David Lynch
David Lynch is without a doubt one of the most original film and television creators. With complex plots, childlike wonder, heightened use of music, surreal slants on a story, and genuinely funny moments followed by moments of absolute terror, Lynch’s work is unlike any other. Born 1946 in Missoula, Montana, Lynch was lucky enough to serve as an usher at John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration. He went to the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. to study graphic art. Lynch continues to draw (his cartoon strip, The Angriest Dog in the World, was started in 1982), as well as paint, photograph, and compose music. In 1966, Lynch attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. There he began to experiment with film. Eraserhead (1976), financed by a friend from childhood (the production designer, Jack Fisk, who was also the husband of Sissy Spacek) was not only his first full-length film, but also his first full-out hit. Mel Brooks (yes, that Mel Brooks) tapped Lynch to direct The Elephant Man (1980), which Brooks produced. Dune (1984) was Lynch’s first taste of a film that did not connect with audiences – it had been edited prior to release without his consent. Still, this film led him to take total control for his next movie, which would also become his biggest hit: Blue Velvet (1986), with an oxygen-mask-heavy-breathing Dennis Hopper. America in 1990 was obsessed with Lynch’s obsession: Who Killed Laura Palmer? The television show, Twin Peaks, was must-really-see-tv. Lynch’s career continues to expand his palette of expression, from the Industrial Symphony No. 1, a performance piece with composer Angelo Badalamenti, to the films Wild at Heart (1990), Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), Lost Highway (1977), The Straight Story (1999), and Mulholland Drive (2001). Many filmmakers today are influenced by Lynch’s body of work, including his daughter, Jennifer – she wrote and directed the Lynch-like feature film Boxing Helena.
