List of Twin Peaks characters

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The following is a list of characters from the television series Twin Peaks.


Grouping Name Description Played by
The FBI/DEA Special Agent Dale Cooper Investigates the murder of Laura Palmer using unorthodox methods, falls in love with Twin Peaks and all its rural life, fascinated with the paranormal. He practices Buddhism. Kyle MacLachlan
Albert Rosenfield Abrasive forensics expert, whose arrogant façade hides a spiritual nature Miguel Ferrer
Chester Desmond Investigates murder of Teresa Banks, mysteriously disappears Chris Isaak
Sam Stanley Forensics specialist, assists Desmond in the investigation of Teresa Banks' murder Kiefer Sutherland
Phillip Jeffries Long-lost FBI agent, who knows of the Lodges and their inhabitants David Bowie
Roger Hardy Agent working for Internal Affairs who temporarily suspends Cooper from the FBI. Clarence Williams III
Gordon Cole Regional Bureau Chief, known to shout because he is hard-of-hearing David Lynch
Dennis/Denise Bryson Transgender DEA agent who investigates drug allegations against Dale Cooper David Duchovny
Sheriff's Department Sheriff Harry S. Truman Lover of Josie Packard and friend of Cooper. Helps him solve the Laura Palmer case. Michael Ontkean
Deputy Andy Brennan Dorky but brave deputy, on and off relationship with Lucy. Possibly father of her baby. Deciphered the Owl Cave petroglyph as a map. Harry Goaz
Deputy Hawk Native American, expert tracker Michael Horse
Lucy Moran Ditzy Receptionist, on and off relationship with Deputy Brennan. Kimmy Robertson
Cappy Young, male assistant at the police station Ron Kirk
Leland Palmer Laura's father, vessel for Bob, lawyer by profession and counsel for Ben Horne and the Great Northern Lodge. Ray Wise
Sarah Palmer Laura's mother, Grace Zabriskie
Maddy Ferguson Laura's nearly identical cousin Sheryl Lee
Hayward family Doctor William Hayward Doctor of Twin Peaks, assists on the autopsy of Laura Palmer Warren Frost
Eileen Hayward Doctor Hayward's wheelchair-using wife Mary Jo Deschanel
Harriet Hayward Donna's younger sister Jessica Wallenfels
Gersten Hayward Donna's youngest sister Alicia Witt
Horne family Ben Horne Wealthy businessman, owns Great Northern Hotel, Horne's Department Store and a brothel on the Canadian border Richard Beymer
Jerry Horne Ben's playboy brother and business partner David Patrick Kelly
Sylvia Horne Ben's constantly angry wife Jan D'Arcy
Audrey Horne Ben's sultry teenage daughter Sherilyn Fenn
Johnny Horne Ben's mentally handicapped son, tutored by Laura Robert Davenport/Robert Bauer[2]
Packard/Martell Family Josie Packard Widowed sawmill owner with a dark past, lover of Sheriff Truman, tutored by Laura Joan Chen
Briggs family Major Garland Briggs Intelligent and gifted Air Force officer involved in Project Blue Book, deep-space monitoring, and the woods surrounding Twin Peaks Don S. Davis
Betty Briggs Unassuming and loving wife and mother Charlotte Stewart
Bobby Briggs Rebellious teenager, captain of the football team, boyfriend of Laura Palmer, secret lover of Shelly Johnson Dana Ashbrook
Hank Jennings Norma's husband, criminal on parole, conspirator with Josie Packard Chris Mulkey
The Johnsons Leo Johnson Trucker and drug-runner, had a sexual relationship with Laura Palmer Eric Da Re
Shelly Johnson Abused young wife of Leo, waitress at Norma's diner, secret lover of Bobby Briggs Mädchen Amick
Blacky O'Reilly The madame of One Eyed Jacks Victoria Catlin
Nancy O'Reilly Blackie's sister, lover of Jean Renault Galyn Görg
Dr. Lawrence Jacoby Eccentric former psychiatrist of Laura with an obsession for Hawaii Russ Tamblyn
Margaret Lanterman
a.k.a. "The Log Lady")

Señor Droolcup by Albert Rosenfield.

