Lenny Von Dohlen facts for kids

Lenny Von Dohlen (born December 22, 1958 – died July 5, 2022) was an American actor. He performed in many plays, TV shows, and movies. He was probably best known for playing Miles Harding in the film Electric Dreams. He also played Harold Smith in the TV series Twin Peaks and the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Harold Smith was a character who loved orchids and was afraid to leave his home.

Early Life

Lenny Von Dohlen was born in Augusta, Georgia. He grew up in a small town in south Texas called Goliad. His family had German roots. When he was a child, he wanted to be a jockey, which is someone who rides horses in races. However, he grew too tall for that dream.

He studied acting at the University of Texas. He also graduated from Loretto Heights College in Denver, Colorado. After college, he moved to New York City to become a stage actor. He once said he worked hard to change his Texas accent for theater roles.

Movies

Lenny Von Dohlen's first movie was Tender Mercies in 1983. This film won an Academy Award and starred Robert Duvall. In 1984, Von Dohlen played the main character, Miles Harding, in the popular film Electric Dreams. Film critic Roger Ebert said he was "perfectly cast" in the role.

Some of his other early movie roles included Under the Biltmore Clock (1985) and Dracula's Widow (1987). He also appeared in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) and Jennifer 8 (1992). He played the main character in Billy Galvin (1986) alongside actor Karl Malden.

Later, he was in independent films like Tollbooth (1994) and Entertaining Angels (1996). Kids might remember him as one of the bad guys, Burton Jernigan, in the movie Home Alone 3 (1997).

In 2007, he was in Beautiful Loser and Teeth. Teeth was shown at big film festivals like Sundance. In 2010, he played Elder Daniel in Downstream. He also played Sheriff Jack Carter in a short film called Night Blind. In 2015, he played the famous film director Oskar Knight in Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story.

Television Shows

Lenny Von Dohlen's first TV role was in Kent State (1981). This show won an Emmy Award. He became well known for playing Harold Smith in the 1990 TV series Twin Peaks. Harold Smith was a character who loved orchids but was afraid to leave his house.

In 2010, he appeared in the USA Network show Psych. He played Sheriff Andrew Jackson in an episode called Dual Spires. This episode was a special tribute to Twin Peaks. Other actors from Twin Peaks also appeared in this episode.

He had roles in many other TV shows. These included The Equalizer, Tales From the Darkside, and Miami Vice. He also appeared in Picket Fences (1992) and Walker, Texas Ranger (1996). He played a recurring villain named Mr. Cox in The Pretender (1999). In 2017, he played a priest named Valondis in Seth MacFarlane's science fiction show, The Orville.

Theater Plays

Lenny Von Dohlen also had a successful career in theater. He created roles in several new plays in New York. These included Asian Shade and The Maderati. He starred for nine months in a play called Cloud 9. He also performed in classic plays like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.

On the West Coast, he acted in Lulu and The Blue Room. He played the famous writer Voltaire in the play Light. He also played Don Quixote in Camino Real by Tennessee Williams. In 2012, he played Elyot Chase in Private Lives.

Personal Life

Lenny Von Dohlen passed away on July 5, 2022. His sister, Catherine, shared the news a few days later. The cause of his death was not announced. He had a daughter named Hazel.

Filmography