{{short description|American filmmaker and author (born 1968)}} {{about|the American filmmaker|the American politician|Jennifer Lynch (politician)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}} {{Infobox person | name = Jennifer Lynch | image = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1968|4|7|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Philadelphia, U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Filmmaker|author}} | children = 1 | years_active = 1986{{endash}}present | relatives = David Lynch (father) }}
'''Jennifer Chambers Lynch''' (born April 7, 1968) is an American filmmaker and author. The eldest child of filmmaker David Lynch, she made her directorial debut with the film ''Boxing Helena'' (1993), which was a critical and commercial failure; despite winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, it earned her a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director. The negative reception and controversy surrounding the film led to Lynch taking a 15-year hiatus from filmmaking.<ref name="Simon, Alex" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2009-02-27 |title=John Patterson salutes the return of Jennifer Lynch, director of Boxing Helena |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/feb/27/jennifer-lynch-boxing-helena-surveillance |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}</ref>
Lynch returned to directing with ''Surveillance'' (2008), which received mixed reviews but won the top prize at the Sitges Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mayorga |first=Emilio |date=2008-10-13 |title=Lynch's 'Surveillance' tops Sitges |url=https://variety.com/2008/film/news/lynch-s-surveillance-tops-sitges-1117993866/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> She directed the Bollywood horror film ''Hisss'' (2010), which she disowned after the production was completed without her involvement.<ref name="Wyatt" /> Her fourth film, ''Chained'' (2012), was met with a positive critical reception. She has since focused on television, directing episodes of ''Psych'', ''Teen Wolf'', ''The Walking Dead'', ''American Horror Story'', ''Once Upon a Time'', ''Hawaii Five-0'', ''Elementary'', ''The Strain'', ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', ''9-1-1'', and ''Ratched''.
Outside of filmmaking, Lynch wrote the book ''The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer'' (1990). Told from the perspective of the character of the same name from her father's television series ''Twin Peaks'', the novel was a commercial success, reaching No. 4 on ''The New York Times'' paperback fiction best seller list that year.
==Early life== Jennifer Chambers Lynch was born in Philadelphia on April 7, 1968,<ref name="Simon, Alex">{{citation |title= The Hollywood Interview – Interview with Jennifer Chambers Lynch |url= https://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.com/2009/06/jennifer-lynch-hollywood-interview.html |author= Simon, Alex |access-date= May 7, 2012 }}. [https://archive.today/20120720175151/http://thehollywoodinterview.blogspot.de/2009/06/jennifer-lynch-hollywood-interview.html Archived], retrieved 11 December 2017.</ref> the daughter of painter Peggy Reavey and filmmaker David Lynch. Two of her father's great-grandparents were Swedish-speaking Finns.<ref>{{cite web|title=DAVID LYNCH: "DEN HÄR VÄRLDEN ÄR FULL AV HAT OCH ÅNGEST"|url=http://nojesguiden.se/artiklar/david-lynch-%E2%80%9Dden-haer-vaerlden-aer-full-av-hat-och-angest%E2%80%9D|work=Nöjesguiden|publisher=REDAKTION|access-date=May 26, 2013|language=sv|date=November 4, 2010}}</ref> She began practicing Transcendental Meditation, which her father famously promoted, at the age of six.<ref>{{cite news|title=Out on a limb|first=JAMES|last=MOTTRAM|work=The Independent on Sunday|location=London (UK)|date=February 22, 2009|page=14}}</ref> She graduated from the Interlochen Art Academy, where she studied visual arts and creative writing.
==Career== ===Film=== {{David Lynch sidebar}} Lynch was educated in Los Angeles and Michigan at Interlochen Arts Academy. Together with her mother, Lynch made a brief appearance in her father's debut feature film ''Eraserhead'', but her appearance was not included in the final cut. Lynch subsequently worked as a production assistant on ''Blue Velvet'' (1986), also directed by her father.
====''Boxing Helena'' (1993)==== Lynch's commissioned screenplay for ''Boxing Helena'', which she would later go on to direct, attracted many actresses, including Madonna.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318779,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070601024706/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318779,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 1, 2007|title=Boxed Lynch|author=Casey Davidson | magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=December 7, 1990}}</ref> Sherilyn Fenn, one of the stars of both her father's television series ''Twin Peaks'' and his film ''Wild at Heart'', was ultimately cast as leading character Helena. Kim Basinger was also attached and was famously sued after resigning from the project.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Steen |first=Kathleen |date=1993-02-26 |title=Lynch takes stand on 'Boxing' |url=https://variety.com/1993/film/news/lynch-takes-stand-on-boxing-104366/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> The controversy surrounding that case, as well as feminist outcry over ''Helena''{{'}}s sadistic subject matter<ref>{{Cite news |date=1992-07-26 |title='BOXING HELENA'; A Tired Old Message |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/26/movies/l-boxing-helena-a-tired-old-message-311792.html |access-date=2023-01-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1992-07-26 |title='BOXING HELENA'; Is This A Joke? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/26/movies/l-boxing-helena-is-this-a-joke-310992.html |access-date=2023-01-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and accusations of nepotism, accompanied the movie's critical drubbing upon its release in 1993.
