Biography
Much like his body of work, David Lynch often defied tidy description. As a filmmaker it was possibly more instructive to refer to him as a surrealist artist working in the medium of film, rather than a traditional movie director and writer. With his first self-produced film "Eraserhead" (1978), it was clear that Lynch held a deep fascination with the utterly grotesque residing just below the surface of the everyday. He would use that …
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Career Milestones
| As a child, lived in Sandpointe and Boise, ID, Spokane, WA, and Alexandria, VA | ||
| Worked as shop assistant, engineer, janitor, newspaper deliverer, in between studies | ||
1966 | First film, a one-minute color animated loop entitled "Six Men Getting Sick" shown on three skull-shaped screens (based on Lynch's head) to the accompaniment of a siren (date approximate) | |
1967 | Made short film combining animation and live action, "The Alphabet" as entry in Pennsylvania Academy contest | |
1970 | Made first short live-action film "The Grandmother"; received grants that totaled $5,000 by American Film Institute (completed film for $7,200) | |
1971 | Began working on first feature "Eraserhead"; first feature collaboration with cinematographer Frederick Elmes and actor Jack Nance | |
1977 | "Eraserhead" released | |
1980 | Earned first Oscar nomination as Best Director for "The Elephant Man"; also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay (co-written with Eric Bergren and Christopher DeVore) | |
1983 | Created and illustrated syndicated comic strip "The Angriest Dog in the World" | |
1984 | First project with actor Kyle MacLachlan, "Dune"; feeling like "I had sort of sold myself out," Lynch later forced the removal of his name from the film's credits | |
1987 | Produced and wrote for singers Julee Cruise and Koko Taylor (songs used in his films "Blue Velvet" and "Wild at Heart") | |
1987 | Won acclaim (and second Best Director Oscar nomination) for the controversial "Blue Velvet" | |
1987 | Wrote and presented documentary on Dadaist cinema "Ruth roses and revolver" for British TV series "Arena" | |
1989 | Composed musical work "Industrial Symphony No. 1" with Angelo Badalamenti; performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in November; made video in 1990 | |
1990 | "Wild at Heart" won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at Cannes Film Festival but met with critical disfavor in the U.S.; last feature collaboration (to date) with Frederick Elmes | |
1990 | Created and directed episodes of popular TV series "Twin Peaks" (ABC) | |
1990 | Directed TV commercials for the perfumes Opium and Obsession | |
1991 | Directed the music video for Chris Isaak's song "Wicked Game"; song featured in the soundtrack to "Wild at Heart" | |
1991 | Executive produced "The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez" | |
1992 | Made television commercials for Gio, the perfume by Armani(1992), for a coffee drink Coca-Cola markets in Japan (1993), and for Alka-Seltzer Plus (1993); also directed a teaser-trailer used to market Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" album | |
1992 | Returned to "Twin Peaks" land with feature "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" (also co-executive producer); wrote 11 songs | |
1992 | Served as creator, executive producer, and director of the premiere of ABC's short-lived (six episodes) "On the Air" | |
1993 | Created, executive produced, and directed "Blackout" and Tricks" episodes of HBO's "Hotel Room" | |
1994 | Executive produced "Nadja" (and played a small part as Morgue Attendant) | |
1994 | Presented the documentary "Crumb," an extraordinarily intimate portrait of underground comic artist Robert Crumb directed by Terry Zwigoff | |
1997 | Helmed TV commercial for the home pregnancy test Clear Blue Easy | |
1997 | Ran off the road with "Lost Highway," a great-looking but senseless, overlong, post-modern hybrid of film noir and "The Twilight Zone" | |
1999 | Directed the atypically based-on-fact "The Straight Story," about a man who drove a tractor from Iowa to Wisconsin to reunite with his estranged brother | |
1999 | Helmed the pilot "Mulholland Drive" for ABC; series not picked up; Lynch received additional funding from StudioCanal and shot more footage to create a feature film; premiered at Cannes in 2001 where it shared the Best Director trophy; (released theatrically in fall 2001) | |
2002 | Created a series of online shorts "Dumb Land," which were intentionally crude both in content and execution; the eight-episode series was later released on DVD | |
2002 | Helmed "Rabbits," an 8-episode series of short videos shown exclusively on DavidLynch.com for paying members | |
2006 | Directed "Inland Empire," starring regulars such as Laura Dern, Harry Dean Stanton, and Justin Theroux; film shot entirely in digital format | |
2009 | Executive produced Werner Herzog's crime drama "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" | |
2010 | Lent his voice to the character Gus on the Fox animated series "Family Guy" and spin-off "The Cleveland Show" | |
Awards
1980 | Academy Award for Directing in The Elephant Man |
1980 | Academy Award for Writing (Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium) in The Elephant Man |
1980 | BAFTA Award for Direction in The Elephant Man |
1980 | BAFTA Award for Screenplay in The Elephant Man |
1980 | Directors Guild of America Award for Feature Film in The Elephant Man |
1980 | Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture in The Elephant Man |
1986 | Academy Award for Directing in Blue Velvet |
1986 | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director in Blue Velvet |
1986 | Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture in Blue Velvet |
1986 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director in Blue Velvet |
1986 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director in Blue Velvet |
1987 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Director in Blue Velvet |
1987 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay in Blue Velvet |
1990 | Cannes Film Festival for Palme d'Or in Wild At Heart |
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In Main Title Theme Music in Twin Peaks |
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In Music and Lyrics in Twin Peaks |
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing In a Drama Series in Twin Peaks |
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in Twin Peaks |
1990 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing In a Drama Series in Twin Peaks |
2000 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Director in The Straight Story |
2001 | Academy Award for Directing in Mulholland Drive |
2001 | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director in Mulholland Drive |
2001 | Cannes Film Festival for Best Director in Mulholland Drive |
2001 | Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture in Mulholland Drive |
2001 | Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture in Mulholland Drive |
2001 | Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director in Mulholland Drive |
2001 | Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Director International in Mulholland Drive |
2006 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Experimental Film in Inland Empire |