Hank Worden
Roadhouse Singer Angelic singer at the Roadhouse, known for her dream-like voice Julee Cruise
Dougie Milford Publisher of the Twin Peaks Gazette local newspaper, known to marry often Tony Jay
Lana Budding Milford Seductive fiancée of Dwayne, and widow of Dougie, known to charm almost any man that's around her Robyn Lively
Outsiders Evelyn Marsh Rich woman who James Hurley runs into, and who is beaten by her husband Annette McCarthy
Jones Thomas Eckhardt's assistant Brenda Strong
Judy Swain Foster care aid for orphan child Molly Shannon
Lodge Inhabitants The Man from Another Place Enigmatic dwarf, inhabitant of the Red Room. Michael J. Anderson
The Giant A supernatural giant who appears at key moments and provides Cooper with cryptic clues. Carel Struycken
Mrs Tremond/Chalfont Link to the Lodges and intentions unclear Frances Bay
Pierre Tremond/Chalfont Mrs Tremond/Chalfont's grandson, link to the Lodges and intentions unclear Austin Jack Lynch/Jonathan J. Leppell[3]


Creation of BOB[edit]

Main article: Killer BOB



Laura Palmer[edit]

Main article: Laura Palmer


MIKE, the One-Armed Man[edit]

Main article: MIKE


The Man from Another Place[edit]


Law enforcement[edit]

Special Agent Dale Cooper[edit]

Main article: Dale Cooper

Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, is the protagonist of the series. Dale Cooper is an FBI agent who arrives in Twin Peaks in 1989 to investigate the brutal murder of popular high-school student Laura Palmer. He falls in love with the town and gains a great deal of acceptance within the tightly knit community. Cooper displays an array of quirky, sometimes almost childlike mannerisms, such as giving a "thumbs up" when satisfied, sage-like sayings (often inspired by his fascination with the nation of Tibet), and a distinctive sense of humor, along with his love for cherry pie and "a damn fine cup of coffee." One of his most popular habits is recording spoken-word tapes to a mysterious woman called "Diane" into a microcassette recorder he always carries with him, which often contains everyday observations and abstract thoughts on his current case. His investigative techniques go far beyond the usual ones employed by the FBI, including intuitive exercises and analysis of his dreams. He becomes deeply involved with the inhabitants of Twin Peaks, and remains in town after the resolution of the Laura Palmer case, especially once his nemesis and former partner Windom Earle starts menacing the town in order to exploit its supernatural properties.

Albert Rosenfield[edit]

Albert Rosenfield, played by Miguel Ferrer, is a talented forensic analyst Dale Cooper calls in to assist on the Laura Palmer case. Rosenfield's abrasive and mocking personality alienates the Twin Peaks sheriff's department relatively quickly; he compares Andy to a dog and repeatedly insults Sheriff Harry S. Truman to the point where Truman punches him. He also fights with Doc Hayward, and is very disparaging about the capabilities of the local police and medical facilities, showing respect only to his FBI colleagues, at least at first. He warms up to the townsfolk as the series progresses, going so far as to hug Truman when returning to the town to help with their hunt for Windom Earle, but does not lose his sharp and ironic manner.



He also appears briefly in The Autobiography of F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes, under the entry recorded on 4 February 1977. It is implied that this is Dale Cooper's and his first meeting. This makes Albert 21 when the two first meet, according to the My Life, My Tapes canon.

Chester Desmond[edit]



FBI Special Agent Sam Stanley[edit]



Phillip Jeffries[edit]




Gordon Cole[edit]


While in Twin Peaks, Cooper and Cole go to the Double R Diner where he is smitten by waitress Shelly Johnson, whom to his surprise he can hear perfectly well. Shelly, being ignored by her boyfriend Bobby Briggs at the time, is shocked yet pleased by his attention, and upon his imminent departure they share a kiss, to the chagrin of Bobby, who happens to show up at that moment.

