Jennifer Lynch

Jennifer Chambers Lynch (born April 7, 1968) is an American film director and screenwriter, also known for writing the book The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer.

Early life

Lynch was born in Philadelphia. She is the daughter of artist and filmmaker David Lynch, who is responsible for her Finnish ancestry, and painter Peggy Reavey. She began practicing Transcendental Meditation at the age of six.

Film

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 feature film debut 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

Lynch's commissioned screenplay for Boxing Helena, which she would later go on to direct, attracted many actresses, including Madonna.Sherilyn Fenn, one of the stars in her father's television series Twin Peaks and the 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. The controversy surrounding that case, as well as feminist outcry over Helena's sadistic subject matter and accusations of nepotism, accompanied the movie's critical drubbing upon its release in 1993.