Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and The Birds. The film is hosted by... |
archival footage |
| 1985 | Future-Kill Future-Kill Future-Kill is a 1985 low-budget comedy science fiction-horror film about a group of frat boys who are hunted in a futuristic city by mutants. The film was directed by Ronald W. Moore, and stars Edwin Neal, Marilyn Burns, and Gabriel Folse. The poster for the film was designed by renowned artist H.... |
Dorothy Grim |
| 1994 | Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is a 1994 independent American comedy-horror film written and directed by Kim Henkel, and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey, both before they became mainstream stars... |
Sally Hardesty |
| 2012 | BoneBoys | Ruth |
| 2012 | The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D is an upcoming 3D horror film directed by John Luessenhop and written by Debra Sullivan and Adam Marcus, with later drafts by Kirsten Elms and Luessenhop. It is the seventh film in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise and is a direct alternate sequel to the 1974... |
Verna Carson |