At the beginning of Fire Walk With Me, Cole briefs agents Chester Desmond and Sam Stanley on their assignment to investigate the murder of Teresa Banks. Cole uses a coded language, in the attire and gestures of Lil the Dancer, to inform the agents of what to expect in their investigation. Cole describes the Teresa Banks murder case as one of his “blue rose” cases. The exact meaning of this is never given, but fans have speculated that a “blue rose” case is one involving the supernatural.

Denise/Dennis Bryson[edit]

Denise or Dennis Bryson was played by David Duchovny, who would later go on to play another more famous agent: Special Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI in The X-Files. The character’s binary identity reflects the dualistic leitmotif of the series.

Bryson began wearing women's clothing during a DEA undercover operation and found that it relaxed him. Bryson identifies as "Denise," wears women's clothing and presents female behavior during working hours and otherwise. When required for a sting operation, Bryson dons a man's suit and goes by "Dennis."


Harry Truman[edit]



As the case progress, Harry's respect for Cooper (and vice versa) grows and the two become close friends. He regards Cooper as "the finest lawman he has ever known". He vehemently defends Cooper to the FBI when Cooper is suspended for allegedly trafficking drugs across the Canadian border, and assists him in rescuing Audrey Horne from One-Eyed Jacks.




Andy Brennan[edit]


Andy was the one who (in Season Two) realized that the drawing was a map, and he therefore played a big part in FBI agent Dale Cooper's finding his way to the Black Lodge.


Deputy Tommy "Hawk" Hill[edit]


One of the Bookhouse Boys and an all-around dependable guy, he saves the lives of both Truman and Cooper on more than one occasion. He has an unseen girlfriend who is a local veterinarian with a PhD from Brandeis.

Lucy Moran[edit]



Lil the dancer[edit]

Lil the Dancer (Kimberly Ann Cole)

Lil the Dancer is a fictional character in the David Lynch movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. The dancer's movements are code; this is an FBI method, devised by Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole, to quickly and covertly brief Special Agent Chester Desmond on what to expect during his investigation into the death of Teresa Banks. Lil the Dancer is portrayed by the actress Kimberly Anne Cole.

Palmer family[edit]

Laura Palmer[edit]

Main article: Laura Palmer




Leland Palmer[edit]

Main article: Leland Palmer


Sarah Palmer[edit]



Maddy Ferguson[edit]

Madeleine "Maddy" Ferguson (Sheryl Lee) first appears midway through the first season, when she travels to Twin Peaks from her hometown of Missoula, Montana (which happens to be David Lynch's real-life birthplace). She comes to help her uncle and aunt, Leland and Sarah Palmer, overcome the loss of Laura. Maddy seems to be a few years older than Laura, but otherwise looks identical, excluding Maddy's dark hair and bookish glasses. Maddy even remarks that she and Laura used to pretend they were sisters. Despite the visual similarity, the innocent and sweet Maddy stands in stark contrast to Laura, whose personal life is steeped in sex and deception. Like Laura's mother and Laura herself, Maddy has premonitions, including one of a bloodstain on the floor of the Palmers' living room and another of 'Bob', a demonic entity plaguing the town.

Maddy quickly befriends Donna Hayward and James Hurley, Laura's closest friends, and helps them in their investigation into Laura's death. At one point, Maddy even appears wearing a blonde wig in order to lure out one of Laura's acquaintances.

During the second season, Maddy begins to resemble her cousin more and more: her hair (though still dark) straightens, she stops wearing her glasses, and in her carriage and demeanor she behaves more like the character of Laura seen in the prequel movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me than the Maddy shown in the first season. This causes conflict with Donna and James when James becomes attracted to her, and she begins to return his feelings in spite of herself.

