David Lynch
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- January 20, 1946
- Died
- January 16, 2025
- Birthplace
- Missoula, Montana, USA
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
- Interior Dining Room Window
Interior Dining Room Window TBA
Director, Sound, Producer
- Hyena
Hyena TBA
Executive Producer
- Interview Project
Interview Project TBA
Director
The Sea Behind Her Head TBA
In Memory Of
A Fall from Grace TBA
Executive Producer
- Snootworld
Snootworld TBA
Writer
6/11/26 2026
as Voiceover
Aprender a Caer 2026
In Memory Of
I Know Catherine, the Log Lady 2026
as Self
What Would David Lynch Do? 2026
as Self (Archived Footage)
Solitary 2025
Thanks
The Hanging of Stuart Cornfeld 2025
Actor
The Legend of the Happy Worker 2025
Executive Producer
Jack Paints It Red 2025
Music
David Lynch: A Remembrance Both Wonderful and Strange 2025
as Self (archive footage)
Tríptico 2025
Thanks
Beatles '64 2024
as Self
Straight Talking: A Making Of 2024
as Self
The Straight Story: On Set With David Lynch 2024
as Self
Lynch/Oz 2023
as Self (archival footage)
The Fabelmans 2022
as John Ford
This Is Sparklehorse 2022
as Self
The Other Me 2022
Executive Producer
The Sleeper Must Awaken: Making Dune 2021
as Self (voice) (archive footage)
Faraway Eyes 2021
Thanks
Morceaux de Cannes 2021
Actor
Moby Doc 2021
as Self
Welcome Home: Mary Reber and the Twin Peaks Palmer House 2021
as Self
David Lynch: The Virtual Life 2020
as himself
Meeting the Beatles in India 2020
as Self
A Talk with Kyle MacLachlan and Sheryl Lee 2019
Executive Producer
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound 2019
as Self
The Original Image - David Lynch 2019
Actor
David Lynch Teaches Creativity and Film 2019
as Himself
Waiting for Mr. Lynch 2018
Director, Writer, Producer
Ant Head 2018
Music, Writer, Cinematography, Editor, Producer, Director, Sound
Curtains Up 2018
Actor
Why Are We Creative? 2018
as Self
A Very Lovely Dream: One Week in Twin Peaks 2017
as Self
The Man with the Gray Elevated Hair 2017
as Self
A Bloody Finger in Your Mouth 2017
as Self
A Pot of Boiling Oil 2017
as Self
Behind the Red Curtain 2017
as Self
I Had Bad Milk in Dehradun 2017
as Self
Two Blue Balls 2017
as Self
Bad Binoculars 2017
as Self
See You on the Other Side Dear Friend 2017
as Self
The Number of Completion 2017
as Self
The Polish Accountant 2017
as Self
Tell It Martin 2017
as Self
Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers 2017
as Self
WHAT DID JACK DO? 2017
as Detective, Director, Writer, Editor, Sound Designer, Sound Mixer, Music, Set Designer, Set Decoration
Plankton Salesmen 2017
as Self (archive footage)
Lucky 2017
as Howard
Night Ride 2017
Music
The Black Ghiandola 2017
as Man In Black
David Lynch: The Art Life 2017
as Self
- David Lynch: Insight
David Lynch: Insight 2017
as Self
Girlfriend's Day 2017
as Narrator (voice)
Rocksteppy 2017
as Himself
Along for the Ride 2016
as Self
Kitsune 2016
Thanks
Shadows of Paradise 2016
Actor
Blue Velvet Revisited 2016
as Self
Psychogenic Fugue 2016
Creative Consultant
On Meditation 2016
as Self
The Reality of Truth 2016
as Self
The Music of David Lynch 2016
as Self
Night Flight: Born Again 2016
as Self
Rammstein in Amerika 2015
as Self
- Land of Nothing
Land of Nothing 2015
Executive Producer
Fire (Pożar) 2015
Director, Writer
Brand: A Second Coming 2015
as Self
My Beautiful Broken Brain 2014
as Self, Executive Producer
Between Two Worlds 2014
as Self
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces 2014
as Gordon Cole, Director, Editor, Writer, Characters, Sound Mixer
