Kyle MacLachlan

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Kyle Merritt MacLachlan<ref name="usga-Chmiel">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (Template:IPAc-en; Template:Ne McLachlan, February 22, 1959)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> is an American actor best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017) and its film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He is also known for his roles in two of David Lynch’s films: Paul Atreides in Dune (1984) and Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986). MacLachlan's other film roles include Lloyd Gallagher in The Hidden (1987), Ray Manzarek in The Doors (1991), Cliff Vandercave in The Flintstones (1994), Zack Carey in Showgirls (1995), and Riley's father in the Inside Out film series (2015, 2024).

In addition to Twin Peaks, MacLachlan has had prominent roles on television such as Trey MacDougal on Sex and the City (2000–2002), Orson Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–2012), The Captain on How I Met Your Mother (2010–2014) and How I Met Your Father (2022), the Mayor of Portland on Portlandia (2011–2018), Calvin Johnson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2015), and Hank MacLean on Fallout (2024–present).

Early lifeEdit

MacLachlan was born Kyle McLachlan (subsequently changing the spelling of his last name to reflect his Scottish heritage)<ref name="usga-Chmiel" /> at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington.<ref name="TheExtract">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> His mother, Catherine (née Stone;<ref name="obituary-father" /> 1934–1986),<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was a public relations director for a school district<ref name="gq-Schneller">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="dtuk-Rumbold">Template:Cite news</ref> and a homemaker who was active in community arts programs.<ref name="lat-DeVries">Template:Cite news</ref> His father, Kent Alan McLachlan (1933–2011),<ref name="usga-Chmiel" /> was a stockbroker and lawyer.<ref name="obituary-father">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="lat-DeVries" /> Kyle has Scottish, German and Cornish ancestry.<ref name="guardian-Husband">Husband, Stuart (April 6, 2008). "This much I know: Kyle MacLachlan, actor, 49, London". The Guardian.</ref> He grew up in Yakima as the eldest of three boys, alongside his younger brothers, Craig and Kent Jr.<ref name="lat-DeVries" /><ref name="guardian-Tozer">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="usga-Chmiel" /><ref name="people-Wedding">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> MacLachlan graduated from Eisenhower High School in Yakima.<ref name="hollywood.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His mother left his father when he was 17,<ref name="dtuk-Rumbold" /><ref name="es-Cavendish" /> and his parents divorced in his senior year of high school.<ref name="lat-DeVries" /><ref name="guardian-Tozer" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MacLachlan was introduced to stage acting by his mother when she became director of a youth theater program for teenagers that she helped set up in Yakima.<ref name="dtuk-Rumbold" /><ref name="lat-DeVries" /> She also sent him to piano lessons from the age of 9 to 14, when he also began to study classical singing.<ref name="lat-DeVries" /><ref name="wp-Benedek">Template:Cite news</ref> While in high school, he performed in plays and in class musicals, acting in his first play at age 15.<ref name="gq-Schneller" /><ref name="lat-DeVries" /> In his senior year, he had the lead role of Brindsley Miller in a production of Peter Shaffer's one-act play Black Comedy, and performed as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady. In 1982, he graduated cum laude with a BFA in drama from the University of Washington (UW) as a student of the Professional Actor Training Program.<ref name="uw-Drama">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="uw-Alumni">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He initially planned to major in business<ref name="lat-DeVries" /> and also studied classical voice at UW,<ref name="guardian-Mulkerrins">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but changed his focus to acting.<ref name="lat-DeVries" />

CareerEdit

1980sEdit

The first film MacLachlan worked on was The Changeling (1980), part of which was shot on the University of Washington campus. He was paid $10 as an extra.<ref name="uw-Alumni" />

In the summer of 1981, after his sophomore year at college, he played the lead in three roles at the Old Lyric Repertory Theatre in Logan, Utah, and the following summer with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

