Lenny Von Dohlen
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| Lenny Von Dohlen | |
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| Born | December 22, 1958 Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Other names | Lenny von Dohlen (different spelling) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Height | 6' 2" (1.88 m) |
Lenny Von Dohlen (born December 22, 1958) is an American film and stage actor, best known for his performance as the agoraphobic Harold Smith in Twin Peaks and the architect Miles Harding in the film Electric Dreams. Von Dohlen currently resides in New York and Los Angeles.
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[edit] Early years
Lenny Von Dohlen was born in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in Goliad, a small town in Texas. As a child he wished to become a jockey, but grew too tall for his dream. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and majored in drama at Loretto Heights College.
[edit] Film
Lenny Von Dohlen’s film debut was in Tender Mercies, starring Robert Duvall, written by Horton Foote and directed by Bruce Beresford in 1983. In 1984, Von Dohlen played the lead role in the cult film MGM/UA’s Electric Dreams. Other roles include: Under the Biltmore Clock (1985); Dracula's Widow (1989); Blind Vision (1992); Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992); a cameo scene in Jennifer 8 (1992); Ed Zwick’s Leaving Normal (1992) and the title role in Billy Galvin (1986).
He played one of the four bad guys in Twentieth Century Fox’s Home Alone 3(1997). It was his first film to appear as a villain. He also appeared in low-budget independent films such as Toll Booth (1994), Bird of Prey (1996), One Good Turn (1996), Entertaining Angels (1996), Cadillac (1997) and Frontline (1997); none of which had theatrical release. In 2007, he appeared in Beautiful Loser playing the role of Reggie as an adult, and Teeth, a Sundance and Berlin Film Festival Dramatic Competition nominee. In 2010, he played Elder Daniel in Downstream and in the same year he played Sheriff Jack Carter in a short movie named Night Blind
[edit] Television
Von Dohlen's first television role was that of a pedophile in an ABC after-school special in 1985, named "Don't Touch". In addition to his role on Twin Peaks, Von Dohlen appeared in Kent State (1981), thirtysomething (1987), The Lazarus Man, Picket Fences (1992) (playing the gay brother of Marlee Matlin's character), The Pretender (1999), Chicago Hope (1994), Red Dwarf (1992), and (as a psycho killer) in Walker, Texas Ranger (1996). He also appeared in the Masterpiece Theatre presentation of Eudora Welty’s The Ponder Heart (2000) on PBS. In 2010, he had a guest spot in the USA Network's show Psych episode Dual Spires, a Twin Peaks homage and cast reunion as the character Sheriff Andrew Jackson.
[edit] Theater
In the theater, Von Dohlen has created roles in the New York productions of Asian Shade, The Team, Twister and Vanishing Act and The Maderati, the latter two by Richard Greenberg. For nine months he starred in Carol Churchill’s play Cloud 9, directed by Tommy Tune, followed by The Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Desire Under the Elms opposite Kathy Baker. He has starred in Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Joe Orton's Loot. On the West Coast, Von Dohlen has been seen in Wedekind's Lulu at the La Jolla Playhouse, and The Blue Room at the Pasadena Playhouse and in "Doubt" at the [Indiana Repertory Theatre]. Von Dohlen originated the role of the famous literary personality Voltaire in the world premiere of Jean Claude Van Itallie's Light.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Kent State | (uncredited) | TV movie |
| 1983 | Tender Mercies | Robert | |
| 1983 | Sessions | Paulie | TV movie |
| 1983 | How to be a perfect person in just three days | Erik Crimpley | TV movie |
| 1984 | Electric Dreams | Miles Harding | |
| 1986 | Billy Galvin | Billy Galvin | |
| 1989 | Dracula's Widow | Raymond | |
| 1991 | Love Kills | Jonathan Brinkman | TV movie |
| 1992 | Leaving Normal | Harry Rainey | |
| 1992 | Jennifer 8 | Blattis | Cameo |
| 1992 | Eyes of Beholder | Janice Bickle | |
| 1992 | Blind Vision | William Dalton | |
| 1992 | Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me | Harold Smith | |
| 1994 | Amberwaves | Justin Campenella | |
| 1994 | Tollbooth | Jack | |
| 1996 | One Good Turn | Matt Forrest | |
| 1996 | Bird of Prey | Johnny McKenna | |
| 1996 | Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story | Forster Batterham | |
| 1997 | Cadillac | Jimmy | |
| 1997 | Home Alone 3 | Burton Jernigan | |
| 1999 | Frontline | Ludwig Haig | |
| 2000 | Breathing Hard | Anton | |
| 2000 | The Ponder Heart | DeYancey Clanahan | TV movie |
| 2003 | How's My Driving? | Adrian Kennet | Short |
| 2007 | Teeth | Bill | |
| 2008 | Beautiful Loser | Reggie (adult) | |
| 2010 | Downstream | Elder Daniel | |
| 2010 | Night Blind | Sheriff Jack Carter | Short |
| 2011 | Camilla Dickinson | Bill Rowan | In post-production since 11 July 2011 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Miami Vice | Bob Rickert | Episode: "Give a Little, Take a Little" |
| 1985 | ABC Afterschool Specials | Mike Rivers | Episode: "Don't Touch" |
| 1985 | Tales From The Darkside | Mr. Smith | Episode: "Distant Signals" |
| 1986 | American Playhouse | Knowleton Whitney | Episode: "Under the Biltmore Clock" |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Dan Turner | Episode: "Shades of Darkness" |
| 1986 | thirtysomething | Roy MacCaulay | Episode: "We'll Meet Again" |
| 1989 | The Young Riders | Lt. Josey Cassidy | Episode: "End of Innocence" |
| 1990 | Grand | Jeremy | 3 episodes |
| 1990 | Twin Peaks | Harold Smith | 4 episodes |
| 1991 | The Flash | Jason Brassell | Episode: "Twin Streaks" |
| 1992 | Red Dwarf | Cop | Episode: "Back to Reality" |
| 1996 | Picket Fences | Gerald 'Gerry' Bey | Episode: "Bye-Bye, Bey-Bey" |
| 1996 | Walker Texas Ranger | Adam 'The Hangman' Quinn | Episode: "Hall of Fame" |
| 1999 | Chicago Hope | Tom Van Deusen | Episode: "A Goy and His Dog" |
| 1999–2000 | The Pretender | Mr. Cox | 5 episodes |
| 2000 | The Magnificent Seven | Cyrus Poplar | Episode: "Penance" |
| 2002 | CSI: Miami | Professor Adam Metzger | Episode: "A Horrible Mind" |
| 2007 | Ghost Whisperer | Steve Wheeler | Episode: "Children of Ghosts" |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Record Exec #1 | Episode: "The Performer" |
| 2010 | Psych | Sheriff Andrew Jackson | Episode: "Dual Spires" |
[edit] Personal life
Von Dohlen has a daughter named Hazel, born on 9 August 2000.
[edit] References
1. "Desire under the Elms" 1984 review
2. WRAPPED IN PLASTIC, issue 62, December 2002 interview w/ Lenny von Dohlen
3. Review on Camino Real, BACKSTAGE, February 17, 2011
4. Lenny Von Dohlen at the Twin Peaks Fest 2011 at "Lovely Lenny Von Dohlen" Tumblr-blog
