- Marilyn Burns
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Marilyn Burns Born Mary Lynn Ann Burns
July 5, 1950
Erie, Pennsylvania, United StatesOccupation Actress Years active 1970–present Signature 
Mary Lynn Ann Burns (born July 5, 1950), 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).
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Early life and career
Burns was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, 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.[1]
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.[2]
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
In The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, 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,[3] 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.
Other works
In 1976, Burns had a role in the television mini-series Helter Skelter' about the real-life trial of Charles Manson 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?'"[2]
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.[4]
Filmography
Year Title Role 1974 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Sally Hardesty 1976 Helter Skelter Linda Kasabian 1977 Eaten Alive Faye 1981 Kiss Daddy Goodbye Nora Dennis 1984 Terror in the Aisles archival footage 1985 Future-Kill Dorothy Grim 1994 Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation Sally Hardesty 2012 BoneBoys Ruth 2012 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3D Verna Carson [5] References
- ^ Alison Macor. Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids 30 Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas University of Texas Press: Austin, 2010.
- ^ a b "Lady of the Chainsaw: An Interview with Marilyn Burns - January 2004". The Terror Trap. http://www.terrortrap.com/interviews/marilynburns/.
- ^ Friedman 2007, p. 132
- ^ http://www.craveonline.com/film/articles/171357-marilyn-burns-returns-for-texas-chainsaw-massacre-3d
- ^ "Lionsgate releases official Press Release for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3-D". Shocktillyoudrop.com. July 19, 2011. http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=20042. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1950 births
- Actors from Pennsylvania
- American film actors
- American stage actors
- American television actors
- Living people
- People from Erie, Pennsylvania
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