Paul A. Partain

Paul A. Partain was an American film actor born in Austin, Texas on May 3rd, 1946. He served in the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War, and on his return to the U.S., started working at an electronics manufacturing plant during the day, and at a dinner theater at night. In the fall of 1972, Partain found out he had been laid off from the plant, and while at the theater he worked at, was asked to audition for the part of Willy in the 1974 Sidney Lumet film Lovin' Molly, by the theater director there. Through the help of this director, Partain got the role and his acting career was begun.

The director got Partain his next movie role as well, by pointing Kim Henkel, the screenwriter and producer of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, toward Partain. Partain originally read for the part of the hitchhiker, but the film's director, Tobe Hooper, was not impressed. Hooper had Partain read for Franklin Hardesty and cast him in that part instead.

After appearing in two more films in the 1970s (Race with the Devil as Cal Mather and Rolling Thunder as the brother-in-law), Partain had stopped acting by 1980. Partain started appearing in movies again in the 1990s, starting with a cameo in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, the third sequel to the 1974 original. One of his other roles in the 1990s was that of the Militia of Texas Minister in the 1997 movie Burying Lana.

For about ten years, Partain worked as a Regional Sales Manager for Zenith Electronics Corporation.

Partain died from cancer on January 27th, 2005 in Austin, Texas.

Notes & Trivia

 * During filming of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Partain insisted on staying in-character at all times, which eventually earned him the scorn of co-star Gunnar Hansen, who found him annoying and difficult to deal with. Gunnar jokingly revealed in 2003 that when it came time to kill Partain's character, he took great delight in doing the scene since it meant he wouldn't have to work around him any longer.