Gunnar Hansen, who played the iconic villain Leatherface in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre film, has died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Maine. He was 68.

Hansen starred in the 1974 film that has become a classic among horror movie aficionados and spawned a series of sequels.

In the movie, friends visiting their grandfather’s house are hunted by Leatherface, a chain saw wielding killer.

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Hansen’s character in the movie “is one of the most iconic evil figures in the history of cinema”, said agent Mike Eisenstadt, who confirmed the death on Saturday.

Hansen lived in Maine for about 40 years, where he worked as an actor and writer.

At the time of his death, he was at work on a film called Death House.

Hansen was a writer and producer of the film, which the Internet Movie Database says is about how a secret government facility becomes ground zero for the most horrific prison break in history.

The film is scheduled to come out next year.

In 2013 Hansen published his book Chain Saw Confidential, which gave readers a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made.

Hansen was born in Reykjavik, Iceland. He went to the US and studied at the University of Texas, where he majored in English and Scandinavian studies.

Surviving him is his partner of 13 years, Betty Tower.