David Lynch
Directing
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, visual artist, musician, actor, and writer. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound design. Indeed, the surreal and in many cases violent elements to his films have earned them the reputation that they "disturb, offend or mystify" their audiences.
Moving around various parts of the United States as a child within his middle class family, Lynch went on to study painting in Philadelphia, where he first made the transition to producing short films. Deciding to devote himself more fully to this medium, he moved to Los Angeles, where he produced his first motion picture, the surrealist horror Eraserhead (1977). After Eraserhead became a cult classic on the midnight movie circuit, Lynch was employed to direct The Elephant Man (1980), from which he gained mainstream success. Then being employed by the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, he proceeded to make two films. First, the science-fiction epic Dune (1984), which proved to be a critical and commercial failure, and then a neo-noir crime film, Blue Velvet (1986), which was highly critically acclaimed.
Proceeding to create his own television series with Mark Frost, the highly popular murder mystery Twin Peaks (1990–1992), he also created a cinematic prequel, Fire Walk With Me (1992), a road movie, Wild at Heart (1990), and a family film, The Straight Story (1999) in the same period. Turning further towards surrealist filmmaking, three of his following films worked on "dream logic" non-linear narrative structures, Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive (2001) and Inland Empire (2006).
Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, for his films The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, and also received a screenplay Academy Award nomination for The Elephant Man. Lynch has twice won France's César Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival. The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor, the country's top civilian honor, as a Chevalier in 2002 and then an Officier in 2007, while that same year, The Guardian described Lynch as "the most important director of this era". Allmovie called him "the Renaissance man of modern American filmmaking", whilst the success of his films have led to him being labelled "the first popular Surrealist".
Media of
David Lynch
Photos (21)
Filmography of
David Lynch
Self (archive footage)
... 2023
Self
... 2022
John Ford
... 2022
Self
... 2021
... 2020
Narrator
... 2020
... 2019
... 2019
... 2018
... 2017
Self
... 2017
... 2017
... 2017
... 2017
Self
... 2017
Self
... 2017
... 2017
... 2017
Self
... 2017
... 2017
... 2017
... 2017
... 2017
Detective
... 2017
Self (archive footage)
... 2017
Howard
... 2017
Man In Black
... 2017
... 2017
Narrator (voice)
... 2017
Himself
... 2017
Self
... 2016
... 2016
... 2016
Self
... 2016
Self
... 2016
... 2016
Self
... 2015
... 2015
... 2014
Self
... 2014
Gordon Cole
... 2014
Self
... 2014
... 2014
... 2014
... 2013
Self
... 2013
... 2013
... 2013
... 2012
... 2012
Self
... 2012
... 2011
... 2010
Self
... 2010
... 2010
... 2010
O Sábio
... 2009
Stranger in a dream
... 2009
Self
... 2009
... 2009
Himself
... 2008
... 2008
... 2008
Self (voice)
... 2008
Self
... 2007
Self
... 2007
... 2007
Self
... 2007
Himself
... 2007
... 2007
... 2007
... 2007
... 2007
... 2007
Bucky J
... 2006
... 2006
Self (archive footage)
... 2006
... 2005
Self
... 2005
Billy Groper
... 2004
... 2004
... 2004
self
... 2003
Self
... 2003
... 2003
Self (archive footage)
... 2002
... 2002
Self
... 2002
... 2002
Self
... 2001
... 2001
... 1999
... 1998
... 1997
... 1996
Morgue Receptionist
... 1994
Himself
... 1994
Self
... 1993
Gordon Cole
... 1992
... 1991
Self
... 1990
... 1989
Willie
... 1988
... 1988
Self - Audience Member
... 1988
Himself
... 1987
Spice Miner (uncredited)
... 1984
Self
... 1984
Man in the Bowler Hat in the Mob Chasing Merrick (uncredited)
... 1980
Painter
... 1980
Nurse
... 1974
... 1968
... 1967
Himself
William Tabb