David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 15, 2025)[1] was an American movie director, screenwriter and actor.
David Lynch | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Lynch in 1990 | |
| Born | David Keith Lynch January 20, 1946 |
| Died | January 15, 2025 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Education | School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, AFI Conservatory |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1967–2025 |
| Notable work | Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, Eraserhead |
| Style | Nonlinear, psychological, neo-noir, surrealistic, horror |
| Spouse(s) | Peggy Lentz (1967–1974) Mary Fisk (1977–1987) Mary Sweeney (2006) Emily Stofle (2009–2025) |
| Partner | Isabella Rossellini (1986–1991) |
| Children | 4, including Jennifer |
Career
changeLynch's movies include Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive. He was also responsible for a television series called Twin Peaks, his overall most famous work. Eraserhead, his first movie, is still his most famous theatrical movie. It was recently deemed socially important by the United States Library of Congress. He has done much work with Jack Nance, who has appeared in many of his movies. He has said that all his movies will be done using digital video from now on.
He is also famous for his early short movies. The Alphabet and The Grandmother are two of his best known. The Alphabet is about fear of education. The Grandmother is about a lonely boy who grows a grandmother like a plant from a seed.
Over his career, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations[2] for Best Director and a nomination for best screenplay. Lynch has twice won France's César Award for Best Foreign Film, as well as the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He also won a Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement at the Venice Film Festival.
Death
changeIn August 2024, Lynch said he was suffering from emphysema.[3][4] In November 2024, Lynch told People that he quit smoking in 2022, following his emphysema diagnosis.[5]
Lynch died on January 15, 2025 from problems caused by emphysema at the age of 78.[6]
Discography
changeAlbums
change- BlueBob (with John Neff, 2001)
- The Air is on Fire: Soundscape (2007)
- Polish Night Music (with Marek Żebrowski, 2008)
- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse: Dark Night of the Soul (2010; Lynch is featured on two songs.)
- This Train (with Chrysta Bell, 2011)
- Crazy Clown Time (2011)
Singles
change- "Ghost of Love" (2007)
- "Good Day Today" / "I Know" (2010)
Filmography
changeFeatures
change| Year | Movie | Oscars | BAFTA | Golden Globe | Cannes Film Festival | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | Nominations | Wins | ||
| 1977 | Eraserhead | ||||||||
| 1980 | The Elephant Man | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| 1984 | Dune | 1 | |||||||
| 1986 | Blue Velvet | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| 1990 | Wild at Heart | 1 | 1 | 1 | Palme d'Or | Palme d'Or | |||
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me | ||||||||
| 1997 | Lost Highway | ||||||||
| 1999 | The Straight Story | 1 | 2 | Palme d'Or | |||||
| 2001 | Mulholland Drive | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | Palme d'Or | Best Director | ||
| 2006 | Inland Empire | ||||||||
| 2006 | Maharishi | ||||||||
Short movies
change| Year | Movie | DVD availability | Blu-ray availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | Six Men Getting Sick | The Short Films of David Lynch | Eraserhead Blu-ray |
| 1967 | Absurd Encounter with Fear | The Lime Green Set | |
| 1967 | Fictitious Anacin Commercial | The Lime Green Set | |
| 1968 | The Alphabet | The Short Films of David Lynch | Eraserhead Blu-ray |
| 1970 | The Grandmother | The Short Films of David Lynch | Wild at Heart Blu-ray |
| 1974 | The Amputee | The Short Films of David Lynch | Eraserhead Blu-ray |
| 1988 | The Cowboy and the Frenchman | The Short Films of David Lynch | |
| 1990 | Industrial Symphony No. 1 | The Lime Green Set | |
| 1995 | Premonition Following An Evil Deed | The Short Films of David Lynch | Wild at Heart Blu-ray |
| 2002 | Darkened Room | Dynamic 1 | Lost Highway Blu-ray |
| 2002 | Dumbland | Wild at Heart Blu-ray | |
| 2006 | Ballerina | Extra on Inland Empire DVD | |
| 2007 | Absurda | ||
| 2007 | Boat | Dynamic 1 | Lost Highway Blu-ray |
| 2007 | Bug Crawls | Dynamic 1 | Lost Highway Blu-ray |