MacLachlan made his film debut in Dune (1984) in the starring role of Paul Atreides.<ref name="time-Daddario">Template:Cite magazine</ref> MacLachlan was performing in Molière's Tartuffe at a Seattle-area theater when a casting agent for Dune producer Dino De Laurentiis began searching for a young lead and received multiple recommendations for him. After several screen tests, he hit it off with director David Lynch, aided by their common Pacific Northwest backgrounds, and succeeded in winning the part.<ref name="lat-DeVries" /> This marked the beginning of a creative partnership between MacLachlan and Lynch, who would go on to collaborate on four more projects before Lynch's death in 2025.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

After Dune flopped and met with poor reviews from critics, MacLachlan found it difficult to find work. He moved to Los Angeles in 1985,<ref name="lat-DeVries" /><ref name="atlantic-Snyder">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and auditioned for several films, including Top Gun, but failed to win any roles, eventually dropping his agent.<ref name="lat-DeVries" />

Lynch cast MacLachlan in the starring role of Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986), which was received more positively.<ref name="lat-DeVries" /> Reflecting on his enduring relationship with Lynch in a 2012 interview, MacLachlan remarked: "David Lynch plucked me from obscurity. He cast me as the lead in Dune and Blue Velvet, and people have seen me as this boy-next-door-cooking-up-something-weird-in-the-basement ever since."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Lynch biographer Chris Rodley described MacLachlan as an on-screen incarnation of Lynch's own persona.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

He starred in the 1987 science fiction action film The Hidden as FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

1990sEdit

MacLachlan further collaborated with Lynch in the ABC television series Twin Peaks (1990–91), playing Special Agent Dale Cooper, reprising that role for Lynch's 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Lynch commented on those roles in a GQ story about MacLachlan: "Kyle plays innocents who are interested in the mysteries of life. He's the person you trust enough to go into a strange world with."<ref name="gq-Schneller" /> MacLachlan also said he considered Lynch one of his mentors that had a "monumental impact" on him.<ref name="McMahon">Template:Cite news</ref> Lynch, who was known to allow his collaborative partners a large degree of control over their roles when working with him, rewrote scenes in Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks at the request of MacLachlan, who felt they were not right for his characters.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

File:Kyle MacLachlan.jpg
MacLachlan at the 1991 Emmy Awards

MacLachlan appeared as musician Ray Manzarek in Oliver Stone's 1991 film The Doors, about the band of the same name.<ref name="TheDoors">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite magazine</ref> He had previously turned down Stone's offer to play Chris in the 1986 movie Platoon, which ultimately went to Charlie Sheen.<ref name="av-roles">Template:Cite news</ref> Also, in 1991, he played the role of a killer in Tales from the Crypt.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In the 1993 film version of Franz Kafka's The Trial, with a screenplay by Harold Pinter, MacLachlan played the lead role of the persecuted Josef K.<ref name="nyt-Maslin">Template:Cite news</ref>

MacLachlan co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson as a rookie prison guard in John Frankenheimer's 1994 Emmy-winning HBO film Against the Wall about the Attica prison riots.<ref name="AgainstTheWall">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite magazine;{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1994, he was also featured in The Flintstones, a live-action movie adaptation of the animated sitcom of the same name, portraying Cliff Vandercave, the movie's main antagonist, opposite John Goodman as Fred Flintstone and Rick Moranis as Barney Rubble.<ref name="av-roles" />

In 1995, MacLachlan starred in Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls. The movie was heavily panned by critics,<ref name="metacritic-showgirls">"Showgirls 1995" Metacritic. Retrieved February 9, 2017.</ref> and it collected a record seven Golden Raspberry Awards.<ref name="os-showgirls">Template:Cite news</ref> MacLachlan recalls that when he watched Showgirls for the first time before the premiere, he thought it was "horrible". But he later realised that the movie was "inadvertently funny" and embraced for its campiness.<ref name="av-roles" /><ref name="innerviews-showgirls">Template:Cite episodeTemplate:Cbignore</ref> According to MacLachlan, although he skipped the movie's press tour, he had sat through the whole screening, contrary to reports that he walked out.<ref name="innerviews-showgirls" />

