Paul Partain
1947 - 2005

In early 2005, the world lost one of the horror genre's most famous faces, Mr. Paul Partain. Paul was well known for his portrayal of Franklin in the seminal film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but had a fulfilling career filled with many memorable roles. Paul appeared in the films The Life of David Gale, Lovin' Molly with Anthony Perkins and Blythe Danner, and with Peter Fonda in Race With the Devil.

I was lucky enough to correspond a bit with Paul in the past couple years and can honestly say that he was a warm, kind-hearted person with a love for his craft. The Franklin character in A Shadow Before Sunrise played by Dale Angell is a direct homage to Paul and it saddens me to know that he never had a chance to see it.

Tim Harden has put together a memorial page for Paul at TexasChainsawMassacre.net. Paul's obituary from the Austin American-Statesman is posted at the bottom of this page.

Here's to good times and great work.

Jacob Strunk
Hollywood, California
2005

Paul A. Partain, 58, died Friday, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his wife Jean E. Partain and father H.A. Partain. Paul is survived by his mother Jessie Labit of Lexington, sister Joyce Forest and husband Bill of Austin, sister Ednoa Rylander of Lexington, brother Jim Labit and wife Tamara of Honolulu, close friends Janet Reinhart of Austin and Lee Giddings of Hutto, and other relatives and friends. While he earned his living in sales, Paul s heart was in acting and music. A veteran of the Navy in Vietnam, he studied drama at U.T. Austin, participated in community theater, and appeared in several movies. Paul enjoyed meeting many fans of his most notable role as Franklin in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. A memorial service will be held at Riverbend Church on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Memorial donations may be directed to American Cancer Society.

Paul Partain & Gunnar Hansen