As a fan of David Lynch and his offbeat psychological TV drama Twin Peaks, which was broadcast for two seasons from 1990-91, I must say that I was extremely impressed with the number of cast members from the series that the Hollywood Show was able to assemble for their Fall show, which I attended on October 9, 2010. Although I adore the series, I wasn’t quite into it enough to pick up some of the actors who played minor characters: those like Lenny von Dohlen (Harold Smith), Michael Parks (Jean Renault), Chris Mulkey (Hank Jennings), Walter Olkewicz (Jacques Renault), or the most obscure of all, Connie Woods (new girl at One Eyed Jacks).
I have already highlighted a few of the performers who were there as part of the Twin Peaks reunion – but were more famous by other film or TV roles, of which I chose photos of to have them sign: Russ Tamblyn, Peggy Lipton, and Charlotte Stewart. In addition, Kimmy Robertson made another appearance, but I had already gotten her as well. (Click on any names above to see their postings). And there had also been a number of actors who had played small roles in various episodes and I had met in the past: Hank Worden, David Lander, Tony Burton, and Ian Abercrombie. Eric Da Re, who played major character Leo Johnson, was scheduled to be present at the Hollywood Show, but didn’t show up on Saturday.
Over the next two postings, I will cover the remaining cast members from whom I obtained signed photos and got pictures with. All of the cast (with the exception of Peggy Lipton) were charging the same amount – $20 per photo and a photo op for free. This was quite refreshing as there were a good number of the Twin Peaks performers on my list.
First up is the character on whom the entire series was based. The central mystery of the show was: who killed Laura Palmer? Although she was only a dead body at the beginning of the show, the actress Sheryl Lee who portrayed her proved to be so talented and captivating that she was brought back in the role of Maddy Ferguson, Laura Palmer’s cousin. She also played the role of Laura in the prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, along with appearances as Laura in flashbacks and in the Red Room.
Sheryl Lee still had that amazingly seductive smile that was made so famous on Twin Peaks, even if it was just in shots of her senior photo of the doomed Laura Palmer – as seen above. I asked her to caption her photo with one of the haunting opening lines of the series: “Dead, wrapped in plastic.”
With Sheryl Lee, alive and unwrapped
Laura’s boyfriend Bobby Briggs was the boyfriend of Laura Palmer in the show. As the rebellious captain of the school’s football team, he was immediately a suspect in Laura’s death. Dana Ashbrook was the actor who portrayed Bobby, and although he has quite a few credits to his name, there weren’t really any works of his that interested me. He was a very friendly guy when we met, and he seemed to share the rambunctiousness of his character.
Dana Ashbrook as Bobby Briggs
Some wild-eyed craziness with Dana Ashbrook
At the risk of giving away one of the twists of the series, I won’t reveal the true nature of Laura’s father Leland Palmer in the series. Actor Ray Wise perfected this role of the alternately jubilant, severely depressed, and often off-his-rocker man who is mourning the death of his daughter.
Ray Wise as the deeply troubled Leland Palmer
Wise has had a rather lucrative career outside of Twin Peaks, starring as the right-hand man Leon Nash to the evil Clarence Boddicker in RoboCop. He also had roles in The Journey of Natty Gann, Good Night and Good Luck, and TV series West Wing, 24, and Charmed.
With Ray Wise, still with the large forehead, but a very nice guy
Celebrity encounters from the Fall 2010 Hollywood Show will continue as the Twin Peaks stars conclude…
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