David Lynch's Net Worth and If He's Really Retiring

David Lynch hasn't made a movie in a long time.

The director, writer and occasional actor has made a lucrative career out of, essentially, letting his freak flag fly—he does what he loves, and if he doesn't love it, he just doesn't do it.

He told The Los Angeles Times in 2012, "I haven't gotten the big idea. I've got some fragments that are coming, but not the big idea. If I got an idea that I fell in love with, I'd go to work tomorrow. I just haven't."

When a reporter pointed out that it's been a long time since he's released an original project, he simply didn't care. (Back in 2006, if you're keeping track.)

"It's what you fall in love with that drives the boat," he said. "I don't really think about time."

Of course, that's easy to do when you're rich. Find out David Lynch's net worth in 2024 and how he made it.

How did David Lynch become a director?

Born in Missoula, Montana, on Jan. 20, 1946, Lynch moved often with his family as a child before they settled in Alexandria, Virginia. His first love was painting, which he planned to study in college.

After high school, Lynch briefly studied painting first at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., then at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, but left both before graduating. He moved to Philadelphia, where he enrolled in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and worked as an engraver to make ends meet for him, his then-wife, Peggy, and their daughter, Jennifer. In 1967, he made his first short film while enrolled at the Academy, Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times), which won first prize at the school's annual end-of-year competition and exhibit. He won $1,000 (close to $9,000 when adjusted for today's inflation rates).

Lynch used some of his winnings to make his second short film, The Alphabet, in 1968. Partially animated and partially live-action, The Alphabet was inspired by Peggy's niece having a nightmare and starred Peggy, with some audio of their baby daughter Jennifer crying also incorporated. The American Film Institute (AFI) funded the project for $7,200.

How did David Lynch become famous?

The success of The Alphabet let Lynch know filmmaking was what really made him tick. He, Peggy and Jennifer moved to Los Angeles, where he started studying filmmaking at the AFI Conservatory.

His next project received $10,000 worth of funding from the AFI Conservatory, plus a loan from his father, gifts from its star Jack Fisk and his then-future wife Sissy Spacek and some money he earned delivering newspapers. Production began in 1972 and wrapped in 1976. That film, with a script of just 21 pages, became Eraserhead, released in 1977.

Eraserhead wasn't initially commercially successful—it's trippy (hello, it's David Lynch!), black and white and thematically dark and dystopian. But Lynch found his audience with midnight showings and underground circuits, a la Rocky Horror Picture Show, and finally nailed his niche—and counted icons like Mel Brooks and George Lucas among his fans and supporters.

Lynch followed Eraserhead with The Elephant Man, which he directed but didn't write. The film starred Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt in the titular role, and it was a massive success, both critically and commercially, earning eight Oscar nominations—including Best Director for Lynch.

After the success of The Elephant Man, Lynch was recruited to write and direct the first film adaptation of the novel Dune. The editing and production process was done predominantly to suit studio demands more than Lynch's artistic vision, and he wasn't happy with the film. Neither were audiences: With a box office gross of $27 million on a $45 million budget, the film was both critically and commercially a bomb.

Undeterred, Lynch went on to make what many consider his trademark film, the noir mystery thriller Blue Velvet, in 1986. The film earned Lynch his second Oscar nomination and marked the first starring role he gave to Kyle MacLachlan.

In 1990, Lynch began working with TV producer Mark Frost, with whom he created Twin Peaks, starring MacLachlan as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper.

The show started as a massive success with its first seven episodes and was critically acclaimed, winning three Golden Globes and two Emmys for Season 1. Unfortunately, after being moved from Thursday to Saturday nights and being ordered by the network to reveal Laura Palmer's killer too soon in Season 2, ratings dropped and the show was canceled. However, it continues on as a cult classic, with Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me being released in 1992 and a third season being released on Showtime in 2017.

Lynch's next few projects didn't resonate with audiences, but in 2000, he produced what started as a series pilot and became a hit film: The neo-noir Mulholland Drive, earning Lynch his third Oscar nod for Best Director.

