- published: 23 May 2015
- views: 23937
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (born February 22, 1959) is an American actor. MacLachlan is best known for his roles in cult films Blue Velvet as Jeffrey Beaumont, Showgirls as Zack Carey, as Paul Atreides in Dune, and Ray Manzarek in the Oliver Stone film The Doors. His television series roles include Orson Hodge on ABC's Desperate Housewives from 2006 to 2012, Trey MacDougal on HBO's Sex and the City, and Special Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks.
MacLachlan was born in Yakima, Washington. His mother was a public relations director and his father was a stockbroker and lawyer. He is of Scottish, Cornish and German descent. He has two younger brothers named Craig and Kent, both of whom live in the Pacific Northwest. MacLachlan graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1977. He graduated from the University of Washington in 1982 and, shortly afterward, moved to Hollywood, California to pursue his career.
MacLachlan has worked extensively with David Lynch. He first appeared as Paul Atreides in the film Dune (1984), Lynch's adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel, and as Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986). Later he played Special Agent Dale Cooper in Lynch's ABC television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991), reprising that role for Lynch's 1992 prequel 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."