The character mime Kenneth Welsh – best known for his portrayal of Windom Earle in “Twin Peaks” – has died at the age of 80. This was announced by Welsh’s son, musician Devon Welsh, on social media.
“My father passed away peacefully at home on Thursday,” he wrote on Instagram. I will always love him beyond measure. He lived a wonderful life, he was the best father I could have asked for and he touched so many people.”
Welsh, who was born on March 30, 1942 in Edmonton, Canada, made the leap to America in the early 1980s after numerous engagements on Canadian television and in several feature film productions. He was mostly seen in supporting roles, albeit with prominent appearances in films such as “Perfect” (1985), “Heartburn” (1986) and “The Sign of the Virgin” (1988).
Crazy chess genius in “Twin Peaks”
The TV phenomenon Twin Peaks, however, brought him to worldwide audiences, although audience interest in his emergence in season two as the diabolical, deranged chess genius Windom Earle, Agent Dale Cooper, had already plummeted.
Until recently, Welsh starred in a number of Hollywood productions, including in Legends of the Passion (1994), The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and in 2021 in The Middle Man, his last feature film. He was also frequently seen on television, for example in “The X-Files”, “Law & Order” and “The Outer Limits”.
In addition to numerous film awards, Welsh also received the Order of Canada in 2003, the country’s highest civilian honor. A cause of death was not initially known.