Kyle MacLachlan

Kyle MacLachlan ( , McLachlan; February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his collaborations with David Lynch, having portrayed his role as Dale Cooper thrice in Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017), which won him a Golden Globe and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and its film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, as well as playing 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 two films of 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 life and education MacLachlan was born Kyle McLachlan at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington. His mother, Catherine (; was a public relations director for a school district and a homemaker who was active in community arts programs. His father, Kent Alan McLachlan (1933–2011), He grew up in Yakima as the eldest of three boys, alongside his younger brothers, Craig and Kent Jr. MacLachlan graduated from Eisenhower High School in Yakima. His mother left his father when he was 17,

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. While in high school, he performed in plays and in class musicals, acting in his first play at age 15. He initially planned to major in business but changed his focus to acting.

MacLachlan made his film debut in Dune (1984) in the starring role of Paul Atreides. 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.

After Dune flopped and met with poor reviews from critics, MacLachlan found it difficult to find work. He moved to Los Angeles in 1985, and auditioned for several films, including Top Gun, but failed to win any roles, eventually dropping his agent. Lynch biographer Chris Rodley described MacLachlan as an on-screen incarnation of Lynch's own persona.

He starred in the 1987 science fiction action film The Hidden as FBI agent Lloyd Gallagher. He also had a small role in the romantic comedy Don't Tell Her It's Me.

1990s

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." 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.

MacLachlan appeared as musician Ray Manzarek in Oliver Stone's 1991 film The Doors, about the band of the same name. He had previously turned down Stone's offer to play Chris in the 1986 movie Platoon, which ultimately went to Charlie Sheen. Also, in 1991, he played the role of a killer in Tales from the Crypt. 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.

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. 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. and it collected a record seven Golden Raspberry Awards. 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. 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. In 2002, he made his West End debut in John Kolvenbach's On an Average Day with Woody Harrelson.

In 2003, MacLachlan made his Broadway debut as Aston in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker with Patrick Stewart. He portrayed the spirit of Cary Grant in the 2004 film Touch of Pink. 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. He was a guest star in the show again in 2011, as a politician whose son is involved in a rape accusation.

In 2006, after starring in the short-lived In Justice, MacLachlan appeared in Desperate Housewives as the mysterious dentist Orson Hodge. In 2007, MacLachlan was one of the presenters at the London leg of Live Earth benefit concerts. He appeared in the 2008 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. 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.

2010s

In 2010, after four years of playing Orson Hodge, MacLachlan decided to leave 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. However, he returned as a guest star in 2012 for season eight, the final season of Desperate Housewives. 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. He would reprise the role in the first season of the spinoff How I Met Your Father in 2022.

From 2011 to 2018, he played the role of Mayor of Portland, Oregon, in the IFC comedy Portlandia. In 2013 and 2014 he appeared as prosecutor Josh Perotti in four episodes of The Good Wife. 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. In 2015, he voiced Riley Anderson's father in the Pixar animated feature Inside Out. 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, which debuted on May 21, 2017. He received a Saturn Award for his performance. In an interview, MacLachlan said he doesn't understand all of Twin Peaks, and that fans understand it much more than him. In 2019, he appeared as a team owner in Steven Soderbergh's High Flying Bird which was shot entirely on the iPhone 8. Later that year, he co-starred in Carol's Second Act, from the writers of Booksmart. The series was canceled in 2020.

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.

2020s In 2020, he reunited with his Hamlet co-star Ethan Hawke, portraying Thomas Edison opposite Hawke's Tesla. 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". He then portrayed Franklin D. Roosevelt in Atlantic Crossing, which aired on Masterpiece in 2021.

In 2022, MacLachlan co-starred with Jon Hamm in Confess, Fletch and was also cast as Chief Justice Earl Warren in Miranda's Victim. From 2023 to 2024, he returned to voiceover work with a guest-starring role on Hulu's Futurama and reprised his role as Riley's dad in Pixar's Inside Out 2 and Disney+'s Dream Productions.

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.

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. It was quickly renewed for a second season in April 2024 followed by an early renewal for a third season in May 2025. In a review of the second season, The Seattle Times wrote that his increased screen time "gives the great actor room to be both goofy and menacing in equal measure, even when he’s not saying a word."

In September 2024, he was cast alongside Connie Britton in Overcompensating, a college-set comedy series created by and starring Benito Skinner. The series premiered in May 2025 to positive reviews and was renewed for a second season in September 2025.

In January 2025, the WGAW announced that MacLachlan would posthumously present the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement to David Lynch, who had died earlier that month. MacLachlan had previously honored his longtime friend and collaborator with tributes in The New York Times, GQ 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".

In September 2025, MacLachlan appeared once again alongside his Hamlet and Tesla co-star Ethan Hawke in FX’s The Lowdown, a new series from Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo. That same month, MacLachlan launched his second podcast, What Are We Even Doing?, a weekly series in which he interviews younger actors and artists about their creative processes. Distributed by iHeartRadio’s Elvis Duran Podcast Network, the podcast has featured guests such as Kaia Gerber, Dylan O’Brien, Benito Skinner, and Caleb Hearon.

Personal life

Family MacLachlan's mother died of ovarian cancer in 1986, aged 52, shortly before Blue Velvet was released. She had been diagnosed while he was filming Dune in 1983, and delayed informing him of the diagnosis. His father died of post-surgery complications in 2011. Subsequently, he was in a relationship with Twin Peaks co-star Lara Flynn Boyle from 1990 to 1992.

Marriage In 1999, he met and began a relationship with publicist Desiree Gruber. MacLachlan moved to New York City because he was filming Sex and the City and Gruber was based there. The family has residences in Los Angeles and New York.

Winemaking MacLachlan, a wine lover, co-founded Pursued by Bear with vintner Eric Dunham in 2005 under Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. The name, inspired by Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, comes from the stage direction "Exit, pursued by a bear". 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.

Social media In 2024, MacLachlan’s Instagram and TikTok accounts gained 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.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes1980The ChangelingStudentUncredited extra 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 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 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 8 episodes 2024 Dream Productions Bill Andersen Voice, 2 episodes2025 Primos Bill Voice, episode: "Summer of Sueños" Overcompensating John 2 episodes The Lowdown Donald Washberg 8 episodes

Video games Year Title Role Notes 1992 Dune Paul Atreides Likeness, credited with "Special Thanks" 2001 Grand Theft Auto III Donald Love

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