Lenny von Dohlen, the actor who played agoraphobic recluse Harold Smith on Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 63.
Von Dohlen’s death was first announced by his sister, Catherine Von Dohlen, in a Facebook post on Thursday, and his agent subsequently confirmed his death to Variety.
“The world lost a great man on July 5th. Brother Len had a passion for everything and everyone. He always led; be it a captivating conversation, an artistic creation or a journey to new places. He loved a good laugh. He continues on his spiritual journey. Live life fully in his memory,” Catherine wrote.
Film and TV Actors: Lenny Von Dohlen, the actor who played agoraphobic recluse Harold Smith on Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 63; seen in LA in 2014
Von Dohlen appeared in four episodes of Twin Peaks as well as co-creator David Lynch’s spin-off film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which served as both a prequel and a sort of sequel to the series, which was revived in 2017 for an acclaimed third season.
His character, Harold, was an acquaintance of Laura Palmer, whose mysterious murder started the series.
The character gave him her secret diary for safe keeping, but when her friends tried to steal it to help the investigation, his slur ended on a dark note.
Harold hanged himself and left a message in French that read “I have a lonely soul”.
Striking performance: Von Dohlen appeared as Harold Smith in Twin Peaks (pictured) and its spin-off film Fire Walk With Me. He kept the diary of the murdered Laura Palmer. He hanged himself after her friends stole it to help the investigation
Comedy role: Von Dohlen’s most prominent film role was probably his 1984 sci-fi rom-com Electric Dreams (pictured)
Von Dohlen’s most prominent film role was probably his 1984 sci-fi rom-com Electric Dreams, in which he played an architect who becomes enmeshed in a love triangle while his computer – which has become sentient after a malfunction – competes with him for affection competes with a cellist who lives next door.
The actor is perhaps best known to younger viewers for playing one of the unfortunate villains in the 1997 sequel Home Alone 3, which didn’t star Macaulay Culkin.
According to IMDb, von Dohlen’s last roles before his death were in the short film Creator (2022) and the feature film For The Weekend (2020).
The actor was born on December 22, 1958 in Augusta, Georgia and grew up in a small town in south Texas.
He later graduated from Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado and majored in theater at the University of Texas.
Children’s film: The actor is perhaps best known to younger viewers for playing one of the hapless villains in the 1997 sequel ‘Home Alone 3,’ which didn’t star Macaulay Culkin
After completing his studies, von Dohlen moved to New York City to pursue theater roles.
He landed his first television role in 1981 on the series Kent State, and two years later he had his film debut in Tender Mercies, which won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor for its lead actor, Robert Duvall.
In 2010, Von Dohlen made a special cameo appearance on US Psych for the episode Dual Spiers, which was a tribute to Twin Peaks.
He played Sheriff Andrew Jackson – the original series stars a Sheriff Harry S. Truman – while several other Twin Peaks actors made guest appearances, including Sheryl Lee, who played the murdered Laura Palmer, and her almost identical cousin.
Von Dohlen’s other television credits have included stints on Miami Vice, Tales From The Darkside, The Equalizer, Thirtysomething, The Flash, Red Dwarf, Picket Fences, Walker, Texas Ranger, The Pretender, and CSI: Miami.
Flashback: In 2010, Von Dohlen made a special cameo appearance on US Psych for the episode Dual Spiers, which was a tribute to Twin Peaks
Tribute: He played Sheriff Andrew Jackson, while several other Twin Peaks actors made guest appearances, including Sheryl Lee; (L-R) Twin Peaks actors Robyn Lively, Dana Ashbrook and Von Dohlen