The best Kyle MacLachlan movies and TV shows reveal how he became one of the most recognizable faces on television, and why famed director David Lynch collaborated with him frequently. Born in Washington in 1959, Kyle MacLachlan found his calling as an actor in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with his first role being as a paid extra in the 1980 movie The Changeling.

It didn’t take MacLachlan long to gain recognition, however, as within 5 years he’d find himself cast in the leading role in director David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune in 1984. Following this, MacLachlan’s career went from strength to strength, buoyed in no small part by frequent collaboration with Lynch (including in the hit TV show Twin Peaks, which would come to define the career of both). The best Kyle MacLachlan movies and TV shows highlight his wide range as an actor, and make it plain to see why he’s never struggled to find work at any stage of his career.

10 Dune (1984)

Kyle MacLachlan Paul Atreides

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune parts 1 and 2 may have created fresh interest in the sci-fi franchise based on the novels of Frank Herbert, but they weren’t the first attempts to bring the complex sci-fi saga to screens, nor was Timothee Chalamet the first actor to portray Paul Atreides. Decades earlier, director David Lynch created his own vision for Dune with the 1984 movie that’s since become a cult classic, and Kyle MacLachlan led the cast as Paul Atreides.

While not as successful as Denis Velleneuve’s Dune movies, David Lynch’s Dune gained a cult following in its own right. What’s more, MacLachlan brought his own unique interpretation to the character of Paul Atreides, one that was markedly different from Chalamets. 1984’s Dune is also significant among the best Kyle MacLachlan movies and TV shows since it marks not only his first appearance in a feature film but also his first of many collaborations with director David Lynch.

9 Fallout (2024)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Hank MacLean

Amazon Prime’s adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic video game series Fallout was one of the biggest successes for the streaming platform in 2024. What’s more, even though he only appeared in two episodes, it also instantly became one of the best Kyle MacLachlan TV shows thanks to his role as Hank MacLean, the father of Ella Purnell’s Lucy and the Overseer of Vault 33 - one of the last remnants of the world before nuclear bombs turned the surface into an irradiated wasteland.

As Hank MacLean, Kyle MacLachlan is one of several actors whose parts are integral to the central mystery running throughout Fallout. MacLachlan was both hilarious and gripping in his role as the Vault 33 Overseer (depending on the scene and what it called for). While brief, his portrayal of Hank drew on many of the specific skills present in many of his other best movies and TV shows.

8 Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014-2015)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Calvin Johnson/The Doctor

While MCU TV shows are a staple of Disney+ in the 2020s, streaming exclusives weren’t the first attempt to bring the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the small screen. One of the earlier pre-Disney+ attempts was the 2013-2020 series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which focused on various of the titular organization. Kyle MacLachlan ed the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cast from 2014-2015, playing Calvin Johnson, a villain based on the Marvel Comics Character Mr. Hyde.

One of the most morally conflicted characters on the show due to his love for his Inhuman wife, Jiaying (an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Kyle MacLachlan’s time on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. may have since been overshadowed due to the MCU expanding significantly in the time since. However, he remains one of the most intriguing and nuanced antagonists to ever appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe - and MacLachlan’s performance ensures that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will forever stand out as one of the actor’s best TV shows.

7 Portlandia (2011-2018)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Mr. Mayor

Kyle MacLachlan appeared in 24 episodes of the IFC show Portlandia during its 2011-2018 run. However, he portrayed one of the most hilarious and memorable characters in the sketch comedy series. Portlandia featured a wide ensemble cast playing out sketches all focused on life in the city of Portland, Oregon (with a particular focus on the “hipster” stereotype Portland has become known for).

While the roster of characters often changed, MacLachlan played one of the few constants - the fictional mayor of Portland, a man appropriately named “Mr. Mayor”. Few titles among the best Kyle MacLachlan movies and TV shows can top Portlandia when it comes to displaying the actor's comedic talents. Highlights of his time on Portlandia include a sketch where Mr. Mayor unveils Portland’s first official 3D printer, and when he singes Portand’s “anthem” (which includes plenty of wordless noises, speaking sections, and references to putting out cigarettes on the sidewalk) to a podium of bemused athletes.

6 Inside Out (2015)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Bill Andersen

Kyle MacLachlan hasn’t done much voice acting during his career, though he’s not a stranger to the medium of animation. However, among his best movies and TV shows is one of the most successful animated movies of the last few decades - Pixar’s Inside Out (alongside the 2024 sequel Inside Out 2 and Disney+ spinoff, Dream Productions). Inside Out asks the question “what if feelings had feelings”, and focuses on the emotions that run the mind of an 11-year-old girl, Riley.

