The Texas Chain Saw Massacre actress Marilyn Burns has died aged 65.

The Erie, Pennsylvania-born actress, who played teenager Sally Hardesty in Tobe Hooper’s 1974 film, was found dead at her home near Houston, Texas.

Marilyn Burns went on to play Linda Kasabian, a member of the Charles Manson “family”, in 1976 TV movie Helter Skelter.

Marilyn Burns was best known for her scream queen role in horror classic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (photo flickr)

In later life Marilyn Burns made cameos in other iterations of the Massacre franchise.

She was an unnamed “patient on gurney” in 1994’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, a film notable for providing early roles to future Oscar winners Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey.

Marilyn Burns also appeared briefly in 2013’s Texas Chainsaw 3D, both as a character called Verna and in footage from Tobe Hooper’s original.

Her other films included Tobe Hooper’s 1977 film Eaten Alive, about a hotel owner who feeds his guests to his pet crocodile.

Marilyn Burns remains best known for her role in the original Chain Saw Massacre as the sole survivor of Leatherface’s psychotic rampage.

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