2000sEdit

From 2000 to 2002, MacLachlan had a recurring role in the American television series Sex and the City, portraying Dr. Trey MacDougal, the one-time husband of Charlotte York (Kristin Davis).<ref name="av-roles" /> MacLachlan played King Claudius in the 2000 film Hamlet based on William Shakespeare's play.<ref name="guardian-Tozer" /> In the video game Grand Theft Auto III released in 2001, he voiced the character of the sociopathic real-estate developer Donald Love.<ref name="rs-Zuniga">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2002, he made his West End debut in John Kolvenbach's On an Average Day with Woody Harrelson.<ref name="guardian-Brooks" /><ref name="guardian-Costa">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2003, MacLachlan made his Broadway debut as Aston in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker with Patrick Stewart.<ref name="caretaker">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; Template:Cite magazine</ref> He portrayed the spirit of Cary Grant in the 2004 film Touch of Pink.<ref name="about-pink">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His resemblance to Grant had been previously noted in an episode of Twin Peaks. That same year he also had a guest role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, in which he played a psychiatrist who shot and killed a sociopathic child who had murdered his son.<ref name="LAO-2004">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was a guest star in the show again in 2011, as a politician whose son is involved in a rape accusation.<ref name="LAO-2011">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2006, after starring in the short-lived In Justice, MacLachlan appeared in Desperate Housewives as the mysterious dentist Orson Hodge.<ref name="av-roles" /> He first appeared during the show's second season, and became a full-time cast member at the start of season three.<ref name="metacritic-tv">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="ausiello">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2007, MacLachlan was one of the presenters at the London leg of Live Earth benefit concerts.<ref name="liveEarth">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }};{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He appeared in the 2008 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.<ref name="sotp2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the American English version of the cult 2006 Norwegian animated film Free Jimmy released in 2008, he voiced the character of "Marius", a militant animal rights activist.<ref name="freejimmy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2010sEdit

In 2010, after four years of playing Orson Hodge, MacLachlan decided to quit Desperate Housewives as he found the commute from his home in New York City to the set in Los Angeles increasingly difficult since becoming a father in 2008.<ref name="contactMusic-WENN">"MacLachlan to Quit "Desperate Housewives?" Contact Music. WENN. June 11, 2009</ref><ref name="ew-hwExit">Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, he returned as a guest star in 2012 for season eight, the final season of Desperate Housewives.<ref name="tvline-Ausiello">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also guest starred as George "The Captain" Van Smoot in seasons six, eight and nine of How I Met Your Mother, from 2010 until 2014.<ref name="HIMYM">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }};{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He would reprise the role in the first season of the spinoff How I Met Your Father in 2022.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

From 2011 to 2018, he played the role of Mayor of Portland, Oregon, in the IFC comedy Portlandia.<ref name="av-roles" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After the end of the short-lived 2012 series Made in Jersey, where he starred as lawyer Donovan Stark, he was cast as a guest star in The Good Wife.<ref name="hp-Jersey">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="hp-GoodWife">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2013 and 2014 he appeared as prosecutor Josh Perotti in four episodes of The Good Wife.<ref name="GoodWife">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014 and 2015 he appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as villain Calvin Johnson / The Doctor.<ref name="AgentsOfShield">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="screener-Vick">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2015, he voiced Riley Anderson's father in the Pixar animated feature Inside Out.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In January 2015, it was announced that MacLachlan would return as Special Agent Dale Cooper for the new limited television series Twin Peaks: The Return,<ref name="thr-OConnell">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which debuted on May 21, 2017.<ref name="deadline-Andreeva">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In an interview, MacLachlan said he doesn't understand all of Twin Peaks, and that fans understand it much more than him.<ref name="McMahon" />

