David Lynch
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.
David Lynch: 1985
(Self)
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night
(Self - Audience Member)
Zelly & Me
(Willie)
I Don't Know Jack
(Self)
Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch
(Self)
Destination Dune
(Self)
The Amputee
(The Nurse)
The Fabelmans
(John Ford)
Inland Empire
(Bucky J)
Don Van Vliet: Some YoYo Stuff
(Himself)
Side by Side
(Self)
Mysteries of Love
(Self (archive footage))
The Way of Samodelkin
(Stranger in a dream)
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction
(Self)
Nadja
(Morgue Receptionist)
Curtains Up
Eraserhead Stories
(Self)
The Making of ‘Mulholland Drive’
(Self)
Night Flight: Born Again
(Self)
BlueBob Egg
(Billy Groper)
Twin Peaks: The Phenomenon
(Self)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(Gordon Cole)
Crazy About the Movies: Dennis Hopper
(Self)
Donovan: The Donovan Concert - Live in L.A.
(Himself)
The Soul Detective
(Himself)
Boat
(The Man)
Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die)
(Self)
Brand: A Second Coming
(Self)
Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul
(Self)
It's a Beautiful World
(Self)
Sailing with Bushnell Keeler
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments
(Self)
No Frank in Lumberton
(Self)
Made in the USA
(Self)
The Elephant Man
(Man in the Bowler Hat in the Mob Chasing Merrick (uncredited))
Out Yonder — Neighbor Boy
This Is Sparklehorse
(Self)
What Is Cinema?
(Self)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch
(Self)
My Beautiful Broken Brain
(Self)
Dynamic:01: The Best of DavidLynch.com
(himself)
Lucky
(Howard)
David Lynch: The Art Life
(Self)
Blue Velvet Revisited
(Self)
Shadows of Paradise
On Meditation
(Self)
Heart Beat
(Painter (uncredited))
The Music of David Lynch
(Self)
Great Directors
(Self)
The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money
(Self)
The Sound of Lynch
A Slice of Lynch
(Self)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Gordon Cole)
Lynch (one)
(Self)
Lynch 2
(Self)
The Black Ghiandola
(Man In Black)
2012: Time for Change
(Self)
David Wants to Fly
Lamp
(Self)
La Traversée du désir
(Self)
Rocksteppy
(Himself)
Along for the Ride
(Self)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Detective)
I Know Catherine, the Log Lady
(Self)
Early Experiments
Hollyshorts Greeting
(Himself)
Twin Peaks Festival Greeting 2008
(Self)
Out Yonder — Chicken
Out Yonder — Teeth
Dune
(Spice Miner (uncredited))
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
(Self)
The 8th Floor
(Self)
Between Two Worlds
(Self)
Meditation, Creativity, Peace
(Self)
Girlfriend's Day
(Narrator (voice))
Memory Film
Red Fish
(O Sábio)
Hollywood Mavericks
(Self)
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise
(Self)
Elvis | Viva Las Vegas
(Self)
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
(Self)
Critic
(Self (voice))
David Lynch: Don't Look at Me
(Self)
Ruth, Roses, and Revolver
(Himself)
The Reality of Truth
(Self)
The A-Z of Separating People from their Money
(Self)
Professor Goudet's Lessons
(Self)
When Lynch Met Lucas
Rammstein in Amerika
(Self)
Does That Hurt You?
(Self)
Ångesthunden och Malmö under vatten
(Himself)
Brunes et Blondes
(Self)
Meeting the Beatles in India
(Self)
In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story
(Self)
The Disc of Sorrow Is Installed
Welcome Home: Mary Reber and the Twin Peaks Palmer House
(Self)
The Original Image - David Lynch
Moby Doc
(Self)
Ringo Starr: A Lifetime of Peace and Love
(Self)
Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers
(Self)
Tell It Martin
(Self)
The Polish Accountant
(Self)
The Number of Completion
(Self)
See You on the Other Side Dear Friend
(Self)
Bad Binoculars
(Self)
Two Blue Balls
(Self)
I Had Bad Milk in Dehradun
(Self)
Behind the Red Curtain
(Self)
A Pot of Boiling Oil
(Self)
A Bloody Finger in Your Mouth
(Self)
The Man with the Gray Elevated Hair
(Self)
A Very Lovely Dream: One Week in Twin Peaks
(Self)
A Fall from Grace
(William Tabb)
Beatles '64
(Self)
The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune
(Self (voice) (archive footage))
David Lynch Teaches Creativity and Film
(Himself)
Return to Mulholland Drive
(Self)
Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart
David Lynch: A Remembrance Both Wonderful and Strange
(Self (archive footage))
The Making Of A Mockumentary
(Himself (archive footage))
Why Are We Creative?
