Kyle MacLachlan

Kyle MacLachlan is an American actor born Kyle McLachlan on February 22, 1959. He is best known for his collaborations with director David Lynch, portraying Special Agent Dale Cooper in the television series Twin Peaks, its 2017 revival, and the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. His early work with Lynch includes lead roles as Paul Atreides in Dune and Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet. His notable film appearances include The Hidden, The Doors, The Flintstones, Showgirls, and voicing Riley's father in the Inside Out film series.

MacLachlan was born at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital in Yakima, Washington, to Catherine, a school district public relations director and homemaker, and Kent Alan McLachlan, a stockbroker and lawyer. Raised alongside two younger brothers, he attended Eisenhower High School. Introduced to stage acting by his mother through a youth theater program, he took piano and classical voice lessons, performing in high school plays and musicals. He attended the University of Washington, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama in 1982.

MacLachlan began his screen career as an extra in the 1980 film The Changeling, followed by summer theatrical repertory performances. He made his feature film debut starring in Dune (1984). After Dune struggled commercially, MacLachlan moved to Los Angeles and subsequently starred in Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986), establishing an enduring creative partnership. He followed this with a starring role as an FBI agent in the 1987 science fiction film The Hidden and a small role in Don't Tell Her It's Me.

In 1990, MacLachlan achieved major recognition playing Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks. Throughout the 1990s, his film credits included portraying musician Ray Manzarek in The Doors (1991), Josef K. in The Trial (1993), a rookie prison guard in Against the Wall (1994), antagonist Cliff Vandercave in The Flintstones (1994), and Zack Carey in Showgirls (1995).

Beginning in 2000, MacLachlan took on prominent television roles, including Dr. Trey MacDougal on Sex and the City, dentist Orson Hodge on Desperate Housewives, and George "The Captain" Van Smoot on How I Met Your Mother, a role he later reprised in How I Met Your Father. He made his West End debut in On an Average Day (2002) and his Broadway debut in The Caretaker (2003). He also voiced Donald Love in the video game Grand Theft Auto III (2001) and appeared in films such as Hamlet (2000) and Touch of Pink (2004).

From 2011 to 2018, MacLachlan played the Mayor of Portland on Portlandia. He later joined Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Calvin Johnson, returned as Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks: The Return (2017), and appeared in films including The House with a Clock in its Walls, High Flying Bird, Tesla, Confess, Fletch, and Miranda's Victim. His later television projects include Atlantic Crossing, Fallout, Overcompensating, and FX's The Lowdown.

MacLachlan won a Golden Globe Award and received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Twin Peaks. He earned a Saturn Award for Twin Peaks: The Return and received the Canal+ Icon Award at Canneseries in 2024. In addition to co-creating the podcast Varnamtown and hosting What Are We Even Doing?, he published Fictional Selves: A Memoir in September 2026, which debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list.