American actor best known for his role as Dale Cooper in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992), as well as roles in two of David Lynch’s films: Paul Atreides in Dune (1984) and Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986).
MacLachlan, who claims to be a direct descendant of Johann Sebastian Bach on his mother’s side, was born and raised in Yakima, Washington along with his two younger brothers. As a boy, he avidly read the Hardy Boys adventure series and acted out all the parts. He attended the University of Washington where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts in 1982. After gaining some experience in the theater, the steely-eyed actor with the jutting jaw made his film debut in Dune (1984).
He was cast as the eccentric FBI agent in the critically acclaimed television series Twin Peaks in 1990 and received two Emmy nominations and a Golden Globe Award for his performance. In 1993, MacLachlan began his directing career with an episode of Tales from the Crypt.
He has guest-starred on various television shows, appearing as Trey MacDougal in Sex and the City (2000–2002), Orson Hodge in Desperate Housewives (2006–2012), The Captain in How I Met Your Mother (2010–2014) and How I Met Your Father (2022), the Mayor of Portland in Portlandia (2011–2018), and Calvin Johnson in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2015).
Link to Wikipedia biography