Eventually, she is murdered by Leland Palmer, who is possessed by 'Bob', in a violent recreation of Laura's murder. Maddy's death quickly leads to Leland's arrest. Resemblance to Laura may have been key to Maddy's murder, as it is revealed in Fire Walk With Me that Teresa Banks, the first of Leland's victims, was selected because "you look just like my Laura" (although the fact that she was planning to blackmail Leland also constitutes a valid motive). Additionally, in the episode where Leland is caught, Donna might have become victim #4 when Leland/Bob sees that Donna is wearing Laura's sunglasses, given to her earlier by Maddy.

The character is an elaborate reference to Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 film Vertigo, in which Kim Novak plays a blonde/brunette dual role, much like Lee plays Laura and Maddy. Madeleine is the name of Novak's blonde alter ego, while Ferguson is the surname of James Stewart's character in the same film. In the Twin Peaks prequel Fire Walk With Me several mentions are made of a "Judy" who never materializes. Judy is the name of Novak's brunette persona. Judy may possibly be the third character Lee claims that Lynch intended her to play had the show not been cancelled.


The notion of pairing similar or identical women with contrasting hair colors and personalities is one that arises frequently in Lynch's work, especially when it pertains to another person obsessing over their shifting identities. Other pairs in this trend include Patricia Arquette's characters in Lost Highway and Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring's in Mulholland Drive. Duality is a strong feature in Twin Peaks, as implied by the name, not to mention the doppelgangers in the black lodge.[6]

Hayward family[edit]

Will Hayward[edit]

Doctor William Hayward (played by Warren Frost) is a physician and coroner who, due to his close relationship with her, refuses to perform Laura Palmer's autopsy. His first name is not generally used, but because he is called "Will" in several episodes, it can be presumed to be "William"; he is normally just called "Doc".


Hayward also has an altercation with the abrasive Albert Rosenfield, who calls his work "amateur" and wishes to do more work on Laura's corpse. Unlike most of the characters on Twin Peaks he appears to have no major nasty secrets, or eccentricities. But toward the end of the second season it is revealed that he may have been cuckolded by Benjamin Horne, who might in fact be Donna's real father - a question never resolved. In the final episode Hayward attacks Ben and although it seems Ben has been seriously injured (possibly killed), Hayward shows up at the end of the episode apparently with his normal temperament.

Eileen Hayward[edit]

Eileen Hayward, played by Mary Jo Deschanel, is the wheelchair-bound wife of Doc Hayward and mother of Donna. Why she is disabled is never revealed during the series. Highly tolerant and decent in every sense, she seems to have a murky past concerning Benjamin Horne.

Donna Hayward[edit]

Main article: Donna Hayward


At the end of season two, it is strongly suggested that Doc Hayward might not be Donna's biological father after all, and that she is in fact the daughter of Benjamin Horne and half-sister to Audrey Horne. However, due to the series' cancellation, this idea has not been elaborated upon.

Harriet Hayward[edit]


Gersten Hayward[edit]


While she is a minor character, the episode "May the Giant Be With You" ends with the credits rolling over footage of Gersten playing the piano. Few episodes end with credits rolling over anything other than a static image, most often a photo of Laura Palmer. While some fans have passed off the footage as merely Lynch's way of showcasing Witt's talent, others have attempted to read more into it, much in the manner that fans read into countless other strange aspects of the series.

Horne family[edit]

Ben Horne[edit]

Main article: Ben Horne


Jerry Horne[edit]

Jeremy "Jerry" Horne (David Patrick Kelly) is the playboy brother of Ben Horne and the uncle of Audrey and Johnny. He was his brother's right-hand-man and emissary, traveling around the world to act in Ben's place for his international business dealings. Although he and Ben shared similar interests and characteristics — womanizing and cut-throat business dealings — Jerry publicly demonstrated all the negative traits which his brother hid beneath a veneer of sophistication and class. The brothers' contrasts were reflected in their attire: Ben wore tailored, neutral-coloured business suits, but Jerry dressed in a variety of bizarre, multi-colored outfits, seemingly culled from his trips around the world, and had a strange hairdo incorporating both the buzz cut and hi-top fade.