In 2018, MacLachlan starred as Isaac Izard, the main antagonist in the fantasy-horror family film The House with a Clock in its Walls.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2019, he appeared as a team owner in Steven Soderbergh's High Flying Bird which was shot entirely on the iPhone 8.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that year, he co-starred in Carol's Second Act, from the writers of Booksmart.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The series was canceled in 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

At the 11th Annual Governors Awards, held on October 27, 2019, MacLachlan and his Blue Velvet co-star Laura Dern paid tribute to their friend and collaborator David Lynch, who received an Academy Honorary Award for his work.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

2020sEdit

In 2020, he reunited with his Hamlet co-star Ethan Hawke, portraying Thomas Edison opposite Hawke's Tesla.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later that year, he made an uncredited cameo appearance in HBO's How To with John Wilson, which Vulture described as "a glorious 14 seconds".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He then portrayed Franklin D. Roosevelt in Atlantic Crossing, which aired on Masterpiece Theatre in 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2022, MacLachlan co-starred with Jon Hamm in Confess, Fletch<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and was also cast as Chief Justice Earl Warren in Miranda's Victim.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> From 2023 to 2024, he returned to voiceover work with a guest-starring role on Hulu's Futurama<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and reprised his role as Riley's dad in Pixar's Inside Out 2 and Disney+'s Dream Productions.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MacLachlan also co-hosted and co-created PodcastOne's Varnamtown podcast with Epic Magazine co-founder Joshua Davis. The true crime series explores Varnamtown, North Carolina's ties to Pablo Escobar.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2024, he was honored with the Canal+ Icon Award at Canneseries ahead of his role in Amazon's Fallout, the adaptation of the popular video game series.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was quickly renewed for a second season in April 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In August 2024, he played a supporting role in Blink Twice, the directorial debut of Zoë Kravitz.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In September 2024, he was cast alongside Connie Britton and Kaia Gerber in Overcompensating, a college-set comedy series created by and starring Benito Skinner.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In January 2025, the WGAW announced that MacLachlan would posthumously present the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement to David Lynch,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> who had died earlier that month.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> MacLachlan had previously honored his longtime friend and collaborator with tributes in The New York Times,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> GQ<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and on his personal Instagram account, where he wrote, "I was willing to follow him anywhere because joining him on the journey of discovery, searching and finding together, was the whole point. I stepped out into the unknown because I knew David was floating out there with me. It's like Agent Cooper says to Sheriff Truman in Twin Peaks: 'I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.' I will miss my dear friend. He has made my world—all of our worlds—both wonderful and strange".<ref name="MacLachlan">Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal lifeEdit

FamilyEdit

MacLachlan's mother died of ovarian cancer in 1986, aged 52, shortly before Blue Velvet was released.<ref name="gq-Schneller" /><ref name="guardian-Tozer" /><ref name="es-Cavendish">Template:Cite news</ref> She had been diagnosed while he was filming Dune in 1983, and delayed informing him of the diagnosis.<ref name="guardian-Tozer" /><ref name="people-Callawaycancer">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His father died of post-surgery complications in 2011.<ref name="obituary-father" />

RelationshipsEdit

MacLachlan dated his Blue Velvet co-star Laura Dern from 1985 to 1989.<ref name="gq-Schneller" /><ref name="nydn-Dern">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Subsequently, he was in a relationship with Twin Peaks co-star Lara Flynn Boyle from 1990 to 1992.<ref name="gq-Schneller" /><ref name="wp-Benedek" /> In 1992, after his relationship with Boyle ended, he began a relationship with supermodel Linda Evangelista after they met at a photo shoot they did together for Barneys New York. According to MacLachlan, they had been engaged for a few years when their six-year relationship ended in 1998.<ref name="dtuk-Rumbold" /><ref name="guardian-Tozer" /><ref name="people-Evangelista">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

