David Lynch filmography

David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, painter, television director, visual artist, musician, and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style which has been dubbed "Lynchian"[1] and is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound design. The surreal and, in many cases, violent elements to his films have earned them the reputation that they "disturb, offend or mystify" their audiences.[2]

A man standing at a lectern, delivering a speech
Lynch in 2007

Lynch's oeuvre includes short and feature-length films, music videos, documentaries and television episodes, while his involvement in these ranges from direction, production, and screenwriting to acting and sound design. Lynch's first project was the 1967 short Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times), an animated film which blended elements of sculpture and painting into its animation.[3] His first feature-length project, 1977's Eraserhead, became a cult film and launched his commercial career.[4] It also marked his first collaboration with Jack Nance, an actor who would appear in many more of Lynch's productions until his death in 1996.[5] Lynch's other feature films include the critically successful The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001), all of which went on to earn Academy Award nominations,[6][7][8] and the commercial flop Dune.[9]

Lynch has also branched out into television, and later, internet-based series. His first foray into the medium was Twin Peaks, a joint venture with Mark Frost. Twin Peaks became a cult success,[10] leading to Lynch and Frost working together on a number of other projects, including On the Air[11] and American Chronicles.[12] In 2002 Lynch began producing two series of shorts released through his official website: the Flash-animated DumbLand[13] and Rabbits.[14] Having begun acting in his 1972 short The Amputee,[15] Lynch went on to appear on-camera in Twin Peaks,[16] Zelly and Me, and Dune.[17] From 2010 to 2013, Lynch appeared in a recurring voice role in the animated series The Cleveland Show.[18]

Feature films

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerSound DesignerNotesRef(s)
1977EraserheadYesYesYesNoAlso editor, composer, art director,
and special effects
[17]
1980The Elephant ManYesYesNoYesAlso musical director,
co-written with Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren
[17]
1984DuneYesYesNoNo[17]
1986Blue VelvetYesYesNoNo[17]
1990Wild at HeartYesYesNoNo[17]
1992Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with MeYesYesExecutiveYesCo-written with Robert Engels[17]
1997Lost HighwayYesYesNoYesCo-written with Barry Gifford[17]
1999The Straight StoryYesNoNoYes[17]
2001Mulholland DriveYesYesNoYes[17]
2006Inland EmpireYesYesYesYesAlso editor and cinematographer[17]