Jerry was a supporting character in the series, who did not receive his own plotline; he primarily served to give Ben an intellectually equal associate, because Ben was otherwise surrounded by low-level thugs such as Leo Johnson and Hank Jennings. Although not intelligent as his brother, Jerry demonstrated world-awareness beyond that of most of the town's population.

Audrey Horne[edit]

Main article: Audrey Horne

Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) fits the image of a poor little rich girl, able to have anything she wants except for her father's love. She eventually discovers that Benjamin, the town's business magnate, gave his love to the deceased Laura Palmer, both physically and emotionally.

Audrey is labelled a troublemaker and she initially lives up to that expectation. In a memorable scene in the Twin Peaks pilot, she derails one of her father's business deals, worth millions of dollars, by interrupting a meeting of Norwegian investors and telling them about Laura's murder. However, Audrey ultimately reveals herself to be a shrewd and sympathetic figure who goes out of her way for others. Although Audrey and Laura were not friends, Audrey says she "kind of loved Laura" because Laura tutored Audrey's brother Johnny.

Johnny Horne[edit]

Audrey's older, intellectually disabled brother Johnny is a peripheral character in the series. He is played by Robert Davenport in the pilot episode, and later by Robert Bauer—twice in the first season and once in the second season, as well as in the film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

At the Twin Peaks Festival 2011 in North Bend Washington, Jan D'Arcy (who plays Johnny's mother Sylvia) told the assembled crowd that there was a deleted scene from the second season of Twin Peaks, in which Sylvia confesses to Dr. Jacoby that as a girl, Audrey pushed her brother Johnny down a flight of stairs—resulting in his brain damage. In return, Dr. Jacoby reminds Sylvia that there is no physical trauma in Johnny's brain; he remains in a childlike state because he wants to.

Packard family[edit]

Josie Packard[edit]



Andrew Packard[edit]





Catherine Martell[edit]



Pete Martell[edit]

Pete Martell (played by Jack Nance) is a lumberjack who married his boss' sister Catherine. What started as a "summer's indiscretion" developed into a marriage that from Pete's perspective never should have happened. "Catherine is plain hell to live with", he once admits during the course of the show. Catherine is ruthless, stubborn and determined and doesn't make anything easy for her husband (who she feels is a useless, soft old fool). However, it is also made clear that Catherine was far richer than he, so he has at least a financial consolation. Pete also seems to harbor some genuine, nostalgic affection for his wife, which he expresses to Sheriff Truman when he thinks Catherine has died.

He is a keen angler. While Catherine plots to get back her late brother's business, the Packard mill, from his widow Josie Packard whom she despises, Pete spends his time fishing ("There's a fish in the percolator!") and joking affectionately with Josie. Perhaps too good to be true, Josie is pure balm to Pete after Catherine's constant spite and contempt.


Briggs family[edit]

Garland Briggs[edit]

Major Garland Briggs (Don S. Davis) is a U. S. Air Force officer whose area of expertise appears to be paranormal activity, particularly Project Blue Book. He is an eccentric man given to odd statements. He is the father of Bobby, whose smoking he cannot abide. His work is highly classified; he does not tell even his family about it.

His greatest fear, revealed under torture, is “the possibility that love is not enough.” He is abducted at one point (taken to the White Lodge?), and is told to deliver a message to Special Agent Dale Cooper by the Log Lady. In the second season, Major Briggs and Bobby find some common ground and make up.

Bobby Briggs[edit]

Robert "Bobby" Briggs, played by Dana Ashbrook, was Laura Palmer's boyfriend. His father is Major Garland Briggs, a member of the U.S. military, with whom he has an uneasy relationship. Though Bobby was secretly seeing Shelly Johnson before Laura's death, he becomes jealous of James Hurley when he discovers that James was secretly seeing Laura. Laura, it turns out, did not really love Bobby but was merely using him as a source of cocaine.