MarriageEdit

In 1999, he met and began a relationship with publicist Desiree Gruber.<ref name="guardian-Tozer" /><ref name="es-Cavendish" /> Gruber runs her own public relations agency; she became an executive producer of Project Runway in 2004.<ref name="guardian-Brooks">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="wwd-Strugatz">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> MacLachlan moved to New York City because he was filming Sex and the City and Gruber was based there.<ref name="es-Cavendish" /> They were married on April 20, 2002.<ref name="people-Wedding" /> Their son was born on July 25, 2008.<ref name="celeb-babies">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The family has residences in Los Angeles and New York.<ref name="guardian-Mulkerrins" /><ref name="variety-David">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

WinemakingEdit

MacLachlan, a wine lover, co-founded Pursued by Bear with vintner Eric Dunham in 2005 under Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington.<ref name="observer-Martinez">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="DunhamCellars">Template:Citation</ref> The name, inspired by Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, comes from the stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear."<ref name="pdxTribune-Vondersmith">Template:Cite news</ref> Recognized as one of Washington's top-rated labels, Pursued by Bear produces five wines: Twin Bear, Pursued by Bear, Baby Bear, Blushing Bear, and Bear Cub.<ref name="observer-Martinez" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Social mediaEdit

In 2024, MacLachlan’s Instagram and TikTok accounts garnered attention for his engagement with viral trends and popular culture. His posts, which featured music and inspiration from artists like Lorde, Chappell Roan, and Charli XCX's Brat, received positive reactions from the artists themselves. Multiple publications praised his ability to connect with a Gen-Z audience and affectionately elevated him to "babygirl" status.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Acting creditsEdit

FilmEdit

Year Title Role Notes
1984 Dune Paul Atreides
1986 Blue Velvet Jeffrey Beaumont
1987 The Hidden Lloyd Gallagher
1990 Don't Tell Her It's Me Trout
1991 The Doors Ray Manzarek
1992 Where the Day Takes You Ted
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me Special Agent Dale Cooper
Rich in Love Billy McQueen
1993 The Trial Josef K.
1994 The Flintstones Clifford "Cliff" Vandercave
1995 Showgirls Zack Carey
1996 The Trigger Effect Matthew Kay
Mad Dog Time Jake Parker
1997 One Night Stand Vernon Rivers
2000 XChange James Fisk / Stuart Toffler 2
Hamlet Claudius
Timecode Bunny Drysdale
2001 Me Without You Daniel
Perfume Business Manager
2002 Miranda Nailor
2003 Northfork Mr. Hope
2004 Touch of Pink Spirit of Cary Grant
2008 Free Jimmy Marius English dub
Justice League: The New Frontier Superman Voice, direct-to-video<ref name="btva">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation CitationClass=web

}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Bill Kerr Uncredited
2009 Mao's Last Dancer Charles C. Foster
The Smell of Success Jimmy St. James
2011 Peace, Love & Misunderstanding Mark
2013 Breathe In Peter Sebeck
2015 Inside Out Bill Andersen<ref name="btva" /> Voice
Riley's First Date? Voice, short film
2018 Giant Little Ones Ray Winter
The House with a Clock in Its Walls Isaac Izard
2019 High Flying Bird David Seton
The Staggering Girl Matteo / Bruno / Angelo Short film
2020 Tesla Thomas Edison
Capone Dr. Karlock
2022 Confess, Fletch Horan
2023 Miranda's Victim Chief Justice Earl Warren
2024 Inside Out 2 Bill Andersen Voice
Blink Twice Rich
2025 Echo Valley Richard Garrett Post-production

