Twin Peaks Actor Lenny Von Dohlen Dies at 63

Lenny Von Dohlen, an actor known for his memorable roles in projects like Electric Dreams and Twin Peaks, has passed away at the age of 63. The news of Von Dohlen's passing was confirmed in a statement released by his longtime manager, Steven J. Wolfe. Von Dohlen reportedly died on Tuesday, July 6th in his home in Los Angeles, following a long illness. Von Dohlen might be best known for portraying Harold Smith, the agoraphobic orchid-loving character on Twin Peaks, a role he later reprised in the franchise's spinoff film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Born on December 22, 1958 in Augusta, Georgia, Von Dohlen was raised in Goliad, Texas, and went on to study Theater at the University of Texas, before graduating from Denver, Colorado's Loretto Heights College. Von Dohlen subsequently moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater.

"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," Von Dohlen explained in a later interview. "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."

Von Dohlen made his onscreen debut in NBC's 1981 Emmy-award-winning Kent State, and his film debut in 1983's Tender Mercies, which went on to win Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor. That then led to him starring as Miles "Moles" Harding in Electric Dreams, a cult-classic film depicting a love triangle between a man, a woman, and a computer.

In the years that followed, Von Dohlen's filmography would include appearances on Miami Vice, The Equalizer, Thirtysomething, and The Flash. He then portrayed Harold Smith across four episodes of Twin Peaks' second season.

Other memorable projects of Van Dolen's include Home Alone 3, The Pretender, World's End, Psych, Criminal Minds, and CSI: Miami. His most recent work included The Orville, Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story, and lending his voice to Red Dead Redemption II. He will posthumously appear in the film Sallywood, which is currently in post-production.

Our thoughts are with Von Dohlen's family, friends, and fans at this time.