Catherine E. Coulson

Known to countless fans as The Log Lady from the landmark series "Twin Peaks" (ABC, 1990-1991), Catherine Coulson was a beloved character actor on both stage and screen. A native of Ashland, Oregon, Coulson met director David Lynch while she was teaching an acting class at the American Film Institute during the early '70s. She and her then-husband, actor Jack Nance, became friends and collaborators with Lynch, who cast Nance in the starring role in his upcoming art house feature "Eraserhead" (1977). Meanwhile, Coulson became an integral part of the film's creation behind the scenes. She helped develop the script, secured funding for the project, operated cameras and microphones during filming, and even acted in a small role in the movie, though her scenes did not end up appearing in the final product. Coulson would use her experience on the film to become one of the few women working on the electrical crews of '70s and '80s Hollywood, working as an assistant or second assistant camera operator on films like "Opening Night" (1977) and the Albert Brooks comedy "Modern Romance" (1981). Coulson would also continue to act, re-teaming with Lynch and her former husband Nance (whom she divorced in 1976) for Lynch's groundbreaking neo-noir series "Twin Peaks." The series found her playing an eccentric local of the titular town, a woman who speaks in enigmas and who is always seen carrying a medium-sized log. Coulson's performance as The Log Lady would make her a cult icon, and she reprised the role for the show's movie companion piece "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me" (1992). Subsequently, Coulson began acting in productions for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, which she would perform with for 22 seasons. Coulson died on September 28, 2015 at the age of 71.