Short films

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerActorNotesRef(s)
1967Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times)YesYesYesNoAlso animator[17][19]
1968Absurd Encounter with FearYesYesNoNo[20]
Fictitious Anacin CommercialYesYesNoNo[20]
Selective DisclosureYesYesNoNo[20]
Sailing with Bushnell KeelerYesYesYesYes[21]
The AlphabetYesYesNoNoAlso editor, cinematographer, animator and sound[17][19]
Early ExperimentsYesYesYesYes16mm, from Lime Green DVD Set[22]
1970The GrandmotherYesYesYesNoAlso cinematographer, animator and sound effects[17]
1974The AmputeeYesNoNoYesRole: Unable and scared nurse[15][17]
1988The Cowboy and the FrenchmanYesYesNoNo[17]
1995Premonition Following an Evil DeedYesNoNoNo[17]
2001Pierre and Sonny JimYesYesYesYes[23]
Head with HammerYesYesYesNo[24]
Dead Mouse with AntsYesYesYesNo[25]
Ball of Bees #1 (aka Bees #1)YesYesYesNo[26]
Steam Chain (aka Factory Mask)YesYesYesNo[27]
2002Darkened RoomYesYesYesNoAlso animator[28][29]
The Pig WalksYesYesYesNo[30]
The Disc of Sorrow Is InstalledYesYesYesYes[31]
Laura PalmerYesYesYesNo[32]
The CoyoteYesYesYesNo[33]
2004BlueBob EggYesYesYesYes[34]
2005Scene from a David Lynch DV ProjectYesYesYesNoFor Avid promotional film[35][36]
2007AbsurdaYesYesNoNo[37][38]
BoatYesNoNoNoAlso editor[38]
Bug CrawlsYesNoNoNo[39]
LampYesNoNoYesRole: Himself[39]
Industrial SoundscapeYesNoNoNo[39]
Intervalometer ExperimentsYesNoNoNo[39]
More Things That HappenedYesYesNoNoAlso editor[40]
BallerinaYesNoNoNo[40]
Blue GreenYesYesYesYes[41]
David Lynch Cooks QuinoaYesYesYesYes[42]
2010Dream #7YesNoNoNo[43]
Lady Blue ShanghaiYesYesNoNoAlso editor and composer[44]
2011The 3 RsYesYesNoNoAlso editor and cinematographer[45]
2012Memory FilmYesYesYesYesFor Serpentine Gallery Memory Marathon[46]
2013Idem ParisYesNoNoNo[47]
2014Twin Peaks: The Missing PiecesYesYesNoYes
2015Fire (Pożar)YesYesYesNo[48]
2017What Did Jack Do?YesYesNoYesAlso editor
Role: Detective
[49]
2018Ant HeadYesYesYesNo[50]
2018This Video of David Lynch Is Not What It SeemsYesYesYesYesFor Omaze
2020The Story of a Small BugYesYesYesYesRole: Narrator at beginning
Also editor
[51]
The Adventures of Alan R.YesYesYesYes[52]
The Spider and the BeeYesYesYesNo[53]
How Was Your Day Honey?YesYesYesNo[54]
The Mystery of the Seeing HandYesYesYesNo[55]

Television series

Twin Peaks earned several nominations at the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards (Lynch pictured at the ceremony).
Lynch has worked with Naomi Watts on several projects, including Rabbits and Mulholland Drive.
YearTitleCreatorExecutive
producer
DirectorWriterNotesRef(s)
1990–1991Twin PeaksYesYes6 episodes4 episodesCo-created with Mark Frost[17]
1992On the AirYesYes1 episode2 episodes[56]
1993Hotel RoomYesYes2 episodesNoAlso sound designer,
Co-created with Monty Montgomery
[56]
2017Twin Peaks: The ReturnYesYesYesYesAlso sound designer and additional editor,
Co-created with Mark Frost
[17]

Web series

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerCreatorRef(s)
2002DumbLandYesYesYesYes[29]
RabbitsYesYesYesYes[29]
2005–2009
2020–2022
Weather ReportsYesYesYesYes
2007Out YonderYesYesYesYes[39]
2020–2022Today's Number Is...YesYesYesYes[39]

Music videos

YearSongMusicianRef(s)
1990"Wicked Game"Chris Isaak[57]
1992"A Real Indication"Thought Gang[58]
1995"Longing"X Japan[57][59]
1999"Thank You, Judge"BlueBob[60]
2009"Shot in the Back of the Head"Moby[61]
2010"I Touch a Red Button Man"Interpol[62][63]
"Lion of Panjshir"Ariana Delwari[64]
2012"Crazy Clown Time"David Lynch[65]
2013"Came Back Haunted"Nine Inch Nails[66]
2020"I Have a Radio"David Lynch[67]
2021"I Am the Shaman"Donovan[68]
"Gimme Some a That"[69]