Lynch embraced the Internet before almost anyone else, releasing several series and projects on the medium (including daily weather reports). He released the film Inland Empire in 2006 and hasn't released a feature since, but has still been having a lot of fun: He frequently guest-starred in the Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show as a bartender named Gus, directed a slew of high-end commercials and music video projects with acts like Michael Jackson, Nine Inch Nails and Interpol. He also appeared as director John Ford in Steven Spielberg's passion project, The Fabelmans.

Related: See the Twin Peaks Cast Then and Now

What is David Lynch's net worth in 2024?

David Lynch's net worth in 2024 is estimated at $70 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

How many movies has David Lynch made?

Lynch has made 10 full-length movies throughout his career. They are:

• Eraserhead (1977)

• The Elephant Man (1980)

• Dune (1984)

• Blue Velvet (1986)

• Wild at Heart (1990)

• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

• Lost Highway (1997)

• The Straight Story (1999)

• Mulholland Drive (2001)

• Inland Empire (2006)

Related: Mighty Fine Pie for the Twin Peaks Reboot

How many Oscars has David Lynch won?

Lynch has been nominated for four Oscars, but hasn't won any ... yet!

Has David Lynch retired?

Not quite! In an interview for the September 2024 issue of Sight & Sound, Lynch said that his emphysema diagnosis, combined with fears of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, essentially left him homebound and unable to work in person.

"I've gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I'm homebound whether I like it or not. It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold," he said, adding, "I would [direct] remotely if it comes to it … I wouldn't like that so much."

However, after the world essentially mourned the smoky, spooky noir auteur's potential future body of work, he took to X (formerly Twitter) to clear the air.

Related: 75 Best Directors of All Time

How much did it cost to make Mulholland Drive?

Mulholland Drive had a budget of $15 million. Its theatrical release initially barely broke even after marketing costs, grossing only $20 worldwide million. It's since become a cult classic.

What is David Lynch's highest grossing movie?

Adjusted for inflation, The Elephant Man was Lynch's highest-grossing film. His total grosses adjusted for inflation are:

• Eraserhead (1977), $130,341

• The Elephant Man (1980), $99.2 million

• Dune (1984), $93.7 million

• Blue Velvet (1986), $24.75 million

• Wild at Heart (1990), $35 million

• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992), $9.2 million

• Lost Highway (1997), $7.5 million

• The Straight Story (1999), $12.1 million

• Mulholland Drive (2001), $36 million

• Inland Empire (2006), $6.7 million

Related: 151 Best Horror Movies of All Time, Ranked

What commercials did David Lynch direct?

Lynch has made a ton of cash directing commercials since the 1980s, including:

• Four commercials for Calvin Klein Obsession in 1988, each centering around a different author's work (keep an eye out for Heather Graham in one)

• Several foreign ads for Georgia Coffee, which took place in the Twin Peaks universe

• A New York City Department of Sanitation public service announcement called "We Care About New York"

• Alka-Seltzer Plus

• Giorgio Armani Gio

• Yves Saint Laurent Opium

• Lancôme Trésor

• Barilla Pasta, starring Gérard Depardieu

• Adidas

• An American Cancer Society PSA about breast cancer

• Jil Sander Background

• Sun Moon Stars (featuring Daryl Hannah)

• SyFy

• Clear Blue Easy

• Parisienne cigarettes

• Sony PlayStation 2

• Nissan Micra

• Gucci by Gucci

You can watch several of them in this super-cut:

In any case, these likely paid enough that he really doesn't need to work on a movie or TV show unless he absolutely loves it. More power to the man!

Related: 75 Best Psychological Thrillers of All Time

Did David Lynch make a PlayStation commercial?

Lynch made a PlayStation 2 commercial for Sony called "Welcome to the Third Place" in 2000.

Lynch originally filmed the commercial in color, which was later removed in editing to make the spot look more "Lynchian." You can see a behind-the-scenes featurette of Lynch making the commercial below.

Next, 101 Best Mystery Books of All Time