(Self)
David Lynch: The Virtual Life
(himself)
The Amputee
(The Nurse)
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld
David Lynch: The Idea Dictates Everything
(David Lynch)
Plankton Salesmen
(Self (archive footage))
Lynch/Oz
(self (archival footage))
PlayStation 2: The Third Place
(Duckman)
Black Baby
(Self (archive footage))
The Short Films of David Lynch
(Self)
Lumière & Company
(Self)
Family Guy
(Gus (voice))
Un film et son époque
(Self)
The Cleveland Show
The Oscars
(Self)
This Is Pop
(Self (archive footage))
Louie
(Jack Dall)
Family Guy
(David Lynch (voice))
Independent Focus
(Self)
Twin Peaks
(Gordon Cole)
The Nineties
(Self (archive footage))
Leçon de Cinéma
(Self)
Scene by Scene
(Self)
Robot Chicken
(Mad Scientist (voice))
DumbLand
(Randy / Wife / Sparky (voice))
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(Self)
Legends
(Self)
Cinéma, de notre temps
(David Lynch)
Eraserhead
(Screenplay)
Eraserhead
(Producer)
Eraserhead
(Original Music Composer)
Eraserhead
(Editor)
Eraserhead
(Production Design)
Eraserhead
(Art Direction)
Eraserhead
(Special Effects)
The Straight Story
(Director)
Mulholland Drive
(Director)
Mulholland Drive
(Writer)
Wild at Heart
(Director)
Wild at Heart
(Screenplay)
Lost Highway
(Director)
Lost Highway
(Sound Designer)
Lost Highway
(Sound Re-Recording Mixer)
Inland Empire
(Director)
Inland Empire
(Producer)
Inland Empire
(Director of Photography)
Inland Empire
(Editor)
Blue Velvet
(Director)
Dune
(Director)
Dune
(Screenplay)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Director)
The Elephant Man
(Director)
The Elephant Man
(Screenplay)
Surveillance
(Executive Producer)
More Things That Happened
(Director)
More Things That Happened
(Writer)
The Disc of Sorrow Is Installed
(Writer)
The Disc of Sorrow Is Installed
(Producer)
Nadja
(Executive Producer)
To Each His Own Cinema
(Director)
Rabbits
(Director)
Rabbits
(Screenplay)
The Grandmother
(Director)
BlueBob Egg
(Director)
BlueBob Egg
(Writer)
The Alphabet
(Director)
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted
(Director)
Lumière & Company
(Director)
Boat
(Director)
Boat
(Writer)
Six Men Getting Sick
(Director)
The Amputee
(Director)
The Cowboy and the Frenchman
(Director)
Darkened Room
(Director)
Darkened Room
(Writer)
Eraserhead Stories
(Director)
Idem Paris
(Director)
Absurd Encounter with Fear
(Director)
Bug Crawls
(Director)
Cabin Fever
(Thanks)
Duran Duran: Unstaged
(Director)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(Director)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(Editor)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(Writer)
Ballerina
(Director)
Sailing with Bushnell Keeler
(Director)
Sailing with Bushnell Keeler
(Camera Operator)
Lost Highway
(Writer)
Lamp
(Producer)
Lamp
(Director of Photography)
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted
(Producer)
The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez
(Executive Producer)
Eraserhead
(Sound Effects)
The French as Seen by…
(Director)
Kitsune
(Thanks)
Out Yonder — Neighbor Boy
(Director)
Premonitions Following an Evil Deed
(Director)
The Elephant Man
(Sound Designer)
The Cowboy and the Frenchman
(Writer)
The Alphabet
(Writer)
The Alphabet
(Sound)
Sunset #1
(Director)
Psychogenic Fugue
(Creative Consultant)
20 Little Films
(Director)
A Talk with Kyle MacLachlan and Sheryl Lee
(Executive Producer)
Faraway Eyes
(Thanks)
Snootworld
(Writer)
What Is It?
(Thanks)
The Grandmother
(Script)
The Grandmother
(Screenplay)
The Grandmother
(Animation)
The Grandmother
(Camera Operator)
Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch
(Music)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Writer)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Original Series Creator)
Early Experiments
(Director of Photography)
More Things That Happened
(Director of Photography)
Pierre and Sonny Jim
(Director)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Executive Producer)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Sound Re-Recording Mixer)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Sound Designer)
Mulholland Drive
(Sound Designer)
Inland Empire
(Sound Designer)
The Straight Story
(Sound Designer)
Lamp
(Director)
Ant Head
(Music)
Industrial Soundscape
(Director)
Intervalometer Experiments
(Director)
One Morning All Over the World
(Director)
Six Men Getting Sick
(Producer)
The Grandmother
(Writer)
The Grandmother
(Producer)
The Amputee
(Producer)
Head with Hammer
(Editor)
Head with Hammer
(Producer)
Head with Hammer
(Writer)
Darkened Room
(Producer)
Darkened Room
(Cinematography)
Coyote #1
(Producer)
Coyote #1
(Cinematography)
Factory Mask
(Writer)
Factory Mask
(Producer)
Factory Mask
(Cinematography)
Dead Mouse with Ants
(Producer)
Dead Mouse with Ants
(Writer)
Dead Mouse with Ants
(Cinematography)
The Pig Walks
(Writer)
The Pig Walks
(Editor)
The Pig Walks
(Producer)
The Pig Walks
(Cinematography)
BlueBob Egg
(Producer)
BlueBob Egg
(Cinematography)
Ballerina
(Writer)
Ballerina
(Producer)
Ballerina
(Cinematography)
Twin Peaks Festival Greeting 2008
(Writer)
Twin Peaks Festival Greeting 2008
(Producer)
Ant Head
(Writer)
Ant Head
(Cinematography)
Ant Head
(Editor)
Ant Head
(Producer)
Readymade, Emile Reynaud et la peinture s'anima
(Set Designer)
In Pursuit of Treasure
(Set Painter)
Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch
(Still Photographer)
Does That Hurt You?