Hurley/Jennings families[edit]

Ed Hurley[edit]


His marriage to Nadine, who is constantly seesawing between being overbearing and highly depressed, ceased to be loving long ago, and seems driven primarily by his guilt over the hunting accident on their honeymoon where she lost her eye. Due to a misunderstanding he married her over his high-school sweetheart Norma Jennings. He has been carrying on an affair with Norma, but his guilt, along with the imminent release of Norma's violent husband Hank, causes them to break things off. They resume their affair after Nadine regresses into childhood and starts dating Mike, a teenager. Nadine even hospitalizes Hank while defending Ed from him. By the end of the season, Ed and Norma announce their intention to be married, but Nadine's sudden recovery throws things into doubt.


Nadine Hurley[edit]



After falling into a coma instead, Nadine awakes believing herself to be a teenager in high school and, incidentally, just dating her husband. Her superhuman strength (already present in season one) allows her to enter the school's wrestling team—the first female to do so. Though the cause of her memory loss is left largely to the viewer's imagination, adrenaline is circuitously mentioned at one point by Dr. Hayward, as well as Dr. Jacoby's comment that "that tissue's packed in there pretty hard".


In the final episode, Nadine suffers a blow to the head that results in the loss of her delusions of teenhood. Apparently, she has no memory of anything that has occurred since her suicide attempt. The full repercussions of her recovery, including the potential scuppering of Big Ed's and Norma's newly announced marriage plans, were left to be addressed in a third season that was never to be.

James Hurley[edit]



Norma Jennings[edit]




Hank Jennings[edit]





Upon his release, Hank immediately violates parole by committing a large number of crimes and by crossing the Canadian border. He threatens Josie, who had agreed to pay him $90,000 upon his release, and tries to extort more money from her.



Hank decides to punish Ed for the affair with Norma but runs into Ed's superhumanly strong wife Nadine, who beats him to a pulp. Hank spends the remainder of the series on crutches and is eventually taken back to jail for parole violations. In his last appearance, Hank tries to get an alibi regarding the night of Leo's shooting from his wife, Norma, while she is visiting his cell to ask for a divorce. Hank coldly replies "you give me my alibi, and I'll give you a divorce". When Norma refuses (still not trusting Hank to keep his word), he then reacts violently and calls her Big Ed's "whore", to which she replies that she'd "rather be his whore than your wife." Norma then leaves Hank behind in jail.

Annie Blackburn[edit]





Johnson family[edit]

Shelly Johnson[edit]


Shelly dropped out of high school to marry trucker Leo Johnson, who had swept her off her feet by lavishing her with attention. As soon as they got married, it became clear that Leo just "wanted a maid he didn't have to pay for," in the words of Shelly. Leo is a monstrous home dictator, wife-beater, and dangerous criminal, and he is tangibly connected to Laura Palmer's murder.



Leo Johnson[edit]

Leo Johnson, played by Eric Da Re, is a trucker who also moonlights as Twin Peaks' primary source of narcotics (which he obtains from the Renault Brothers and traffics over the Canadian/US border for distribution in Twin Peaks). Because of his criminal versatility, Sheriff Truman has never been able to obtain any evidence of his criminal dealings. Leo is married to Shelly Johnson, one of the waitresses at the town diner. Due to his volatile temper, he regularly beats her for both real and imagined transgressions, ranging from her infidelity with high school football player Bobby Briggs to his dissatisfaction with the way she washes the kitchen floor.

