Lenny Von Dohlen

Leonard Harold Von Dohlen IV (December 22, 1958 – July 5, 2022) was an American television, film, and stage actor. With a 40-year career that primarily featured work in independent films and guest appearances on numerous prominent series, he was probably best known for his performance as architect Miles Harding in the film Electric Dreams, the title role as a steelworker's son opposite Karl Malden in Billy Galvin (1986), and as the orchid-loving agoraphobe Harold Smith in the television series Twin Peaks and its prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

Early years Von Dohlen was born on December 22, 1958, in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Goliad, a small town in south Texas.

He had German ancestry from his paternal grandfather and French Cajun ancestry from his maternal grandfather. His grandmothers were of Irish ancestry. As a child he wanted to become a jockey, but grew too tall for his dream. He studied Theater at the University of Texas, and graduated from Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado. From there, he moved to New York City to pursue a career on the stage, saying in an interview: "I knew I wanted to go to New York City to work in the theater ... so I rid myself of my Texas accent by listening to John Gielgud records. Then, after I got to NYC, the first film I was offered was to play the leader of a country & western band in Texas. Ahh, irony." The following year, Von Dohlen played the lead role in the cult film Electric Dreams, as a shy architect who finds himself competing romantically with his computer for the affection of his neighbor, which Roger Ebert called "perfect casting". Other early movie roles include: Under the Biltmore Clock (1985); the title role in Billy Galvin (1986) opposite Karl Malden and Joyce Van Patten; Dracula's Widow (1987); Blind Vision (1992); Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992); Jennifer 8 (1992); and Ed Zwick's Leaving Normal (1992). and played one of the villains in Home Alone 3 (1997). He is well-known for portraying agoraphobic orchid lover Harold Smith in David Lynch and Mark Frost's 1990 TV series Twin Peaks.

Other television roles include Don't Touch, directed by Beau Bridges; The Equalizer; Tales from the Darkside; Miami Vice; thirtysomething (1987); and The Lazarus Man (playing John Wilkes Booth), He appeared on The Flash as Jason Brassell, who creates a clone of The Flash/Barry Allen known as Pollux, in the 1991 episode "Twin Streaks"; Picket Fences (playing the gay brother of Marlee Matlin's character (1992)); as the diabolical Mr. Cox in a recurring role on The Pretender (1999); Walker, Texas Ranger (1996); and Chicago Hope (1999).

In 1992, he played a government agent of a future fascist state in the BBC's Red Dwarf series V, episode 6, Back to Reality. In 2017 he appeared in Episode 12 of Seth MacFarlane's futuristic sci-fi Fox series The Orville, as the priest Valondis.

Theater Onstage, he created roles in the New York productions of Asian Shade, The Team, Vanishing Act, and The Maderati, followed by The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Desire Under the Elms, opposite Kathy Baker.

He starred in Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Joe Orton's Loot, Legacy of Light at the Cleveland Play House, Lanford Wilson's one-man play A Poster of the Cosmos, and Doubt at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. On the West Coast, Von Dohlen was seen in Wedekind's Lulu at the La Jolla Playhouse, The Blue Room at the Pasadena Playhouse, and Theater District at the Black Dahlia Theater. In 2012 at GTC, he played Elyot Chase in Noël Coward's Private Lives.

Death Von Dohlen died on July 5, 2022, aged 63, in Los Angeles, after a long illness. His death was announced by his sister Catherine on Facebook three days later. He had a daughter, Hazel, and a partner, playwright James Still. Von Dohlen III, died in 2009.

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1983 Tender Mercies Robert 1984 Electric Dreams Miles Harding 1992 Leaving Normal Harry Rainey Eyes of Beholder Janice Bickle 2007 Teeth Bill 2010 Downstream Elder Daniel Night Blind Sheriff Jack Carter Short 2011 Choose Creepy Guy In Hotel 2012 Camilla Dickinson Bill Rowan Annie and the Gypsy Gordon 2013 Dark Power Bill Davies 2015 Broken Horses Joe 2016 Threshold Dr. Clair 2017 Ray Meets Helen Armond 2018 The Maestro Luc, Rejected Student 2019 Nasty Harry Ryals Short We Shall Overcome Mr. Frost Short 2020 For the Weekend Doug 2022 Creator Dr. Richard CooperShort 2024 Sallywood Dave Posthumous release

Television Year Title Role Notes 1981 Kent State Uncredited TV movie 1984 How to Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days Erik Crimpley TV movie Miami Vice Bob Rickert Episode: "Give a Little, Take a Little" Tales from the Darkside Mr. Smith Episode: "Distant Signals" 1989 The Young Riders Lieutenant Josey Cassidy Episode: "End of Innocence" 1990 Grand Jeremy 3 episodes Twin Peaks Harold Smith 4 episodes Love Kills Jonathan Brinkman TV movie 1996 Picket Fences Gerald "Gerry" Bey Episode: "Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey" 2002 CSI: Miami Professor Adam Metzger Episode: "A Horrible Mind" 2017 The Orville Valondis Episode: "Mad Idolatry"