What Happened To The Cast Of Twin Peaks?

It's safe to say "Twin Peaks" has one of the biggest cult followings in television history. Created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, "Twin Peaks" debuted on ABC in 1990 and introduced the world to one of TV's biggest mysteries: Who killed Laura Palmer? Thankfully, the question was answered before the show was cancelled in 1991. 

In the finale, Laura (Sheryl Lee) says to Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), "I'll see you again in 25 years." This became a reality when a revival season titled "Twin Peaks: The Return" aired on Showtime in 2017. Lynch returned to the series under one condition, and it became an instant fan-favorite.

Long before the reboot, Lynch revisited the world he created in the prequel film, "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me." Much of the show's cast returned for the movie and the revival season. Some actors had big careers during the 25-year gap, while others are mostly known for the show. The "Twin Peaks" cast is vast, but here's what some of the main actors have been up to since the original show ended. 

Warning: "Twin Peaks" spoilers ahead... 

Played by Kyle MacLachlan, Special Agent Dale Cooper was a kindhearted FBI agent who arrived in the titular town of Twin Peaks to help solve Laura Palmer's murder. During his time in Washington, Cooper bonded with the locals and uncovered dark truths. He thought outside the box and followed clues from his dreams. In the original final episode, Cooper gets trapped in the nightmarish realm known as the Black Lodge, and his evil doppelgänger takes his place. MacLachlan earned two Emmy nominations for the show and won a Golden Globe in 1991. 

MacLachlan reprised his role in "Fire Walk With Me," but he had a reduced part due to the prequel setting. From there, his career continued to thrive. He played the villains in "The Flintstones" and "Showgirl." His big TV roles include "Sex and the City" and "Desperate Housewives," and he had memorable arcs on "How I Met Your Mother" and "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." 

In 2017, MacLachlan played Cooper once again in "The Return." In addition to playing Coop's evil doppelgänger, MacLachlan also embodied the ever-so-silly Dougie. After finally escaping the Black Lodge, the real Cooper takes over the life of Dougie, a tulpa. It takes a while for Cooper to rediscover himself, and he gets mixed up in some hijinks along the way. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in the revival season. 

MacLachlan currently plays Hank MacLean in Prime Video's stellar "Fallout" series (pictured above). 

Ray Wise's performance as Leland Palmer is one of the most memorable from "Twin Peaks." Leland was Laura's father and had more than one mental breakdown throughout the show. From cry-dancing and murdering Jacques Renault (Walter Olkewicz) to his hair turning white overnight, Leland was not stable. In a shocking turn of events, it's revealed in season two that he was the true killer of his daughter. He was possessed by Bob (Frank Silva), an evil spirit who forced him to torment his own child. Leland is arrested for the murder and dies in custody, forcing Bob back to the Black Lodge.  

Wise went on to star in "Fire Walk With Me," which chronicled the events leading up to Laura's murder. Despite Leland being dead, he showed up in "The Return." In between his "Twin Peaks" appearances, Wise was in a wide range of projects. He appeared in "Charmed," "Dawson's Creek," "The West Wing," and the "Psych" episode "Duel Spires," which doubled as a "Twin Peaks" reunion. He was also in the film "Good Night, and Good Luck," which earned him a SAG nomination.

Wise's recent credits include "Fresh Off the Boat" (pictured above) and "The Young and the Restless."  

During the first two seasons of "Twin Peaks," Michael Ontkean played Sheriff Harry S. Truman, the leader of the Twin Peaks police. In addition to helping Cooper solve Laura's murder, Sheriff Truman was a member of the Bookhouse Boys, a secret society dedicated to stopping wrongdoing in the town. He also had a romance with Josie Packard (Joan Chen). Ontkean filmed scenes for "Fire Walk With Me," but they were cut.

Ontkean appeared in a handful of movies after "Twin Peaks," including "The Stepford Husbands" and "Ghost Cat." His final onscreen appearance before retiring was in "The Descendants" (pictured above). Ontkean was originally planning to reprise his role as Sheriff Truman in "The Return," but dropped out of the project in 2015. Ontkean's reasons for not returning are unknown, but the show did cast a new sheriff. Robert Forester stepped in to play Sheriff Frank Truman, Harry's brother. The series explained Ontkean's absence by saying Harry was sick. 

Lara Flynn Boyle had a handful of credits before joining the cast of "Twin Peaks," but it was her role as Donna Hayward that helped her rise to fame. Donna was Laura's best friend, who was unaware of her dark secrets. Donna was a prudish do-gooder who didn't understand the seedy underbelly of her hometown. She started investigating Laura's death and found herself in a dramatic romance with James Hurley (James Marshall). In the second season, Donna learned that her biological father was Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer), and we last see her embracing the father who raised her, Doc Hayward (Warren Frost). 

While Donna is a huge part of "Fire Walk With Me," Boyle did not return for the film. Lynch approached her to reprise her role, but she was unable to join the production due to scheduling conflicts. The part was recast with Moira Kelly. The character was completely absent from "The Return." 

