Eric Da Re (born March 3, 1965) is an American actor who played the notorious criminal Leo Johnson on the TV show ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 fo ...

'' and its prequel film, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''. He has worked behind the scenes in several other films by ''Twin Peaks'' creator

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

. He is the son of the actor Aldo Da Re (stage name Aldo Ray) and the casting director Johanna Ray, a frequent Lynch collaborator.

Biography

Da Re was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, United States. He is the son of the actor Aldo Ray (born Aldo Da Re), and is of Italian descent on his father's side. His mother is Johanna Ray, an award-winning casting director (Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Showgirls), who did casting for ''Twin Peaks''. Da Re's first role was in the TV movie '' Into the Homeland'' in 1987, which was directed by

Lesli Linka Glatter Lesli Linka Glatter (born July 26, 1953) is an American film and television director. She is best known for her work on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' and the Showtime series ''Homeland'', for which she's received eight Primetime Emmy Award nom ...

, who would direct Da Re on ''Twin Peaks''. After a few more roles in TV movies he landed the role of Leo Johnson in the 1990 cult classic ''Twin Peaks'', created by

. Da Re went on to work with Lynch again as a casting assistant for '' Wild at Heart'' (1990), as Leo Johnson in the ''

'' prequel, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992) and as a property buyer for '' Lost Highway'' (1997). In 1992 he was Bernie in '' Critters 4''. He also had roles in the

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch director, producer and screenwriter, active in the Netherlands, France and the United States. His blending of graphic violence and sexual content with social satire is a trademark of both his dram ...

film ''

Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in '' The Magazine o ...

'' (1997) and in ''

Ted Bundy Theodore Robert Bundy (Name change, born Cowell; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered numerous young women and girls during the 1970s and possibly earlier. After more th ...

'' (2002). He is sometimes credited as Eric Da Re, Eric DaRae or Eric Dare. Eric attended Horace Mann elementary and

Beverly Hills High School Beverly Hills High School (usually abbreviated as Beverly or as BHHS) is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. The other public high school in Beverly Hills, Moreno High School, is a small alternative school located on ...

with fellow actor

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Nicolas Cage, various ac ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* 1965 births American male television actors American male film actors American people of Italian descent Living people Male actors from Los Angeles {{US-tv-actor-1960s-stub