On This Day

Birthday of David Lynch

January 20th 1946

10:42 20 January 2024

American filmmaker, painter, visual artist, musician, and writer David Lynch was born on this day in 1946. Lynch made his feature film directorial debut with the nightmarish and surreal 'Eraserhead' (1977) which quickly became a cult classic and led to Mel Brooks asking him to direct 'The Elephant Man' (1980) which was a huge critical and commercial success, earning eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

His next film 'Dune' (1984), an adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel, fared less well and was a critical and commercial failure. The director was back on track with 'Blue Velvet' (1986) which received glowing reviews and earned Lynch his second Best Director Academy Award nomination as well as introducing him to the mainstream because of the controversy it caused with audiences and critics.

Other notable film credits include 'Wild at Heart' (1990), 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992), 'Lost Highway' (1997), 'Mulholland Drive' (2001) and 'Inland Empire' (2006). One of the most visionary and original film directors of recent times, David Lynch remains a truly unique talent. Happy Birthday David.