TelevisionEdit

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Dream Breakers Bobby O'Connor Television film
1990–1991 Twin Peaks Dale Cooper 30 episodes
1990 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Kyle MacLachlan/Sinéad O'Connor"
The American Experience Narrator Episode: "Insanity on Trial"
1991 Tales from the Crypt Earl Raymond Digs Episode: "Carrion Death"
1994 Against the Wall Michael Smith Television film
Roswell Jesse A. Marcel
1995 The Conversation Harry Caul Pilot
1996 Moonshine Highway Jed Muldoon Television film
1997 Windsor Protocol Sean Dillon
1998 Thunder Point
Route 9 Booth Parker
The Invisible Man Jack Griffin Pilot
2000 The Spring Dennis Conway Television film
2000–2002 Sex and the City Trey MacDougal 23 episodes
2002 Jo Role unknown Pilot
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dr. Brett Morton Episode: "Conscience"
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear Edward Wilde Television film
2005 Mysterious Island Cyrus Smith
2006 In Justice David Swain 13 episodes
2006–2012 Desperate Housewives Orson Hodge 85 episodes
2010–2014 How I Met Your Mother George Van Smoot / The Captain 7 episodes
2011 The Doctor Jason Pilot
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Andrew Raines Episode: "Blood Brothers"
2011–2018 Portlandia Mayor of Portland 24 episodes
2012 Made in Jersey Donovan Stark 8 episodes
2013–2014 The Good Wife Josh Perotti 4 episodes
2014 Believe Roman Skouras 12 episodes
2014–2015 Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Calvin Johnson / The Doctor 13 episodes
2016 Gravity Falls Bus Driver Voice, episode: "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls"<ref name="btva" />
2017 Twin Peaks: The Return Dale Cooper 18 episodes
2018 American Dad! Del Voice, episode: "Paranoid Frandroid"
2019–2020 Carol's Second Act Dr. Frost 18 episodes
2020 How to With John Wilson Himself Episode: "How to Make Small Talk"; uncredited
Atlantic Crossing Franklin D. Roosevelt 8 episodes
2022 Joe vs. Carole Howard Baskin citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

How I Met Your Father George Van Smoot / The Captain 2 episodes
2023 Lucky Hank Dickie Pope 2 episodes
2023–2025 Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Draiven Bosh Voice, 4 episodes
2023–2024 Futurama Dung Beetle Majordomo, Himself Voices, 2 episodes
2024–present Fallout Hank MacLean 2 episodes
2024 Dream Productions Bill Andersen Voice, 2 episodes
2025 Primos Bill Voice, episode: "Summer of Sueños"
Overcompensating John citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref>

The Lowdown citation CitationClass=web

}}</ref> || Upcoming series

Video gamesEdit

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Dune Paul Atreides Likeness, credited with "Special Thanks"
2001 Grand Theft Auto III Donald Love<ref name="btva" /> Voice

TheatreEdit

Year Title Role Notes
1983 Tartuffe Damis Empty Space Theatre
1988 The Palace of Amateurs Terrence Beebe Minetta Lane Theatre
2002 On An Average Day Jack Harold Pinter Theatre
2003–2004 The Caretaker Aston American Airlines Theatre

Awards and nominationsEdit

Year Association Category Nominated work Result Template:Abbr
1990 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Twin Peaks Template:Nom
1991 Template:Nom
Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Television Series Drama Template:Won
Viewers for Quality Television Best Actor in a Quality Drama Series Template:Nom
Grammy Awards Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording "Diane..." - The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper Template:Nom
1996 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Actor Showgirls Template:Nom
2005 Genie Awards Best Supporting Actor Touch of Pink Template:Nom
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actor on Television The Librarian: Quest for the Spear Template:Nom
2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Desperate Housewives Template:Nom
2008 Template:Nom
2009 Template:Nom
2018 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Twin Peaks Template:Nom <ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Dorian Awards TV Performance of the Year - Actor Template:Won
Empire Awards Best Actor in a TV series Template:Nom
Saturn Awards Best Actor on Television Template:Won
2024 Astra TV Awards Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series Fallout Template:Won
2025 Saturn Awards Best Guest Starring Role on Television Template:Nom

See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Sister project

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   }}
 }}{{#if:   {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch: 
 | award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
 }}}} {{#if: 
 | {{{name}}}
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at IMDb{{#if: {{#property:P345}}
 | Template:EditAtWikidata
 | Template:Main other

}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source={{{id}}}|plain=false}}

 | 1 | 3 =  Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
 | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}

Template:GoldenGlobeBestActorTVDrama 1990-2009 Template:Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television

Template:Authority control