In the course of the series, cumulative evidence leads to Leo becoming one of the primary suspects in the murder of Laura Palmer. As it turns out, Leo was simply present on the night Laura was murdered by Killer Bob. While under investigation for the Palmer murder, Leo is hired for his criminal skills by Ben Horne, who charges him with burning down the Packard Saw Mill with his business rival Catherine Martell inside so that Horne can simultaneously kill his competition and destroy the only obstacle to his obtaining the valuable Mill land. Leo decides to use the situation to solve his own marital discord, abducting Shelly and tying her up inside the mill shortly before setting fire to it with a time bomb. Catherine foils his plans by freeing Shelly and helping her escape the mill. When Leo returns home after setting fire to the mill, he discovers Bobby in his house looking for Shelly. Leo tries to kill him with an axe, but is shot by Hank Jennings, who was hired by Ben Horne to kill Leo in order to cover his own tracks.

Leo spends most of the second season in a vegetative state, cared for by Shelly and Bobby, who agree to take him in as part of a scheme to commit insurance fraud. The plan backfires, however, when it turns out that Leo's home care is far more expensive than they had anticipated, and the pair are left destitute. To vent their frustration, they take to abusing Leo whilst simultaneously flaunting their relationship in front of him.

Near the end of the season, Leo regains some of his cognitive abilities and attacks Shelly and Bobby. Wounded during the course of a struggle, he staggers into the woods, where he is abducted by escaped mental patient (and former FBI agent) Windom Earle. Earle enslaves the barely coherent Leo by fitting him with a shock collar and forcing him into submission. Leo spends the remainder of the series as a semi-mute drone, serving Windom Earle as his henchman. In the third to last episode, Leo seems to regain some more functioning ability, as he frees another one of Earle's captives, Major Garland Briggs, believing Shelly's life to be in danger after Earle posts a photo of her on his cabin wall. (Ironically, this gives the impression that Leo truly did love Shelly-in his own cruel way.) In the series finale, Earle leaves Leo for dead, rigging a cage of tarantulas above Leo's head, with a string affixed between Leo's teeth; if Leo lets go of the string, the cage will drop on his face, releasing the agitated tarantulas. His fate is never revealed, though it is rumored that he might have had the cage drop during the third season.

Renault brothers[edit]

The three Renault brothers—Jacques, Bernard and Jean—are French Canadian and heavily involved in various kinds of crime, primarily drug running. No two of the three brothers are ever shown together on screen during the series. By the end of the series, all three are dead.

Jacques Renault[edit]



Bernard Renault[edit]


Jean Renault[edit]




Blackie O'Reilly[edit]


Blackie is a heroin addict; sometime prior to the beginning of the series, she was the mistress of Ben Horne, who intentionally got her addicted to the drug as a means of controlling her. Blackie resents Ben's control over her, and when Ben's daughter infiltrates Jack's to try to collect information on Laura Palmer, Blackie injects her with the drug to seek vengeance on Horne. This proves to be the first step in a war between Horne and Blackie and her drug baron brother-in-law, Jean Renault, who seizes control of One Eyed Jacks in a hostile takeover. Ultimately, Jean stabs Blackie to death, wanting to eliminate any potential competition he might have in the operation of his new business venture.


Ronette Pulaski[edit]


She worked at the perfume counter at Horne's Department Store, and at One Eyed Jacks, but was fired from both jobs. She and Laura Palmer were both raped and beaten by the serial killer BOB during the crime that drives much of the series. Laura is murdered, but Ronette manages to escape. She is discovered wandering along train tracks in a trance. As she had crossed state lines, the FBI becomes involved in the investigation. She lapses into a coma, emerging only briefly to identify BOB from a drawing.




Lawrence Jacoby[edit]

Lawrence Jacoby, portrayed by Russ Tamblyn, is a highly eccentric psychiatrist. Born January 30, 1934, Jacoby grew up in Hawaii and remains fascinated by it.

Prior to her murder, Laura Palmer was Jacoby's patient. Jacoby confesses to FBI agent Dale Cooper he's not a good person, and he really doesn't care about his patients who see him as their friend. Laura changed all that, and Laura changed him. Laura was in pain and the reasons for that were so mysterious that Jacoby couldn't penetrate the walls she had built around it. Because of this, he has an insight into Laura's personality that few others have. The unidentified person in Mrs. Palmer's vision seen digging up James' half of Laura's necklace (at the end of the pilot) is in fact Dr. Jacoby.