In a 2009 interview with ''The Hollywood Interview'', Lynch mentions her reactions to the critical reception of ''Boxing Helena'':
<blockquote> I would love to know why people were so mad at me for telling a crazy fairy tale. I'm the first to say I didn't know what I was doing. I did the best I could at 19, and all these crazy things happened. The idea that the film was faulted when everyone involved worked so fucking hard and believed in me, and there were these adults believing in me, who was essentially a child…when the National Organization of Women slammed me, that was sort of the final straw. It was no wonder I put my legs behind my ears and got pregnant. (laughs) Not that I didn't love sex before then, but seriously. It was my child, essentially, who saved my life.<ref name="Simon, Alex"/></blockquote>
====''Surveillance'' (2008)==== Following a lengthy hiatus, Lynch directed ''Surveillance'',<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |author=AP Staff |date=2008-05-20 |title=Q&A: Jennifer Lynch |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/qampa-jennifer-lynch-112194/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> which won the top prize at the Festival de Cine de Sitges.<ref>{{cite web|title=Complete List of Sitges Winners Announced!|url=http://twitchfilm.com/2008/10/complete-list-of-sitges-winners-announced.html|work=twitchfilm.com|publisher=IndieClick Film Network|access-date=October 6, 2012|author=Todd Brown|date=October 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232441/http://twitchfilm.com/2008/10/complete-list-of-sitges-winners-announced.html|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> A month later, Lynch became the first woman to receive the New York City Horror Film Festival's Best Director award.<ref name="Hill">{{cite web|title=Summer Guide: Surveillance, Jennifer Lynch's First in 16 Years|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-05-13/film/summer-guide-surveillance-jennifer-lynch-s-first-in-16-years/|work=Village Voice|publisher=Village Voice, LLC|access-date=June 10, 2013|author=Aaron Hillis|date=May 13, 2009|archive-date=January 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103164627/http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-05-13/film/summer-guide-surveillance-jennifer-lynch-s-first-in-16-years/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==== ''Hisss'' (2009) ==== Lynch was announced as director of the film ''Nagin'' (the film is also known as ''Hisss''), that featured Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat, but the film that was released was not Lynch's work, even though the producers attached her name to the final product.<ref>{{cite web|title=Surveillance Director Transforms into a Snake Woman|url=https://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/12528|work=Bloody Disgusting|publisher=Bloody Disgusting, LLC|access-date=October 6, 2012|last=Miska|first=Brad|date=June 9, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Wyatt">{{cite web|title=A Q&A with A Fall from Grace Director Jennifer Lynch|url=http://www.stlmag.com/St-Louis-Magazine/October-2012/A-Q-A-with-A-Fall-From-Grace-Director-Jennifer-Lynch/|work=St Louis Magazine|access-date=June 10, 2013|author=Andrew Wyatt|date=October 2012}}</ref> Lynch explained in a 2012 interview:
<blockquote> Well, ultimately, I didn't get to make that film. I put my director's cut together, and the producers decided it was not what they wanted. They took it back to India. I never did any scoring or cutting or color-timing or any of the things you do to make the movie. They took the footage and changed it into what they wanted it to be. So it's not my film. I went to India and shot some footage, but I have nothing to do with the movie they made.<ref name="Wyatt" /></blockquote>
==== ''Chained'' (2012) ==== Lynch then directed and co-wrote the 2012 thriller film ''Chained'', in which Vincent D'Onofrio stars as a cab-driving serial killer. It received mostly positive reviews from critics, with a 68% rating on review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes.