Commercials

YearCommercial TitleSubjectRef(s)
1988"F. Scott Fitzgerald", "Ernest Hemingway", "D.H. Lawrence", "Flaubert"Obsession by Calvin Klein[70][71]
1991"Mystery of G", "Cherry Pie", "Lost", "The Rescue"Georgia Coffee[70][71]
"We Care About New York"New York City Department of Sanitation[70][71][72]
Dangerous by Michael Jackson[73]
1992"Who Is Gio?"Gio by Armani[70][71]
"Opium"Opium by Yves Saint Laurent[70][71]
1993Alka-Seltzer Plus[70][71]
"Tresor"Lancôme Tresor[71][74]
Barilla Pasta[70][71]
"Revealed"American Cancer Society[71][72][74]
"The Instinct of Life"Background by Jil Sander[71][74]
"The Wall"Adidas[75]
1994"Sun Moon Stars"Sun Moon Stars by Lagerfield[70][71]
1997"Dead Leaves", "Aunt Droid", "Nuclear Winter", "Rocket"Sci-Fi Channel[71][74]
Clearblue Easy[70][71]
"Mountain Man"Honda[76]
1998"Parisienne People"Parisienne[71][74]
1999"Opium"Opium by Yves Saint Laurent
2000"Welcome to the Third Place"PlayStation 2[70][71]
"Un matin partout dans le monde"JCDecaux[74]
2002"Do you speak Micra?"Nissan Micra[70][71]
"Bucking Bronco"Citroën[77]
2004"Fahrenheit"Dior[78]
"Preference"L'Oreal[79]
2007"Gucci"Gucci[80]
2008"Revital Granas"Shiseido[81]
2011"Doll Head"David Lynch Signature Cup Coffee[82]
2012"Oh Yeah"[83]
2014Louboutin Rouge[84]

Concert films

YearTitleDirectorProducerHimselfNotesRef(s)
1990Industrial Symphony No. 1YesYesAlso composer[17]
2014Duran Duran: UnstagedYesYes[85]

Other works

Acting roles

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
1980Heart BeatPainter[86]
1980The Elephant ManMan in Bowler Hat in Mob Chasing MerrickUncredited extra
1984DuneSpice WorkerUncredited cameo[87]
1988Zelly and MeWillie[17]
1992Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with MeGordon Cole[17]
1994NadjaMorgue ReceptionistCameo[17]
1997Lost HighwayMorgue AttendantDeleted scene
2006Inland EmpireBucky JUncredited voice[88]
2017Girlfriend's DayNarratorVoice[89]
LuckyHoward[90]
2022The FabelmansJohn Ford

Short films

YearTitleNotesRef(s)
2009Soul DetectiveDetective[91][92]
2017The Black GhiandolaMan in Black[93]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef(s)
1990–1991Twin PeaksGordon Cole6 episodes[17]
2002DumbLandAll charactersVoice, 8 episodes[29]
2010–2013The Cleveland ShowGus the BartenderVoice, 20 episodes[18]
2010, 2016Family GuyGus the Bartender / HimselfVoice, episodes: "The Splendid Source" and
"How the Griffin Stole Christmas"
[94][95]
2012LouieJack DallEpisodes: "Late Show - Part 2 & 3"[96][97]
2017Twin Peaks: The ReturnGordon Cole11 episodes[17]
2020, 2022Robot ChickenMad ScientistVoice, episodes: "Endgame" and “May Cause Season 11 to End”[98]

Documentary films

YearTitleDirectorProducerHimselfRef(s)
1990Hollywood MavericksYes[17]
For One Week OnlyYes
1994CrumbPresenter[17]
1998Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David LynchYes[17]
2001I Don't Know JackYes[17]
Eraserhead StoriesYesYes[17]
2004Dennis Hopper: The Decisive MomentsYes[17]
2005Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the MainstreamYes[17]
2007LynchYes[17]
2008Sunshine Superman: The Journey of DonovanYes[17]
2009Transcendendo LynchYes[17]
Great DirectorsYes[17]
20102012: Time for ChangeYes[28]
2011Meditation Creativity PeaceYes[17]
2012Side by SideYes[17]
2016My Beautiful Broken BrainYes[99]
David Lynch: The Art LifeYes[100][101][102]
2021Moby DocYes[103]

Executive producer

YearTitleRef(s)
1991The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez[17]
1994Nadja[17]
2008Surveillance[17]
2009My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done[17]
2022The Other Me[104]
TBAThe Happy Worker[105]

See also

References

Bibliography

External links