David Lynch

Where to watch David Lynch

• Twin PeaksTV Show · 1990

Biography

David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Lynch received critical acclaim for his films, which are often distinguished by their surrealist, dreamlike qualities. In his 58-year career, he was awarded numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2006 and an Honorary Academy Award in 2019. In 2007, a panel of critics convened by The Guardian announced that "after all the discussion, no one could fault the conclusion that David Lynch is the most important filmmaker of the current era." Lynch studied painting before he began making short films in the late 1960s. His first feature-length film was the independent surrealist film Eraserhead (1977), which saw success as a midnight movie. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for the biographical drama The Elephant Man (1980) and the mystery films Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001). His romantic crime drama Wild at Heart (1990) won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He also directed the space opera adaptation Dune (1984), the surrealist neo-noir Lost Highway (1997), the biographical drama The Straight Story (1999), and the experimental film Inland Empire (2006). Lynch and Mark Frost created the ABC series Twin Peaks (1990–91), for which Lynch was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. Lynch co-wrote and directed its film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), and its limited series revival (2017). He has also worked as an actor, including his portrayals of FBI agent Gordon Cole in Twin Peaks and director John Ford in Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans (2022), as well as guest roles in TV series such as The Cleveland Show (2010–13), Louie (2012), and Robot Chicken (2020, 2022). Lynch's other artistic endeavours included his work as a musician, encompassing the studio albums BlueBOB (2001), Crazy Clown Time (2011), and The Big Dream (2013), as well as painting and photography. He has written the books Images (1994), Catching the Big Fish (2006), and Room to Dream (2018). He has directed several music videos for artists such as Chris Isaak, X Japan, Moby, Interpol, Nine Inch Nails, and Donovan, and commercials for Calvin Klein, Dior, L'Oreal, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and the New York City Department of Sanitation. A practitioner of Transcendental Meditation (TM), he founded the David Lynch Foundation, which seeks to fund the teaching of TM in schools and has since widened its scope to other at-risk populations, including the homeless, veterans, and refugees.

Filmography

1. 2024Beatles '64as Self
2. 2023Lynch/Ozas Self (archival footage)
3. 2022The Fabelmansas John Ford
4. 2022The Other MeExecutive producer
5. 2019Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Soundas Self
6. 2018Ant HeadWriter · Editor · Producer · Director
7. 2017WHAT DID JACK DO?as Detective · Director · Writer · Editor
8. 2017Luckyas Howard
9. 2017David Lynch: The Art Lifeas Self
10. 2017Girlfriend's Dayas Narrator (voice)
11. 2015Rammstein in Amerikaas Self
12. 2014My Beautiful Broken Brainas Self · Executive producer
13. 2014Twin Peaks: The Missing Piecesas Gordon Cole · Director · Editor · Writer
14. 2014Duran Duran: UnstagedDirector
15. 2013Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fictionas Self
16. 2013What Is Cinema?as Self
17. 2013Idem ParisDirector
18. 2012Side by Sideas Self
19. 2010My Son, My Son, What Have Ye DoneExecutive producer
20. 2010Louieas Jack Dall · 2 episodes
21. 2009The Cleveland Showas Gus (voice) · 11 episodes
22. 2008SurveillanceExecutive producer
23. 2007To Each His Own CinemaDirector
24. 2007More Things That HappenedDirector · Writer · Cinematography · Editor
25. 2006Inland Empireas Bucky J, the gaffer (voice) · Editor · Director · Producer · Cinematography · Writer
26. 2006Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstreamas Self
27. 2005Robot Chickenas Mad Scientist (voice) · 2 episodes
28. 2004Bug CrawlsDirector
29. 2003Boatas The Man · Writer · Director
30. 2002RabbitsScreenplay · Director
31. 2002Darkened RoomWriter · Director · Producer · Editor
32. 2001DumbLandas Randy / Wife / Sparky (voice) · 8 episodes · Writer · Producer · Editor · Cinematography · Director · Creator
33. 2001Eraserhead Storiesas Self · Director
34. 2001Mulholland DriveDirector · Writer
35. 1999The Straight StoryDirector
36. 1999Family Guyas Gus (voice) · 1 episode
37. 1997Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynchas Self
38. 1997Lost HighwayDirector · Writer
39. 1995Lumière & Companyas Self · Director
40. 1995Nadjaas Morgue Receptionist · Executive producer
41. 1995Premonitions Following an Evil DeedDirector
42. 1993Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short FilmsDirector
43. 1993Hotel RoomExecutive producer · Director · Creator
44. 1992Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Meas Gordon Cole · Director · Writer · Executive producer
45. 1990Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the BrokenheartedDirector · Producer
46. 1990Wild at HeartDirector · Screenplay
47. 1990Twin Peaksas Gordon Cole · 16 episodes · Writer · Director · Executive producer · Story · Creator
48. 1989Twin PeaksDirector · Writer · Executive producer
49. 1988The Cowboy and the FrenchmanDirector · Writer
50. 1986Blue VelvetDirector · Writer
51. 1984Duneas Spice Miner (uncredited) · Screenplay · Director
52. 1980The Elephant Manas Man in the Bowler Hat in the Mob Chasing Merrick (uncredited) · Screenplay · Director
53. 1977EraserheadMusic · Editor · Producer · Screenplay · Director
54. 1974The Amputeeas The Nurse · Director · Producer · Writer
55. 1970The GrandmotherDirector · Screenplay · Producer · Writer
56. 1969The AlphabetDirector · Writer · Cinematography · Editor
57. 1967Absurd Encounter with FearDirector
58. 1967Sailing with Bushnell KeelerDirector
59. 1967Six Men Getting SickDirector · Producer · Editor
60. 1953The Oscarsas Self · 1 episode