| 2007 | Industrial Soundscape | Dynamic 1 | |
| 2007 | Lamp | Dynamic 1 | |
| 2007 | Out Yonder Neighbor Boy | Dynamic 1 | |
| 2007 | Intervalometer Experiments | Dynamic 1 | |
| 2008 | Scissors | The Lime Green Set | |
| 2010 | Lady Blue Shanghai | ||
| 2011 | The 3 Rs | Viennale's website[7] |
Television series
change| Year | Series | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990–1991 | Twin Peaks | 30 |
| 1992 | On the Air | 7 |
| 1993 | Hotel Room | 3 |
| 2012 | Louie | 2 |
Online series
change| Year | Series | Episodes | Available on DVD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Rabbits | 8 | The Lime Green Set DVD |
| 2002 | Dumbland | 8 | The Lime Green Set DVD |
| Out Yonder | The Lime Green Set DVD | ||
| 2009 | Interview Project Archived 2010-11-19 at the Wayback Machine |
Music videos
change| Year | Song | Musician |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "Wicked Game" (movie version) | Chris Isaak |
| 1995 | "Longing" | X Japan |
| 1999 | "Thank You Judge" | David Lynch |
| 2009 | "Shot in the Back of the Head" | Moby |
| 2010 | "I Touch A Red Button Man" | Interpol |
| 2011 | "Crazy Clown Time" | David Lynch |
Awards and nominations
change- 1980: Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (The Elephant Man, nominated)
- 1987: Best Director (Blue Velvet, nominated)
- 2002: Best Director (Mulholland Dr., nominated)
- 1981: Best Direction (The Elephant Man, nominated)
- 1981: Best Screenplay (The Elephant Man, nominated)
- 1990: Golden Palm (Wild at Heart, won)
- 1992: Golden Palm (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, nominated)
- 1999: Golden Palm (The Straight Story, nominated)
- 2001: Best Director (Mulholland Dr., won Tied with Joel Coen for The Man Who Wasn't There)
- 2001: Golden Palm (Mulholland Dr., nominated)
- 1981: Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (The Elephant Man, nominated)
- 1990: Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music (Twin Peaks, nominated)
- 1990: Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics (Twin Peaks for the song "Into the Night", nominated)
- 1990: Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series (Twin Peaks for the pilot episode, nominated)
- 1990: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series (Twin Peaks for the pilot episode, nominated)
- 1990: Outstanding Drama Series (Twin Peaks)
- 1980: Best Director (The Elephant Man, nominated)
- 1987: Best Screenplay (Blue Velvet, nominated)
- 2002: Best Director (Mulholland Dr., nominated)
- 2002: Best Screenplay (Mulholland Dr., nominated)
- 1987: Best Director (Blue Velvet, nominated)
- 1987: Best Screenplay (Blue Velvet, nominated)
- 2000: Best Director (The Straight Story, nominated)
- 2007: Special Distinction Award (Shared with Laura Dern for their collaborative work, won)
- 1993: Best Writing (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, nominated)
- 1993: Life Career Award (won)
- 2002: Best Director (Mulholland Dr., nominated)
- 2006: Future Film Festival Digital Award (Inland Empire won)
- 2006: Career Golden Lion (won)
- 1981: Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium (The Elephant Man, nominated)
- 1987: Best Original Screenplay (Blue Velvet, nominated)
References
change- ↑ Morris, Chris. "David Lynch, Visionary Director of 'Twin Peaks' and 'Blue Velvet,' Dies at 78". variety.com. Variety. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
- ↑ charitybuzz (2012). "Have 3-Time Academy Award-Nominated Filmmaker David Lynch Review Your Screenplay in LA". charitybuzz. Charitybuzz Inc. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ↑ Stolworthy, Jacob (August 5, 2024). "David Lynch has emphysema and can no longer 'leave the house' due to Covid fears". Independent.co.uk. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ↑ Pulver, Andrew (August 5, 2024). "David Lynch says he is too ill to direct films in person". The Guardian. Retrieved August 5, 2024.
- ↑ Finan, Eileen. "David Lynch Started Smoking at Age 8 — Now He Needs Oxygen to Walk: 'It's a Big Price to Pay' (Exclusive)". People.com. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
- ↑ Pedersen, Erik; D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 16, 2025). "David Lynch Dies: 'Twin Peaks', 'Blue Velvet', 'Elephant Man' & 'Eraserhead' Visionary Was 78". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Trailer 2011". Viennale. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2011.