In Inside Out, Kyle MacLachlan voices Riley’s father, Bill Andersen. While it’s not the most prominent role in the film, it is an important one. What’s more, it’s also one of the funniest. The moments Inside Out glimpses inside Bill’s mind to show the thought process behind, for example, him “putting the foot down” are laugh-out-loud hilarious - as are Bill’s constant (and subtle, due to it being a kids movie) attempts to initiate physical intimacy with his wife, Jill (Diane Lane).

5 Blue Velvet (1986)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Jeffrey Beaumont

While he’s mostly known for his work on the small screen, there have been several great Kyle MacLachlan movie appearances too, many being collaborations with the late David Lynch. One of the best of these is, without a doubt, the 1986 neo-noir mystery thriller Blue Velvet, which Lynch wrote the script for in addition to directing. The movie was controversial upon release due to its violent and sexual content, though has gone on to become considered a cult classic - especially due to MacLachlan’s performance.

In Blue Velvet Kyle MacLachlan plays Jeffrey Beaumont, a college student who returns home after his dad has a near-fatal medical emergency. However, after he discovers a severed ear, Jeffrey finds himself sucked into a vortex of bizarre events that find him the target of Dennis Hopper’s psychopathic drug dealer Frank Booth. Blue Velvet remains one of MacLachlan’s best performances, especially in his early career (it was his second-ever movie appearance), and remains highly recommended viewing both for fans of the actor and director David Lynch.

4 Sex And The City (2000-2002)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Trey MacDougal

There were many boyfriends and lovers for the central characters in HBO’s Sex and the City, though the most memorable were those who eventually married Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, or Miranda - such as Kyle MacLachlan’s Trey MacDougal. Kyle MacLachlan made his first Sex and the City appearance in the season 3 episode “Drama Queens”, and remained until season 4’s “I Heart NY”. His appearance was incredibly memorable to fans for many reasons, not least of which being that he married Charlotte York (Kristin Davis).

While the cardiologist Trey initially seems like the perfect match for Charlotte, their marriage quickly runs into issues - many that are played bother hilariously and with touching authenticity by MacLachlan as and when required. While their bedroom incompatibilities and MacDougal’s closeness to his mom, Bunny, are laugh-out-loud funny, Trey’s coldness towards Charlotte’s desire to have children makes for one of her most emotional arcs. MacLachlan handled each aspect of the character deftly, and Sex and the City is still considered among his best TV shows to this day.

3 How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays George Van Smoot/The Captain

Considering how memorable the How I Met Your Mother character George Van Smoot, known more commonly as The Captain, actually was, it’s amazing to think that he only appeared in 7 episodes. However, this doesn’t stop the beloved sitcom being among the very best Kyle MacLachlan TV shows, and The Captain being one of his most hilarious roles.

Kyl MacLachlan made his How I Met Your Mother debut in the season 6 episode “Natural History”. His character, George “The Captain” Van Smoot, is an eccentric millionaire and boating enthusiast who, initially, is dating Zoey (Jennifer Morrison), the woman who Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) has his eye on. The Captain would later return in multiple episodes, eventually becoming the emplyer of Lily (Alyson Hannigan), who chooses art to purchase for his collection. So popular was The Captain that MacLachlan was invited back to reprise the hilarious role in the short-lived spinoff How I Met Your Father in 2022.

2 Desperate Housewives (2005-2012)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Orson Hodge

Kyle MacLachlan appeared in 86 episodes of the ABC comedy-drama Desperate Housewives during its 2004 to 2012 run. MacLachlan played Orson Hodge, a former alcoholic and the son of Dixie Carter’s Gloria, who killed Orson’s father when he was a teen. Desperate Housewives was known for playing off soap opera-level dramatic plotlines with a cast of straight-faced actors, and few characters epitomized this quite like Orson.

Introduced in season 2, Orson Hodge was initially going to be a con artist, but showrunners decided his character would take a much more sinister turn. MacLachlan’s Orson became a love interest for Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross), though she quickly discovered he had an incredibly dark past. Kyle MacLachlan played the part of a seemingly normal, happy man barely holding back his darker tendencies incredibly well, and his time on the seven-time Primetime Emmy and thrice Golden Globe-winning series cements it as one of his best TV shows.

1 Twin Peaks (1990-1991, 2017)

Kyle MacLachlan Plays Agent Dale Cooper

It’s more-or-less impossible to dispute Twin Peaks being the best Kyle MacLachlan TV show (and, thanks to 1992’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, his best movie too). To say Twin Peaks was highly acclaimed is an understatement, and leading the cast as Special Agent Dale Cooper is inarguably the career move that put Kyle MacLachlan’s name on the map.

The most celebrated of all Kyle MacLachlan’s collaborations with director David Lynch brought the actor several award nominations and wins. These include a Golden Globe for Best Actor in 1991, and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series the same year. He was also nominated in 2018 for a Golden Globe for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film when Twin Peaks returned, and won a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television during the series’ 2017 run. These accolades, plus the overall quality of Twin Peaks in general, easily cement it as the best Kyle MacLachlan TV show or movie.