The babes of Twin Peaks… where are they now?
I was quite mad about this groundbreaking series by David Lynch when it was released in 1990 and played for only two season through 1991. Directed by David Lynch, who shot his first movie in 1966, over 40 years ago, and who has been responsible for gems such as Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, and, after Twin Peaks, classics such as Lost Highway and Mullholland Dr.
Recently, I watched both season 1 and season 2 again. If you ever watched the series, you noticed the can of babes which Lynch pulled open. It seems, now, that most if not all of those babes disappeared into obscurity shortly after. Or did they?
The obvious question I set myself to answer is, those babes of Twin Peaks… where are they now?
Sherilyn Fenn
What I thought the hottest babe of the series, Audrey Horn, played by Sherilyn Fenn, was also the oldest at the time of shooting Twin Peaks, a whopping 25 years, having had her first acting gig in 1984 in the movie The Wild Life, opposite Chris Penn, brother of Sean Penn, and playing bit parts in the TV series Cheers in 1985 and 21 Jump Street in both 1990 and 1987, while being engaged with Johnny Depp. Her first starring role was in the erotic thriller Two Moon Junction, by director Zalman King
Fenn comes from a family of musicians, the most famous one being her aunt, singer Suzi Quatro. She’s of rather mixed heritage, probably explaining the apparent beauty of this actress, mixing Italian and Hungarian blood from her mother’s side and Irish and French from her fathers.
Sherilyn Fenn c. 1991 and, with Alix Kermes, in 2004. Sources: [1], [2].
Twin Peaks landed Fenn an Emmy and a Golden Globe nomination.
Since Twin Peaks, Fenn has been prolific, appearing in 59 mostly made for TV movies and TV series, but turning down an offer for an Audrey Horne spin-off series, including Gilmore Girls, CSI: Miami and a once off appearance in The 4400 (but in season 2, meaning I did not spot her myself). Her most constructive gig since Twin Peaks was probably playing the role of Billie Frank in the TV series Rude Awakaning, in which Fenn could be seen for 47 episodes.
After Twin Peaks, she played in a series of films which gave her a higher profile. The first one starring in Diary of a hitman, opposite Forest Whitaker, recently in the spotlight for his magnificent starring role in The Last King of Scotland.
The second being her part in Ruby, in which Fenn starred next to Danny Aiello, who played Jack Ruby, “the man who shot the man who shot JFK”, as the tagline of the movie read, and which came out around the time of Oliver Stone’s JFK.
The third film which gave Fenn some prominence was her role as Helena in the aptly named Boxing Helena, from 1993. The movie was considered very far from being a masterpiece, but rose to notoriety for it’s plot, an obsessed surgeon cutting off the limbs of the woman he once had an affair with to keep her in his mansion. Boxing Helena was directed by David Lynch’s daughter Jennifer Lynch.
Fenn also played the starring role in Liz: The Elizabeth Taylor Story and had an important part in Gary Sinise’s Of Mice and Men and was considered for the title role in the remake of Barbarella, which eventually didn’t come off the ground.
Fenn gave birth to a son in 1993 (and a second son only in August last year) and, after that, started to lose interest in Hollywood, probably partially because she also wasn’t being considered for the bigger roles. She moved to more independent productions and also returned to television.
Last year, after doing a bit part in dubious The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, she stepped behind the camera for the first time, directing a documentary on a “child enrichment program”.
Fenn lives in LA. Her most obscure claim to fame is probably having a Norwegian rock band named after her character in Twin Peaks, which was formed in 2002.
Lara Flynn Boyle
Boyle played the part of Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks. Laura Palmer’s best friend and love interest of James Hurley. Boyle was 20 at the time Twin Peaks first aired.
Before Twin Peaks, she was in Poltergeist III, the mini series Amerika as well as in deleted scenes in Dead Poets Society and the classic Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Since the TV series, she played in 41 movies and TV series.
Boyle is of mostly Irish descent, but has an Italian-American great-grandfather and was named after a character in the Boris Pasternak novel Dr. Zhivago.
Lara Flynn Boyle in 1990 and 2007. Sources: [1], [2]
Like Sherilyn Fenn, Boyle did not return for the prequel Fire Walk With Me and she spent most of the 1990s trying to build up a reputation, with mixed success with roles in the movies Wayne’s World, Red Rock West, opposite Nicolas Cage and Dennis Hopper.
More recently, Boyle had a lead role in MIB II and starred as Monica, the new hotel owner, in the TV series Las Vegas, with James Caan. I followed Las Vegas while living in South Africa, and never even realised it was Boyle playing this part.
Boyle is dyslexic and lives in Beverly Hills.
Maedchen Amick
Maedchen Amick, like Lara Flynn Boyle, is from 1970 and was one of the hotter babes on Twin Peaks, even if playing the waitress Shelley Johnson, missing one or two strokes in the intellectual department.
Before Twin Peaks, Amick had bit parts in the TV series Baywatch and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Since Twin Peaks, she played in 40 films and, more recently, TV series.
Although born in Reno, Nevada, Amick’s parents are both German. Hence her first name, which means ‘girl’, in German.
Maedchen Amick in c. 1991 and 2007. Sources: [1], [2]
Amick has recently played in a series of TV series, including Kidnpapped, Law & Order, Freddie, Joey and ER, none of which I follow.
Notable appearances have included the Stephen King horror movie Sleepwalkers from 1992 and a role in Dream Lover in 1994, opposite James Spader.
According to a biography on a fan site, Amick can actually tie a knot in the stem of a cherry, with her tongue. Something the character Audrey Horn in Twin Peaks, played by Sherilyn Fenn, actually does in the series.
Amick is married with two children.
Sheryl Lee
Sheryl Lee, of course, played both Laura Palmer and Palmer’s cousin Madeleine Ferguson. Around the time of Twin Peaks, Lee also had a part in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. Lee is from 1967 and grew up in Boulder, Colorado, but was born in Augsburg, then West Germany.
Sheryl Lee in 1991 and in a seemingly more recent but undated photo. Sources: [1], [2]
Since Twin Peaks, Lee has been in 39 TV series and movies, most not very notable, except perhaps playing Astrid Kirchherr in the 1994 Beatles bio-pic Backbeat.
Lee is divorced from Jesse Diamond, son of Neil Diamond, with whom she has a son. Lee is an avid member of PETA, for which she’s done several photo campaigns.