
Kyle MacLachlan
Biography
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (born February 22, 1959) is an American actor. MacLachlan widely known for his portrayal of Dale Cooper in the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991; 2017), and its prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He is also known for his film roles including cult films such as Dune (1984), Blue Velvet (1986), The Hidden (1987), and Showgirls (1995). He has also had prominent roles in other television shows including appearing as Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City (2000–2002), Orson Hodge in Desperate Housewives (2006–2012), The Captain in How I Met Your Mother (2010–2014), the Mayor of Portland in Portlandia (2011–2018), and as Calvin Zabo in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2015).
MacLachlan was born in Yakima, Washington. His mother, Catherine (née Stone), was a public relations director, and his father, Kent Alan MacLachlan, was a stockbroker and lawyer. He has Scottish, Cornish and German ancestry. 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.
Gallery











Known For
Acting History
2025
The Lowdown as Donald Washberg
2025Cooper's sausage as Dale Cooper/ Small Mexican Chihuahua
2025Echo Valley as Richard Garrett
2025Overcompensating as John
2025Welcome to Lynchland as Self - Actor
2025I Know Catherine, the Log Lady as Self
2024Blink Twice as Rich
2024Inside Out 2 as Dad (voice)
2024Fallout as Overseer Hank MacLean
2023Miranda's Victim as Warren
2023Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures as Draiven Bosh (voice)
2023Svensken bakom Hollywoodkroppen as Himself
2022Confess, Fletch as Ronald Horan
2022Joe vs Carole as Howard Baskin
2022How I Met Your Father as The Captain
2021You Don't Nomi as Himself (archive footage)
2021Welcome Home: Mary Reber and the Twin Peaks Palmer House as Self
2020Atlantic Crossing as President Franklin D. Roosevelt
2020How To with John Wilson as Self (Swiping MetroCard on the subway)
2020Tesla as Thomas Edison
2020Capone as Doctor Karlock
2019A Talk with Kyle MacLachlan and Sheryl Lee as Self
2019Carol's Second Act as Dr. Stephen Frost
2019The Kelly Clarkson Show as Self
2019The Staggering Girl as Matteo / Bruno / Angelo
2019High Flying Bird as David Seton
2019Giant Little Ones as Ray Winter
2018The House with a Clock in Its Walls as Isaac Izard
2018Explained as Narrator (voice)
2018GQ Presents: Iconic Characters as Self
2017The Man with the Gray Elevated Hair as Self
2017The Number of Completion as Self
2017Behind the Red Curtain as Self
2017I Had Bad Milk in Dehradun as Self
2017Two Blue Balls as Self
2017Tell It Martin as Self
2017Do Not Pick Up Hitchhikers as Self
2017Twin Peaks: The Phenomenon as Self
2017A Very Lovely Dream: One Week in Twin Peaks as Self
2017A Pot of Boiling Oil as Self
2017See You on the Other Side Dear Friend as Self
2016Blue Velvet Revisited as Self
2015Riley's First Date? as Dad (voice)
2015The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as Self
2015Inside Out as Dad (voice)
2015The Late Late Show with James Corden as Self
2014Moving Through Time: Fire Walk With Me Memories as Himself
2014Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces as Special Agent Dale Cooper
2014Believe as Roman Skouras
2014Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self
2013Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Skye's Father
2013Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as The Doctor
2013Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Cal
2013Breathe In as Peter Sebeck
2012Made in Jersey as Donovan Stark
2012Gravity Falls as Bus Driver (voice)
2011Blue Velvet: The Lost Footage as Jeffrey Beaumont
2011Peace, Love & Misunderstanding as Mark Hudson
2011The Smell of Success as Jimmy St. James
2011The Doctor
2011Portlandia as Mayor
2009Mao’s Last Dancer as Charles Foster
2009The Good Wife as Josh Perotti
2009Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
2008The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 as Bill Kerr (uncredited)
2008Justice League: The New Frontier as Superman (voice)
2007A Slice of Lynch as Self
2007Secrets from Another Place: Creating Twin Peaks
2007The 50 Greatest Television Dramas as Self
2006In Justice as David Swain
2005How I Met Your Mother as George Van Smoot
2005Jules Verne's Mysterious Island as Cyrus
2005Jules Verne's Mysterious Island as Cyrus
2005American Dad! as Del (voice)
2004Desperate Housewives as Orson Hodge
2004The Tony Danza Show as Self - Guest
2004Touch of Pink as Ghost of Cary Grant
2004The Librarian: Quest for the Spear as Edward Wilde
2003Northfork as Mr. Hope
2003Impressions of Dune as Self
2002V Graham Norton as Self
2002Mysteries of Love as Self
2002Miranda as Nailor
2001Postcards From The Cast as Self
2001An Introduction to David Lynch as Self
2001Richard & Judy as Self
2001Me Without You as Daniel
2001Reflections on the Phenomenon of Twin Peaks as Self
2001Perfume as Business Manager
2001Xchange as Fisk / Toffler 2
2000Hamlet as Claudius
2000Timecode as Bunny Drysdale
2000The Spring as Dennis Conway
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Andrew Raines
1999Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Dr. Brett Morton
1999Futurama as Dung Beetle (voice)
1999Futurama as Kyle MacLachlan's Head (voice)
1998Route 9 as Booth Parker
1998The Windsor Protocol as Sean Dillon
1998Sex and the City as Trey MacDougal
1998The Invisible Man
1998Thunder Point as Sean Dillon
1997One Night Stand as Vernon
1997The View as Self
1996Mad Dog Time as Jake Parker
1996The Trigger Effect as Matthew
1996The Daily Show as Self
1996Moonshine Highway as Jed Muldoon
1995Showgirls as Zack Carey
1995The Frank Skinner Show as Self
1995The Conversation as Harry Caul
1994Roswell as Jesse Marcel
1994Vault of Horror I as Earl Raymond Digs (archive footage)
1994The Flintstones as Cliff Vandercave
1994Against the Wall as Michael Smith
1993The Trial as Josef K
1992Where the Day Takes You as Ted
1992Rich in Love as Billy McQueen
1992Tales from the Crypt - Uncut
1992Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me as Special Agent Dale Cooper
1991Crazy About the Movies: Dennis Hopper as Self
1991The Doors as Ray Manzarek
1990Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter as Self
1990Don't Tell Her It's Me as Trout Potts
1990Twin Peaks as Dale Cooper
1990Twin Peaks as Dougie Jones / Dale Cooper
1989Twin Peaks as Special Agent Dale Cooper
1989Dream Breakers as Bobby O'Connor
1989Tales from the Crypt as Earl Raymond Digs (segment "Carrion Death")
1988American Experience as Narrator
1988LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest
1988No Frank in Lumberton as Self
1987The Hidden as Lloyd Gallagher
1986Blue Velvet as Jeffrey Beaumont
1985Screen Two as Josef K
1984Dune as Paul Atreides
1983Destination Dune as Self
1980The Changeling as Uncredited
1975Saturday Night Live as Self - Host
—Goddess: The Fall and Rise of Showgirls as Self
—You Deserve Each Other as Eugene Rose
—Altar