James Hurley, Donna Hayward and Maddy Ferguson discover that Laura had made a series of audiotapes to Dr. Jacoby in which she describes some of her dreams and nightmares. Believing he has more of these, they hatch a plan to lure him away from his office by dressing Maddy up to look like Laura and filming her making a similar message. When Jacoby goes to confront Maddy he is attacked and beaten unconscious by a masked figure. After a period of recovery he returns to continue his work, mainly with Benjamin Horne and Nadine Hurley.

Dr. Jacoby is married to a Hawaiian woman who is only seen once in the course of the series. He is known for keeping cocktail umbrellas marked with dates of influential events that affected him. He is also a keen surfer. A recognizable trait are his glasses - one lens of which is blue, the other red. He also can do some conjuring tricks.

Dr. Jacoby's character was inspired by the late ethnobotanist and shamanistic explorer Terence McKenna.

Mike Nelson[edit]



Mike was illustrative of the theme of duality that pervaded Twin Peaks. He was, with Bobby, one of two duos in the series named "Mike" and "Bob," the other being Mike / Philip Gerard the one-armed man and Bob.

Margaret Lanterman (Log Lady)[edit]

Main article: Log Lady


The Log Lady is a fixture in the town of Twin Peaks by the time of Laura Palmer's murder, and most residents in the town regard her as crazy. This is mainly due to her habit of always carrying a small log in her arms, with which she seems to share a psychic connection, often dispensing advice and visions of clairvoyance which she claims come from the log;[8] prior to the murder, she delivers moving and cryptic warnings to Laura Palmer herself.[6][9] The Log Lady does not interpret the messages transmitted by the log, but instead functions as a medium for the information it conveys.[10]

Harold Smith[edit]



Dick Tremayne[edit]

Dick Tremayne (Ian Buchanan) is a selfish, pretentious man, whom Lucy Moran saw for a while on the side after becoming bored with Deputy Andy Brennan. He works at the Horne’s Department store, in men's fashion. When he finds out Lucy is pregnant (and isn’t sure who the father of the baby is), he first attempts to have her get an abortion, but then tries (albeit halfheartedly) to prove his capability as a parent by “helping” an orphan boy who needs a father figure. Because of this, he has an ongoing rivalry with Andy, though they bond at a few points. Dick's condescending behavior becomes such that Lucy ultimately decides she doesn't care who the real father is and chooses Andy to help her raise her child.

Dick appears primarily in the latter half of season one and throughout season two.


Evelyn Marsh[edit]

Unlike most of the other characters, Evelyn Marsh (Annette McCarthy) lives not in Twin Peaks, but in one of the towns nearby, which James Hurley "drifts" to after he flees Twin Peaks in the wake of Maddy Ferguson's murder. Evelyn is very wealthy, and she and her absentee husband, Geoffrey/Jeffrey, own a small fleet of expensive cars, which she initially drafts James to repair.



Thomas Eckhardt[edit]





Teresa Banks[edit]





One day, Palmer arrives at a motel room having pre-arranged a rendezvous with Banks and "some of [her] girlfriends" and, to his surprise, discovers one of these to be his daughter. Palmer ducks out before Laura sees him, but Banks becomes suspicious of his sudden change of heart. Eventually, she discovers Leland's identity and attempts to blackmail him but is subsequently murdered by him before she can collect.

Windom Earle[edit]

Main article: Windom Earle







  5. ^ Potton, Ed (2010-03-20). "David Lynch's Twin Peaks 20 years on". The Times (London). Retrieved 2013-02-11. 
  6. ^ a b Stewart, Mark Allyn (2007). David Lynch Decoded. AuthorHouse. p. 111. ISBN 1-4343-4985-3. Retrieved 2008-12-10. 