After "Twin Peaks," Boyle starred in "Wayne's World," "Happiness," "Men in Black II," and "The Practice" before disappearing from Hollywood. She's only been in two films since 2015, including "Mother Couch" (pictured above). 

Dana Ashbrook has had an interesting career, but he's best known for playing Bobby Briggs in "Twin Peaks." Bobby was a temperamental jock who was dating Laura and assisting with her drug habit before she died. However, his true romance was with Shelly Johnson (Mädchen Amick). Ashbrook played a pivotal role in "Fire Walk With Me," which saw Bobby killing someone in front of Laura. 

Ashbrook later appeared in the films "Bonnie & Clyde: The True Story" and "Blink of an Eye." His TV credits include "Charmed," "Dawson's Creek," and "Blue Bloods." He was another "Twin Peaks" actor who showed up in the famous "Psych" reunion episode. In 2017, he played Bobby once again in "The Return," marking one of the biggest character growths of the series. Now a cop, Bobby grew into a decent man who was no longer afraid to express his emotions. He's not with Shelly anymore, but they have a daughter, Becky (Amanda Seyfried). 

Ashbrook's recent credits include "Minor Premise" (pictured above), "Please Baby Please," and "High Potential." 

Mädchen Amick has had a big career outside of "Twin Peaks," but many know her best as Shelly Johnson. In addition to being Bobby's girlfriend, she was also the wife of Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re). Stuck in an abusive marriage, Shelly caught a break when Leo went into a coma. He eventually came to and found himself working for the sinister Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh), which ultimately led to his death. The original series ended with Shelly and Bobby together, planning to get married. Amick returned in "Fire Walk With Me." 

Amick starred in the films "Sleepwalkers" and "Dream Lover." She had a role in "ER," and was a series regular on "Freddie" and "Witches of East End." Amick blew up again thanks to the return of "Twin Peaks" and the debut of "Riverdale." The teen show was a massive hit with some even calling it the "Twin Peaks of its time." She played Alice Cooper (pictured above), and the series finale marked her last onscreen role. 

As for Shelly's role in "The Return," most of her story was spent trying to help her daughter, Becky, get out of an abusive marriage. 

Like many actors on this list, Sherilyn Fenn rose to fame thanks to "Twin Peaks." She played Audrey Horne, the daughter of the richest man in town. Audrey was enamoured with Cooper, but their romance never came to fruition because of jealousy on set. In the final episode, Audrey chains herself to a bank vault to protest her father's involvement in forest destruction. The bank explodes, and her fate is left up in the air. During her time on the show, she received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Fenn didn't return for "Fire Walk With Me" because she was shooting "Of Mice and Men." She went on to appear in films such as "Boxing Helena" and "Three of Hearts." Her TV credits include episodes of "Friends," "Dawson's Creek," "Gilmore Girls," and "Shameless." She was yet another "Twin Peaks" actor who guest-starred in the "Psych" episode, "Dual Spires." 

Fenn was in four episodes of "The Return." The revival saw Audrey arguing with her husband over the course of multiple episodes, seemingly unable to leave her house. When she finally makes it to the Roadhouse, she reenacts her iconic dance from the original series. She is last seen in a bright room, which many believe to be an institution. Lynch has said that her ending is open to interpretation. 

Fenn has since appeared in episodes of "The Magicians" (pictured above) and "S.W.A.T." Her most recent credit was "Shining Vale." 

By the time Peggy Lipton played Norma Jennings in "Twin Peaks," she was already a four-time Emmy nominee thanks to "Mod Squad." Norma owned the Double R Diner, a main location in "Twin Peaks." Much of her story revolved around loving Ed Hurley (Everett McGill). Unfortunately, they were each trapped in grim marriages. Norma's husband, Hank (Chris Mulkey), was a criminal who refused to go straight. She's the sister of Annie Blackburn (Heather Graham), who was Cooper's season 2 love interest. 

Lipton returned for "Fire Walk with Me" and appeared in films such as "The Postman" and "When in Rome." Her TV credits include episodes of "Wings," "Alias," and "House of Lies." While she didn't appear in the "Twin Peaks" episode of "Psych," she did guest star in another episode in 2014. She was in five episodes of "The Return," which saw Norma running the diner as a successful franchise. She finally gets with Ed, which marks one of the only happy endings in the show.

Lipton appeared in two episodes of her daughter Rashida Jones' series, "Angie Tribeca" (pictured above). She debuted as Angie's mom in a scene that featured her former onscreen sister, Graham. Sadly, Lipton passed away in 2017 at age 72.

Everett McGill was another established actor who joined "Twin Peaks." He worked with Lynch on "Dune" before being cast as "Big" Ed Hurley. Ed owned the local gas station and was a member of the Bookhouse Boys. He was married to Nadine (Wendy Robie), an eccentric woman whom he did not truly love. Throughout the original series, Ed planned to leave Nadine for Norma multiple times, but various obstacles got in the way. 

