FILM DIRECTOR
David Lynch
1946 - 2025

David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Often called a "visionary" and acclaimed for films distinguished by their surrealist and experimental qualities, Lynch is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. In a career spanning more than five decades, he received numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival in 2006 and an Academy Honorary Award in 2019. Lynch studied painting and made short films before making his first feature, the independent body horror film Eraserhead (1977), which found success as a midnight movie. Read more on Wikipedia
His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. David Lynch is the 5th most popular film director (up from 41st in 2019), the 70th most popular biography from United States (up from 247th in 2019) and the 3rd most popular American Film Director.
David Lynch is most famous for his surrealist and often nightmarish films, such as Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, and Blue Velvet.
Memorability Metrics
Page views of David Lynch by language
Among FILM DIRECTORS
Among film directors, David Lynch ranks 5 out of 2,041. Before him are Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Hayao Miyazaki, and Akira Kurosawa. After him are Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Sergei Eisenstein, Roman Polanski, and D. W. Griffith.
Most Popular Film Directors in Wikipedia
Go to all RankingsSteven Spielberg
1946 - Present
HPI: 87.65
Rank: 1
Martin Scorsese
1942 - Present
HPI: 85.42
Rank: 2
Hayao Miyazaki
1941 - Present
HPI: 83.44
Rank: 3
Akira Kurosawa
1910 - 1998
HPI: 82.76
Rank: 4
David Lynch
1946 - 2025
HPI: 82.53
Rank: 5
Federico Fellini
1920 - 1993
HPI: 82.49
Rank: 6
Ingmar Bergman
1918 - 2007
HPI: 82.46
Rank: 7
Alfred Hitchcock
1899 - 1980
HPI: 82.16
Rank: 8
Stanley Kubrick
1928 - 1999
HPI: 81.71
Rank: 9
Sergei Eisenstein
1898 - 1948
HPI: 80.15
Rank: 10
Roman Polanski
1933 - Present
HPI: 79.81
Rank: 11
D. W. Griffith
1875 - 1948
HPI: 79.78
Rank: 12
Contemporaries
Among people born in 1946, David Lynch ranks 10. Before him are Freddie Mercury, Cher, George W. Bush, Hassanal Bolkiah, Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, and Bill Clinton. After him are Sonia Gandhi, Marina Abramović, Isaias Afwerki, Patti Smith, Alan Rickman, and Marianne Faithfull. Among people deceased in 2025, David Lynch ranks 2. Before him is Pope Francis. After him are José Mujica, Gene Hackman, Mario Vargas Llosa, Marianne Faithfull, Jean-Marie Le Pen, Boris Spassky, Richard Chamberlain, Val Kilmer, Brian Wilson, and Sebastião Salgado.
Others Born in 1946
Go to all RankingsFreddie Mercury
MUSICIAN
1946 - 1991
HPI: 87.00
Rank: 4
Cher
SINGER
1946 - Present
HPI: 85.78
Rank: 5
George W. Bush
POLITICIAN
1946 - Present
HPI: 84.81
Rank: 6
Hassanal Bolkiah
POLITICIAN
1946 - Present
HPI: 84.69
Rank: 7
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
POLITICIAN
1946 - Present
HPI: 84.47
Rank: 8
Bill Clinton
POLITICIAN
1946 - Present
HPI: 82.93
Rank: 9
David Lynch
FILM DIRECTOR
1946 - 2025
HPI: 82.53
Rank: 10
Sonia Gandhi
POLITICIAN
1946 - Present
HPI: 82.49
Rank: 11
Marina Abramović
ARTIST
1946 - Present
HPI: 81.24