==== Future film projects ==== Lynch was scheduled to film ''Visibility'' for the Motion Picture Corporation of America in 2011, but, as of December 2025, this project is not completed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/news/lynch-latches-on-to-loeb-s-visibility-1118026338/|title=Lynch latches on to Loeb's 'Visibility' | work=Variety | first=Pamela|last=McClintock|date=October 26, 2010}}</ref>
{{As of|September 2012}}, Lynch was preparing ''A Fall from Grace'', a film set and filmed in St. Louis and inspired by the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.<ref name="Wyatt" />
===Television=== Lynch has directed episodes of many television series such as ''Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'', ''The Watcher'', ''Jessica Jones'', ''Finding Carter'', ''Psych'', ''Quantico'', ''Teen Wolf'', ''The Walking Dead'', ''The Last Ship'', ''Wayward Pines'', ''American Horror Story'', ''The Strain'',<ref>{{Cite news |last=Parker |first=Adam |date=December 20, 2014 |title=Demons in action: On the set of WE tv's new series 'South of Hell' |url=http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20141220/PC1201/141229956 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004221150/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20141220/PC1201/141229956 |archive-date=October 4, 2015 |access-date=September 22, 2015 |work=The Post and Courier}}</ref> ''Once Upon a Time'', ''Hawaii Five-0'' and ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''
===Other projects=== Lynch authored ''The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer'' to accompany the television show ''Twin Peaks'' which was created by her father David Lynch and Mark Frost.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/28/books/are-the-owls-what-they-seem.html|title=Are the Owls What They Seem?|author=Stanley, Alessandra|date=October 28, 1990}}</ref>
In 1993, Lynch directed the music video "Living in the Rose" by the British rock band New Model Army.<ref>{{cite news|title=Production Notes|agency=Billboard|issue=24|date=12 June 1993|pages=42}}</ref>
On March 21, 2010, Lynch was a judge at the International Surrealist Film Festival<ref>{{cite web |year=2010 |title=The 2010 International Surrealist Film Festival |url=http://www.downtownindependent.com/events/the-2010-international |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306061429/http://www.downtownindependent.com/events/the-2010-international |archive-date=March 6, 2010 |access-date=October 6, 2012 |work=Downtown Independent}}</ref> and she worked as producer for the Corey Brandenstein natural horror film ''The Compound''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barton |first=Steve |date=May 24, 2010 |title=Jennifer Lynch and Corey Brandenstein Throw Us to the Dogs in The Compound |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37672/jennifer-lynch-and-corey-brandenstein-throw-us-dogs-the-compound |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014095257/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/37672/jennifer-lynch-and-corey-brandenstein-throw-us-dogs-the-compound |archive-date=October 14, 2012 |access-date=October 6, 2012 |work=Dread Central |publisher=Dread Central Media, LLC}}</ref>
An Australian documentary titled ''Despite the Gods'', which chronicles Lynch's struggle to make the film ''Hisss'', was released in 2012. The documentary was shown at the Canadian International Documentary Festival and the program described the film as follows: "Out of her depth shooting on location with an Indian crew and two top Bollywood stars, Lynch turns her production into a vehicle for her own self-actualization, paying no regard to timeline, budget or reality. As the story in front of the camera derails, the story behind the camera explodes".<ref>{{cite web|title=Despite The Gods |url=http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/despite_the_gods |work=Hot Docs |access-date=June 10, 2013 |date=April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530174629/http://www.hotdocs.ca/film/title/despite_the_gods |archive-date=May 30, 2013 }}</ref> She eventually disowned ''Hisss''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hiss|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/hisss-director-jennifer-lynch-disowns-film/702189/|publisher=Indian Express|access-date=October 25, 2010|date=October 2010}}</ref>
As of 2015, she is also a member of the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.
==Awards and nominations== ''Boxing Helena'' received incredibly scathing reviews<ref>{{cite magazine |last= Simon |first= John |date= October 4, 1993 |title= Chess without Tears, Sex without Limbs. |magazine= National Review |pages=61–62}}</ref> upon its release and a Razzie Award for "Worst Director".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The official Razzie movie guide enjoying the best of Hollywood's worst|last=Wilson|first=John|publisher=Warner Books|year=2005|isbn=9780446592154|location=New York|at=Appendix 2|oclc=815660203}}</ref> Nevertheless, it was nominated for Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category at the Sundance Film Festival.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The SCA Alumni Screening Series Presents: SURVEILLANCE |url=http://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=10787 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210024025/http://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=10787 |archive-date=2018-02-10 |access-date=2018-02-10 |website=cinema.usc.edu}}</ref>
