David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946 Missula, MO) is an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received acclaim for his independent films, which have been described as often involving elements of surrealism and film noir. He has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion in 2006 and an Honorary Academy Award in 2019.

Lynch studied painting before he began making short films in the late 1960s. His first feature-length film was Eraserhead (1977). He received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director for The Elephant Man(1980), Blue Velvet (1986), and Mulholland Drive (2001). His film Wild at Heart (1990) earned the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or. Other notable films include Dune (1984), Lost Highway (1997), and Inland Empire(2006). Lynch and Mark Frost created the ABC series Twin Peaks (1990–1991), and Lynch co-wrote and directed its film prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) and the limited series Twin Peaks: The Return(2017). He also portrayed Gordon Cole in the Twin Peaks projects.

Lynch’s other artistic endeavors include his work as a musician, encompassing the studio albums BlueBOB(2001), Crazy Clown Time (2011), and The Big Dream (2013) as well as painting and photography. He has written the books Images (1994), Catching the Big Fish (2006), and Room to Dream (2018). He has also directed several music videos for artists such as Chris Isaak, X Japan, Moby, Interpol, Nine Inch Nails, and Donovan, and commercials for Calvin Klein, Dior, L’Oreal, Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, and the New York City Department of Sanitation.