(Sound)
Tríptico
(Thanks)
42 One Dream Rush
(Director)
Night Ride
(Music)
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted
(Music)
No Frank in Lumberton
(Music)
Land of Nothing
(Executive Producer)
The Peaceline Project
(Executive Producer)
The Legend of the Happy Worker
(Executive Producer)
Dynamic:01: The Best of DavidLynch.com
(Director)
Dynamic:01: The Best of DavidLynch.com
(Executive Producer)
The King of Ads
(Director)
Head with Hammer
(Director)
Dead Mouse with Ants
(Director)
The Disc of Sorrow Is Installed
(Director)
The Pig Walks
(Director)
Early Experiments
(Director)
Hollyshorts Greeting
(Director)
Twin Peaks Festival Greeting 2008
(Director)
Out Yonder — Chicken
(Director)
Out Yonder — Teeth
(Director)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Director)
Inland Empire
(Camera Operator)
Inland Empire
(Sound Re-Recording Mixer)
Steps
(Director)
Mulholland Drive
(Sound Re-Recording Mixer)
I Don't Know Jack
(Presenter)
Blue Velvet: The Lost Footage
(Writer)
Ant Head
(Director)
Ant Head
(Sound)
Memory Film
(Director)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Writer)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Editor)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Sound Designer)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Sound Mixer)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Music)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Set Designer)
WHAT DID JACK DO?
(Set Decoration)
Meditation, Creativity, Peace
(Writer)
Blue Velvet: The Lost Footage
(Director)
The Amputee
(Writer)
Twin Peaks
(Director)
Twin Peaks
(Writer)
Does That Hurt You?
(Writer)
Eraserhead
(Director)
Early Experiments
(Producer)
Early Experiments
(Writer)
Early Experiments
(Editor)
The Other Me
(Executive Producer)
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
(Executive Producer)
More Things That Happened
(Editor)
The Alphabet
(Director of Photography)
The Alphabet
(Animation)
My Beautiful Broken Brain
(Executive Producer)
Coyote #1
(Director)
Coyote #1
(Writer)
Coyote #1
(Editor)
Factory Mask
(Director)
Twin Peaks
(Executive Producer)
A Fall from Grace
(Executive Producer)
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(Characters)
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films
(Director)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(Characters)
Fire (Pożar)
(Director)
Waiting for Mr. Lynch
(Director)
Waiting for Mr. Lynch
(Writer)
Waiting for Mr. Lynch
(Producer)
Inland Empire
(Writer)
Twin Peaks: Visual Soundtrack
(Music Producer)
Twin Peaks: Visual Soundtrack
(Creator)
The Sea Behind Her Head
(In Memory Of)
Twin Peaks: Visual Soundtrack
(Lyricist)
The Wall
(Director)
Interview Project
(Director)
The Alphabet
(Editor)
Blue Green
(Director)
Blue Velvet
(Writer)
Darkened Room
(Editor)
Six Men Getting Sick
(Editor)
Six Men Getting Sick
(Cinematography)
The Amputee
(Director)
The Amputee
(Writer)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces
(Sound Mixer)
Hyena
(Executive Producer)
Parisienne People by David Lynch
(Director)
PlayStation 2: The Third Place
(Director)
David Lynch : Crazy Clown Time
(Director)
The Short Films of David Lynch
(Director)
The Short Films of David Lynch
(Writer)
The Short Films of David Lynch
(Producer)
The Short Films of David Lynch
(Sound Director)
On the Air
(Writer)
On the Air
(Director)
Twin Peaks
(Director)
Twin Peaks
(Writer)
Twin Peaks
(Executive Producer)
Twin Peaks
(Story)
DumbLand
(Writer)
Hotel Room
(Sound Designer)
Hotel Room
(Executive Producer)
Twin Peaks
(Additional Editor)
Twin Peaks
(Sound Designer)
Hotel Room
(Director)
On the Air
(Executive Producer)
DumbLand
(Producer)
DumbLand
(Editor)
DumbLand
(Director of Photography)
DumbLand
(Animation)
DumbLand
(Director)
Rabbits
(Director)
Rabbits
(Writer)
Twin Peaks
(Creator)
On the Air
(Creator)
American Chronicles
(Creator)
Hotel Room
(Creator)
DumbLand
(Creator)
Interview Project
(Creator)
Rabbits
(Creator)