The 8th Floor 2014
as Self
- It's a Beautiful World
It's a Beautiful World 2014
as Self
Duran Duran: Unstaged 2014
Director
Ringo Starr: A Lifetime of Peace and Love 2014
as Self
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction 2013
as Self
What Is Cinema? 2013
as Self
Mel Brooks: Make a Noise 2013
as Self
Professor Goudet's Lessons 2013
as Self
Idem Paris 2013
Director
Memory Film 2012
Actor, Director, Writer
Meditation, Creativity, Peace 2012
as Self, Writer
Side by Side 2012
as Self
Change Begins Within 2012
Actor, Writer
20 Little Films 2012
Director
Blue Velvet: The Lost Footage 2011
Writer, Director
Ångesthunden och Malmö under vatten 2011
as Himself
- David Lynch in Oslo
David Lynch in Oslo 2010
as Self
2012: Time for Change 2010
as Self
Brunes et Blondes 2010
as Self
- Readymade, Emile Reynaud et la peinture s'anima
Readymade, Emile Reynaud et la peinture s'anima 2010
Set Designer
42 One Dream Rush 2010
Director
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done 2010
Executive Producer
David Wants to Fly 2010
as Self
- When Lynch Met Lucas
When Lynch Met Lucas 2010
Actor
- The Peaceline Project
The Peaceline Project 2009
Executive Producer
Red Fish 2009
as O Sábio
The Way of Samodelkin 2009
as Stranger in a dream
Great Directors 2009
as Self
La Traversée du désir 2009
as Self
The Soul Detective 2009
as Himself
Twin Peaks Festival Greeting 2008 2008
as Self, Writer, Producer, Director
Hollyshorts Greeting 2008
as Himself, Director
Early Experiments 2008
Actor, Director of Photography, Director, Producer, Writer, Editor
Elvis | Viva Las Vegas 2008
as Self
Surveillance 2008
Executive Producer
Critic 2008
as Self (voice)
Ballerina 2007
Director, Writer, Producer, Cinematography
The Sound of Lynch 2007
Actor
To Each His Own Cinema 2007
Director
A Slice of Lynch 2007
as Self
Lynch (one) 2007
as Self
Out Yonder — Chicken 2007
Actor, Director
More Things That Happened 2007
Director, Writer, Director of Photography, Editor
Lynch 2 2007
as Self
- Donovan: The Donovan Concert - Live in L.A.
Donovan: The Donovan Concert - Live in L.A. 2007
as Himself
Dynamic:01: The Best of DavidLynch.com 2007
as himself, Director, Executive Producer
Inland Empire 2006
as Bucky J, the gaffer (voice), Director, Producer, Director of Photography, Editor, Sound Designer, Camera Operator, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Writer
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream 2006
as Self
What Is It? 2005
Thanks
David Lynch: 1985 2005
as Self
Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart 2004
Actor
Bug Crawls 2004
Director
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments 2004
as Self
The Making of ‘Mulholland Drive’ 2004
as Self
Intervalometer Experiments 2004
Director
Boat 2003
as The Man, Director, Writer
Does That Hurt You? 2003
as Self, Sound, Writer
Lamp 2003
as Self, Producer, Director of Photography, Director
Cabin Fever 2003
Thanks
Return to Mulholland Drive 2003
as Self
Out Yonder — Teeth 2003
Actor, Director
Dennis Hopper: Create (or Die) 2003
as Self
The Disc of Sorrow Is Installed 2002
Actor, Writer, Producer, Director
Industrial Soundscape 2002
Director
Rabbits 2002
Director, Screenplay
The Pig Walks 2002
Writer, Editor, Producer, Cinematography, Director
The Short Films of David Lynch 2002
as Self, Director, Writer, Producer, Sound Director
Heart of the Festival 2002
as Self (archive footage)
Darkened Room 2002
Director, Writer, Producer, Cinematography, Editor
I Don't Know Jack 2002
as Self, Presenter
BlueBob Egg 2002