McGill filmed scenes for "Fire Walk with Me," but didn't make it into the movie. In 1991, he reunited with Robie in "The People Under the Stairs." He went on to appear in films such as "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" and Lynch's "The Straight Story." McGill retired from acting in 1999, and Lynch had to ask the Internet for help finding him when it came time to make "The Return." Thankfully, Lynch was able to locate McGill, and he returned to give Ed his happily ever after with Norma (pictured above). 

James Marshall had an arc on "Growing Pains" during his time on "Twin Peaks," and the two popular shows helped him gain recognition. His "Twin Peaks" character, James Hurley, was the secret boyfriend of Laura and the nephew of Ed. After Laura's death, James falls for Donna. He also had romantic entanglements with Laura's cousin, Maddy Ferguson (Sheryl Lee). After Maddy is killed, James leaves town and meets Evelyn Marsh (Annette McCarthy), who gets him caught up in her schemes. He never comes home to "Twin Peaks" in season two, but does profess his love for Donna. 

Before playing a prominent role in "Fire Walk with Me," Marshall starred in "Gladiator." He went on to have roles in "A Few Good Men" and "Don't Do It," which co-starred other "Twin Peaks" actors. He worked steadily throughout the years before playing James again in "The Return" (pictured above). In the revival, James is said to have had a head injury from a motorcycle accident. He becomes a security guard at the Great Northern alongside Freddie Sykes (Jake Wardle), who has a superhuman hand.

Marshall has since appeared in "The Pact." 

Jack Nance was already a Lynch staple before playing Pete Martell in "Twin Peaks." The lovable manager of the Packard Sawmill was the one who found Laura's body. He was married to Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie), but his good nature and her conniving ways did not mesh well. Pete was in the bank when it exploded in the final episode. His fate was unclear, but Frost later confirmed that he died trying to protect Audrey. 

Nance returned for "Fire Walk with Me," but his role was cut. He then appeared in "Another Midnight Run" and "Little Witches." His final collaboration with Lynch was "Lost Highway" (pictured above). It was released one month after Nance passed away in December 1996. The actor had suffered from alcohol addiction. The day of his death at age 53, he told friends he got into a brawl. He developed a subdural hematoma and died due to blunt force trauma. 

While both Nance and his "Twin Peaks" character met sad ends, Lynch did give Pete a sweet moment in "The Return." In "another 1989," Pete goes fishing like in the original pilot, but no longer finds Laura's body. 

Piper Laurie had a lucrative career and three Academy Award nominations to her name before playing Catherine Martell in "Twin Peaks." Catherine ran the sawmill that was owned by her sister-in-law, Josie. Catherine planned to destroy the mill with her lover, Benjamin Horne. Things went awry, and Catherine was presumed dead, but she returned to Twin Peaks disguised as a Japanese businessman named Mr. Tojamura. 

Laurie was nominated for two Emmys for playing Catherine and won a Golden Globe for her performance in 1991. She did not appear in "Fire Walk with Me" or "The Return." In 2017, she said she would have been "delighted to come back" (via Entertainment Weekly), but Lynch and Frost were unable to find a storyline that worked for her. 

After "Twin Peaks," Laurie appeared in films such as "Other People's Money" and "The Faculty." Her TV credits included episodes of "ER," "Will & Grace," and "MacGyver" (pictured above). She was nominated for an Emmy for her guest appearance on "Frasier" in 1999.  Her last onscreen performance was in "White Boy Rick," but she lent her voice to multiple audio projects before dying in 2023 at age 91. 

Joan Chen had many credits before playing Josie Packard in "Twin Peaks." Josie owned the sawmill and was the widow of Catherine's brother, Andrew (who later turned out to be alive). She had a romance with Harry, but met a disturbing end in season 2. She died of fright after killing Thomas Eckhardt (David Warner) and became trapped in the knob of a dresser at the Great Northern. She came back for "Fire Walk with Me," but her scene was deleted. She was also missing from "The Return."

Chen went on to star in "Judge Dredd," "Saving Face," "Lust, Caution," and more. She directed multiple films, including "Autumn in New York." Her most recent directing credit was "Hero," and her most recent acting credit was "The Wedding Banquet" (pictured above). 

Sheryl Lee is the only "Twin Peaks" actor on this list who was not in the main cast, but her role was arguably the most important. Laura is only a dead body in the "Twin Peaks" pilot, but Lee soon shows up as her cousin, Maddy. Both characters were killed by Leland while he was possessed by Bob. After the series, Lynch and Frost could not agree on whether to make a sequel or a prequel film. Lynch won the fight, pushing for a prequel because he loved Laura as a character. "Fire Walk with Me" followed her in the days leading up to her death. Lee earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for the film. 

Lee went on to star in "Backbeat," "Vampires," and "Winter's Bone." She made appearances in "Desperate Housewives," "One Tree Hill," "House M.D.," and more. In 2010, she guest-starred on "Psych" with her "Twin Peaks" co-stars. She played Laura again in "The Return" as well as Carrie Page, a woman from another reality who looked like Laura. Carrie is visited by Cooper, who helps her remember her other life. 

Lee's most recent credit was "I Live Here Now" (pictured above).