Rank: 12
Isaias Afwerki
POLITICIAN
1946 - Present
HPI: 79.27
Rank: 13
Patti Smith
SINGER
1946 - Present
HPI: 79.15
Rank: 14
Alan Rickman
ACTOR
1946 - 2016
HPI: 79.04
Rank: 15
Marianne Faithfull
SINGER
1946 - 2025
HPI: 79.01
Rank: 16
Others Deceased in 2025
Go to all RankingsPope Francis
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1936 - 2025
HPI: 97.04
Rank: 1
David Lynch
FILM DIRECTOR
1946 - 2025
HPI: 82.53
Rank: 2
José Mujica
POLITICIAN
1935 - 2025
HPI: 82.11
Rank: 3
Gene Hackman
ACTOR
1930 - 2025
HPI: 81.14
Rank: 4
Mario Vargas Llosa
WRITER
1936 - 2025
HPI: 80.93
Rank: 5
Marianne Faithfull
SINGER
1946 - 2025
HPI: 79.01
Rank: 6
Jean-Marie Le Pen
POLITICIAN
1928 - 2025
HPI: 78.64
Rank: 7
Boris Spassky
CHESS PLAYER
1937 - 2025
HPI: 78.00
Rank: 8
Richard Chamberlain
ACTOR
1934 - 2025
HPI: 77.12
Rank: 9
Val Kilmer
ACTOR
1959 - 2025
HPI: 76.19
Rank: 10
Brian Wilson
MUSICIAN
1942 - 2025
HPI: 75.80
Rank: 11
Sebastião Salgado
JOURNALIST
1944 - 2025
HPI: 75.59
Rank: 12
In United States
Among people born in United States, David Lynch ranks 70 out of 20,380. Before him are Marlon Brando (1924), Toni Morrison (1931), George R. R. Martin (1948), Bob Dylan (1941), Richard Nixon (1913), and Bill Gates (1955). After him are Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927), George H. W. Bush (1924), Henry Ford (1863), Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890), Danny DeVito (1944), and James Stewart (1908).
Others born in United States
Go to all RankingsMarlon Brando
ACTOR
1924 - 2004
HPI: 82.91
Rank: 64
Toni Morrison
WRITER
1931 - 2019
HPI: 82.91
Rank: 65
George R. R. Martin
WRITER
1948 - Present
HPI: 82.87
Rank: 66
Bob Dylan
MUSICIAN
1941 - Present
HPI: 82.73
Rank: 67
Richard Nixon
POLITICIAN
1913 - 1994
HPI: 82.64
Rank: 68
Bill Gates
BUSINESSPERSON
1955 - Present
HPI: 82.58
Rank: 69
David Lynch
FILM DIRECTOR
1946 - 2025
HPI: 82.53
Rank: 70
Bhumibol Adulyadej
POLITICIAN
1927 - 2016
HPI: 82.52
Rank: 71
George H. W. Bush
POLITICIAN
1924 - 2018
HPI: 82.46
Rank: 72
Henry Ford
INVENTOR
1863 - 1947
HPI: 82.33
Rank: 73
Dwight D. Eisenhower
POLITICIAN
1890 - 1969
HPI: 82.31
Rank: 74
Danny DeVito
ACTOR
1944 - Present
HPI: 82.24
Rank: 75
James Stewart
ACTOR
1908 - 1997
HPI: 82.24
Rank: 76
Among FILM DIRECTORS In United States
Among film directors born in United States, David Lynch ranks 3. Before him are Steven Spielberg (1946), and Martin Scorsese (1942). After him are Stanley Kubrick (1928), D. W. Griffith (1875), Woody Allen (1935), Francis Ford Coppola (1939), Cecil B. DeMille (1881), George Lucas (1944), Michael Mann (1943), Quentin Tarantino (1963), and John Ford (1894).
Steven Spielberg
1946 - Present
HPI: 87.65
Rank: 1
Martin Scorsese
1942 - Present
HPI: 85.42
Rank: 2
David Lynch
1946 - 2025
HPI: 82.53
Rank: 3
Stanley Kubrick
1928 - 1999
HPI: 81.71
Rank: 4
D. W. Griffith
1875 - 1948
HPI: 79.78
Rank: 5
Woody Allen
1935 - Present
HPI: 79.34
Rank: 6
Francis Ford Coppola
1939 - Present
HPI: 77.90
Rank: 7
Cecil B. DeMille
1881 - 1959
HPI: 77.46
Rank: 8
George Lucas
1944 - Present
HPI: 77.35
Rank: 9
Michael Mann
1943 - Present
HPI: 75.77
Rank: 10
Quentin Tarantino
1963 - Present
HPI: 75.35
Rank: 11
John Ford
1894 - 1973
HPI: 74.91
Rank: 12