==Personal life== Lynch lives in Los Angeles and has a daughter.<ref name="Hill" /> She revealed in 2009 that she underwent three spinal surgeries in the mid-1990s after getting into a car accident at the age of 19.<ref name="Hill" />
==Filmography== '''Film''' {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Writer ! Ref. |- | 1993 | ''Boxing Helena'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | <ref>{{Cite news |last=Thompson |first=Anne |date=1992-07-05 |title=FILM; The Ins and Outs of 'Boxing Helena' |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/05/movies/film-the-ins-and-outs-of-boxing-helena.html |access-date=2023-01-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> |- | 2008 | ''Surveillance'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} |<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=John |date=2007-05-27 |title=Blood and Crashes? Sounds Like Lynch |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/movies/27ande.html |access-date=2023-01-21 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> |- | 2010 | ''Hisss'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |- | 2012 | ''Chained'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |}
'''Television''' {| class="wikitable" ! Year ! Title ! Notes |- | 2012–2013 | ''Psych'' | 3 episodes |- |rowspan=2|2013 | ''The Trouble with Billy'' | Episode: "Pilot" |- | ''Warehouse 13'' | Episode: "Instinct" |- | 2014–2016 | ''Teen Wolf'' | 4 episodes |- | 2014–2015 | ''Finding Carter'' | 5 episodes (Also supervising producer) |- | 2015 | ''The Walking Dead'' | 2 episodes |- | 2015–2017 | ''Quantico'' | 5 episodes |- | 2015 | ''South of Hell'' | 2 episodes |- |rowspan=6|2016 | ''Second Chance'' | Episode: "May Old Acquaintance Be Forgot" |- | ''Recovery Road'' | Episode: "Sick as Our Secrets" |- | ''Damien'' | Episode: "The Devil You Know" |- | ''Wayward Pines'' | Episode: "Pass Judgement" |- | ''The Last Ship'' | Episode: "Sea Change" |- | ''Once Upon a Time'' | Episode: "I'll Be Your Mirror" |- | 2016–2024 | ''American Horror Story'' | 12 episodes |- | 2016–2018 | ''Hawaii Five-O'' | 2 episodes |- |rowspan=5|2017 | ''Salem'' | 2 episodes |- | ''Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders'' | Episode: "Abominable" |- | ''Salvation'' | Episode: "Keeping the Faith" |- | ''Zoo'' | Episode: "Cradles and Graves" |- | ''The Strain'' | Episode: "The Traitor" |- | 2017–2018 | ''Elementary'' | 2 episodes |- |rowspan=5|2018 | ''Kevin (Probably) Saves the World'' | Episode: "Caught White-Handed" |- | ''Jessica Jones'' | Episode: "AKA Three Lives and Counting" |- | ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' | Episode: "All Roads Lead..." |- | ''Code Black'' | Episode: "Change of Heart" |- | ''Daredevil'' | Episode: "Revelations" |- | 2018–2025 | ''9-1-1'' | 7 episodes |- |rowspan=3|2020 | ''9-1-1: Lone Star'' | Episode: "Texas Proud" |- | ''Ratched'' | Episode: "The Bucket List" |- | ''Big Sky'' | 2 episodes |- | 2021–2023 | ''Gossip Girl'' | 4 episodes |- |rowspan=2|2022 | ''Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'' | 4 episodes |- | ''The Watcher'' | 2 episodes |- |rowspan=2|2024 | ''Feud: Capote vs. The Swans'' | Episode: "Beautiful Babe" |- | ''American Sports Story'' | Episode: "What's Left Behind" |- |rowspan=3|2025-2026 | ''Matlock'' | 3 episodes |- | ''The Rookie'' | 2 episodes |- | ''Watson'' | 2 episodes |- |rowspan=2|2025 | ''Doctor Odyssey'' | Episode: "Casino Week" |- | ''Murdaugh: Death in the Family'' | Episode: "Controlled Burn" |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080309014015/http://strictement-confidentiel.com/content/view/423/57/ A French article about Jennifer Lynch's works (''The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer'' and ''Boxing Helena'')] * {{Cite web |title=We Go Under 'Surveillance' with Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond and Jennifer Lynch |url=http://www.fearnet.com/news/b15870_we_go_under_surveillance_with_bill.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625203520/http://www.fearnet.com/news/b15870_we_go_under_surveillance_with_bill.html |archive-date=June 25, 2009}} * [https://www.joblo.com/video/player.php?video=hisssinterview Interview with ''Hisss'' (2010) director Jennifer Chambers Lynch]{{Dead link|date=October 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} * [https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/feature-articles/3551-interview-jennifer-lynch-director-of-chained Interview with director of ''Chained'', Jennifer Lynch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912052338/http://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/feature-articles/3551-interview-jennifer-lynch-director-of-chained |date=September 12, 2017 }}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|id=0528337}} * [https://www.allmovie.com/artist/jennifer-chambers-lynch-p100455 Jennifer Lynch] at Allmovie
{{Jennifer Lynch}} {{Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Director}} {{David Lynch}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Jennifer}} Category:Film producers from Pennsylvania Category:American music video directors Category:English-language film directors Category:American women film directors Category:Interlochen Center for the Arts alumni Category:Living people Category:American women screenwriters Category:Film directors from Michigan Category:American people of Finnish descent Category:Women music video directors Category:American television directors Category:American women television directors Category:American women film producers Category:1968 births Category:David Lynch