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David Lynch Biography

Birth Name:
David Keith Lynch
Birth Place:
Missoula, Montana, United States
Profession
Director, producer, screenwriter

Fast Facts

  • Was an Eagle Scout as a teen
  • Trained to be a painter
  • Was accepted into the American Film Institute's Center for Advanced Film Studies in 1970
  • Turned down George Lucas' offer to direct Return of the Jedi (1983) in favor of making Dune (1984)
  • In the 1980s, he went to the same Bob's Big Boy restaurant every day for years where he drank a chocolate shake, several cups of coffee and scribbled ideas on napkins
  • Refused to allow DVDs of his movies to include chapter stops
  • In 2010 and 2011, he provided the voice of Gus, a bartender, on the animated sitcom The Cleveland Show
  • Also in 2011, directed a concert film, streamed via computer, featuring Duran Duran
  • Lead singer Simon Le Bon gushed that he and the rest of the guys in the band were major Lynch fans
  • Designed a nightclub, Silencio, that opened in Paris in 2011
  • It was inspired by his 2001 film Mulholland Dr

Awards

  • 2018Emmy-Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special: nominated
  • 2018Emmy-Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie: nominated
  • 2018Emmy-Outstanding Writing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Dramatic Special: nominated
  • 2002Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2002César Awards-Best Foreign Film: winner
  • 2002Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 2001Cannes Film Festival-Best Director: winner
  • 2001Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 2001Chicago Film Critics Association-Best Director: winner
  • 2001American Film Institute-Best Director: nominated
  • 2001Toronto Film Critics Association-Best Director: winner
  • 2001Los Angeles Film Critics Association-Best Director: winner
  • 2000Independent Spirit Awards-Best Director: nominated
  • 1999European Film Awards-Screen International Award - Best Non-European Film: winner
  • 1990Emmy-Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music: nominated
  • 1990Cannes Film Festival-Palme d'Or: winner
  • 1990Emmy-Outstanding Drama Series: nominated
  • 1987Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1987Independent Spirit Awards-Best Director: nominated
  • 1987Independent Spirit Awards-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 1987Writers Guild Awards-Original Screenplay: nominated
  • 1986Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 1985Los Angeles Film Critics Association-Best Director: winner
  • 1985National Society of Film Critics-Best Director: winner
  • 1982César Awards-Best Foreign Film: winner
  • 1981Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
  • 1981BAFTA Film Awards-Best Screenplay: nominated
  • 1981BAFTA Film Awards-Best Direction: nominated
  • 1981Writers Guild Awards-Adapted Drama: nominated
  • 1980Oscar-Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay): nominated
  • 1980Oscar-Best Achievement in Directing: nominated
  • 1980Directors Guild of America Awards-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film: nominated

Relationships