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- This article is about the movie villain. For the punk band, see Leatherface (band). For the professional wrestler, see Michael Kirschner.
Classic Continuity
The character was originally played by Gunnar Hansen. His real name is unknown, but fanon has unofficially suggested Robert Sawyer. His older brother Chop Top calls him "Bubba" in the second movie.
In the original film, Leatherface is never seen without one of his human-flesh masks on, the reason being either disfigurement or psychological issues. He differs from other movie killers in that he is not so much sadistic or evil; he is mentally retarded and most of the time he only does what his brothers tell him to do. The people he kills are later made into barbecue and chili, which are sold by his much older brother, Drayton Sawyer. Aside from Leatherface and Drayton, the Sawyer clan includes his two brothers, Nubbin and Chop Top (real names Edward and William), as well as Grandpa and Grandma (real names unknown).
Leatherface wears different masks that define his personality; the Killing Mask, Grandmother Mask and Pretty Woman Mask. While wearing the Killing mask, Leatherface is brutal and harsh; the Grandmother mask enables him to cook and clean; while he wears the Pretty Woman mask when he's on his best behavior, eating dinner with his guests.
Remake Continuity
In the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Leatherface's real name is Thomas Hewitt, who suffers from a facial disfigurement. According to his mother, due to this disfigurement, Hewitt was horribly treated by his peers which adds to his resentment of his victims. At the climax of the first film, his chainsaw arm was chopped off with a meat cleaver by one of his victims, but he managed to survive the attack.
He escaped after police discovered his ranch house and found the remains of thirty-three people. The producers are planning on doing a prequel that will explore Leatherface's origins. Says Andrew Bryniarski, who played Leatherface in the remake, "In my estimation, Leatherface is like a beaten dog — he was ostracized and ridiculed, and treated harshly by his peers. The psychological damage they inflicted was immense … there’s no chance for him."
Trivia
Like his horror movie brethren Norman Bates and Buffalo Bill, Leatherface was based in part on serial killer Ed Gein, who also wore the skin of his victims.
In the game Resident Evil 4, there is an enemy that looks similar to Leatherface. This enemy reappears several times during the game with a burlap sack and a chainsaw. It has also been said the character, known as "Dr. Salvador" more closely resembles Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies
A character named Pigsy in the video game Manhunt is also based on Leatherface.
In an episode of Robot Chicken, Leatherface is seen living among other horror movie figures in a "Horror Movie: Big Brother" program
Film villains | Texas Chainsaw Massacre | Fictional cannibals | Fictional disfigured characters | Fictional serial killers | Fictional characters with mental illness
"Leatherface"