as Billy Groper, Director, Writer, Producer, Cinematography
Mysteries of Love 2002
as Self (archive footage)
Steps 2002
Director
Dead Mouse with Ants 2002
Producer, Writer, Cinematography, Director
Coyote #1 2002
Producer, Cinematography, Director, Writer, Editor
Pierre and Sonny Jim 2002
Director
Out Yonder — Neighbor Boy 2002
Actor, Director
Factory Mask 2001
Writer, Producer, Cinematography, Director
Head with Hammer 2001
Editor, Producer, Writer, Director
Sunset #1 2001
Director
Eraserhead Stories 2001
as Self, Director
Mulholland Drive 2001
Director, Writer, Sound Designer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
- Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul
Dino De Laurentiis: The Last Movie Mogul 2001
as Self
The Straight Story 1999
Director, Sound Designer
In Dreams: The Roy Orbison Story 1999
as Self
Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch 1997
as Self, Music, Still Photographer
Lost Highway 1997
Director, Sound Designer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Writer
The Fine Art of Separating People from Their Money 1996
as Self
Lumière & Company 1995
as Self, Director
Nadja 1995
as Morgue Receptionist, Executive Producer
Premonitions Following an Evil Deed 1995
Director
Don Van Vliet: Some YoYo Stuff 1994
as Himself
Michael Jackson: Dangerous - The Short Films 1993
Director
Made in the USA 1993
as Self
Twin Peaks: Log Lady Introductions 1993
Director, Writer
Twin Peaks: Visual Soundtrack 1992
Music Producer, Creator, Lyricist
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992
as Gordon Cole, Director, Writer, Original Series Creator, Executive Producer, Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Sound Designer, Characters
The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez 1991
Executive Producer
The King of Ads 1991
Director
- Crazy About the Movies: Dennis Hopper
Crazy About the Movies: Dennis Hopper 1991
as Self
Message to the Allied Forces 1991
as Gordon Cole/Self (Voice)
Jonathan Ross Presents for One Week Only: David Lynch 1990
as Self
Hollywood Mavericks 1990
as Self
Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Brokenhearted 1990
Director, Producer, Music
Wild at Heart 1990
Director, Screenplay
Twin Peaks 1989
Director, Writer, Executive Producer
David Lynch: Don't Look at Me 1989
as Self
The French as Seen by… 1988
Director
The Cowboy and the Frenchman 1988
Director, Writer
Zelly & Me 1988
as Willie
No Frank in Lumberton 1988
as Self, Music
Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night 1988
as Self - Audience Member
Ruth, Roses, and Revolver 1987
as Himself
Blue Velvet 1986
Director, Writer, Lyricist
Dune 1984
as Spice Miner (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
Destination Dune 1983
as Self
The Elephant Man 1980
as Man in the Bowler Hat in the Mob Chasing Merrick (uncredited), Director, Screenplay, Sound Designer
Heart Beat 1980
as Painter (uncredited)
Eraserhead 1977
Screenplay, Producer, Original Music Composer, Editor, Production Design, Art Direction, Special Effects, Sound Effects, Director
The Amputee 1974
as The Nurse, Director, Producer, Writer
In Pursuit of Treasure 1972
Set Painter
The Grandmother 1970
Director, Script, Screenplay, Animation, Camera Operator, Writer, Producer
The Alphabet 1969
Director, Writer, Sound, Director of Photography, Animation, Editor
Absurd Encounter with Fear 1967
Director
Six Men Getting Sick 1967
Director, Producer, Editor, Cinematography, Animation
Sailing with Bushnell Keeler 1967
Actor, Director, Camera Operator
Credits from TMDB.