Marilyn Burns
Burns in 2012
Born	Mary Lynn Ann Burns (1949-05-07)May 7, 1949 Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	August 5, 2014(2014-08-05) (aged 65) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1970–2014
Signature

Marilyn Burns (bornMary Lynn Ann Burns; May 7, 1949 – August 5, 2014) was an American actress. She was known for playingSally Hardesty inTobe Hooper'shorror filmThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), which established her as ascream queen and a catalyst of thefinal girl trope. She was involved in two more films of itsresulting franchise: acameo inThe Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995) and a supporting role inTexas Chainsaw 3D (2013). In 2009, she was inducted into the Horror Hall of Fame at thePhoenix Film Festival.

While in college, Burns made her film debut as a tour guide inRobert Altman's experimentalcomedy filmBrewster McCloud (1970). She went on to playLinda Kasabian in thetrue crimetelevision filmHelter Skelter (1976), and appear in Hooper's horror filmEaten Alive (1977) and thescience fiction filmFuture-Kill (1985), the latter of which was written by herTexas Chain Saw Massacre co-starEdwin Neal. Her final film,In a Madman's World (2017), was posthumously released.

Burns was found dead in her home on August 5, 2014.^[1]

Mary Lynn Ann Burns was born on May 7, 1949 inErie, Pennsylvania,^[2][1] and was raised inHouston, Texas, where she resided for most of her life.^[3] While in the seventh grade, she appeared in a musical production ofA Midsummer Night's Dream.^{[citation needed]} She attended theUniversity of Texas at Austin, and graduated with a drama degree in 1971.^[2]

In 1970, she made her first film appearance inRobert Altman's comedy filmBrewster McCloud (1970). Burns was cast in the leading role of the drama filmLovin' Molly (1974)—having received the script and been costumed. However, for the established actorsAnthony Perkins,Blythe Danner andBeau Bridges to appear, they wanted newcomerSusan Sarandon to be cast in the role instead. Burns got to remain a part of the production as astand-in for Blythe and Sarandon. She also helped cast some of the extras inGeorge Roy Hill's period dramaThe Great Waldo Pepper (1975).^[4]

In 1974, Burns starred inTobe Hooper'sindependenthorror filmThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre. She plays the character ofSally 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 a family of cannibals including the chainsaw-wieldingLeatherface.^[5]

Burns and Hooper had previously met during the production ofLovin' Molly the previous year.^[6] When a casting call was held, she auditioned and was given thelead role.^[7][8] The film was produced with a budget of $80,000–$140,000.^[6][9][10] Burns had performed several of her stunts herself,^[11][12] and she, along with other cast members, had sustained several injuries throughout production.^{[13][14][15][16]} In an article forTexas Monthly detailing the production of the film, John Bloom reported that Burns had "been poked, prodded, bound, dragged through rooms, jerked around, chased through cocklebur underbrush, jabbed with a stick, forced to skid on her knees in take after take, pounded on the head with a rubber hammer, coated with sticky stage blood, and endlessly pursued byHansen with his chain saw andNeal with his constantly flicking switchblade."^[17][18]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was released to major critical and commercial success.^[19] The film grossed an excess of $30 million and became the12th highest-grossing film of its year,^[20] and was the most successful independent feature until it was overtaken byHalloween in 1978.^[21][22] Writing forThe Cincinnati Enquirer, Donald B. Berrigan stated that Burns "deserves a specialAcademy Award for one of the most sustained and believable acting achievements in movie history."^[23]Screen Rant ranked Burns's performance first on their list of the "10 Greatest Female Performances in Horror Film History", writing that she "is so convincing in her work as the mentally broken Sally that the audience can’t help but be left shaken and deeply disturbed by the time the end credits roll."^[24] The acting of Burns has continued to earn praise from critics and audiences, and established her as ascream queen and apopular culture icon.^{[25][26][27][28]}

In 1976, Burns had a role in the television miniseriesHelter Skelter about the real-life trial ofCharles Manson and his "family".^[29][30] In the series, she played Linda Kasabian, a member of the Manson family who was grantedimmunity in exchange for her testimony against the defendants. Recalling her memories of working onHelter 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 dothat picture?'"^[4] The miniseries was acclaimed and nominated for threeEmmy Awards.^{[citation needed]}

Following her roles inThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre andHelter Skelter, Burns sporadically worked in acting. She played Faye in the horror filmEaten Alive (1977), where she reunited with director Tobe Hooper,^[31][32] and subsequently starred in the filmsKiss Daddy Goodbye (1981) andFuture-Kill (1985).

Burns briefly reprises the role of Sally Hardesty inThe Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1995), which was directed byKim Henkel.^[33] Her cameo was made in order to establish "an emotional connection between the Sally character and the Jenny character, a kind of perverse passing of the torch".^[34] She was set to reprise the role of Sally Hardesty once more in the2003 remake film of the same name, where she would play an aged-up Sally, however this idea was ultimately scrapped.^[35][36] At the 2009Phoenix Film Festival, Burns was inducted into the horror hall of fame.^[37]

In 2012, Burns made a special appearance in theKim Henkel-written featureButcher Boys, which is often deemed a "spiritual sequel" toThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre.^[38] In 2011, Burns was cast in the slasher filmTexas Chainsaw 3D as Verna Carson;^[39][40] it was released on January 4, 2013, and marks her last appearance inThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.^[41] Her final film roles include Beulah Standifier in 2014'sSacrament, and Ms. Hill in the independent featureIn a Madman's World, which was released posthumously in 2017.^[42][43][44]

On August 5, 2014, at the age of 65, Burns was found dead by her brother Bill at her home in Houston.^[45][46] Her cause of death was not specified.^[47][48]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMarilyn Burns.

• Marilyn Burns atIMDb
• Lady of the Chainsaw: An Interview with Marilyn Burns - The Terror Trap - January 2004

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