Dale Cooper

Dale Cooper
'Twin Peaks' character
Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper
First appearance	"Pilot"
Portrayed by	Kyle MacLachlan
Information
Occupation	FBI Special Agent
Religion	Unitarian Tibetan Buddhist
Nationality	American

FBI Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC television series Twin Peaks. He briefly appears in the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

Cooper is an eccentric FBI agent who arrives in Twin Peaks in 1989 to investigate the brutal murder of the popular high school student, Laura Palmer, falling in love with the town and gaining a great deal of acceptance within the tightly knit community. He displays an array of quirky mannerisms such as giving a 'thumbs up' when satisfied, sage-like sayings, and distinctive sense of humor along with his love for a good cherry pie and a "damn fine cup of coffee" (which he takes black). One of his most popular habits is recording spoken-word tapes to a mysterious woman called "Diane" into his microcassette recorder that he always carries with him, that often contain everyday observations and thoughts on his current case.

On January 12, 2015, it was announced MacLachlan will return as Cooper for the continuation of Twin Peaks.

Lynch named Cooper in reference to D. B. Cooper, an unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft on November 24, 1971.

MacLachlan has stated that he views Cooper as an older version of his character in Blue Velvet, a previous David Lynch collaboration. "I see my character as Jeffrey Beaumont grown up. Instead of being acted upon, he has command on the world."

Born on April 19, 1954, Cooper is a graduate of Haverford College. He is also revealed to be something of an introspective personality, due to his profound interest in the mystical, particularly in Tibet and Native American mythology. Much of his work is based on intuition and even dreams; this is in contrast to other fictional detectives who use logic to solve their cases. On joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Dale Cooper was based at the Bureau offices in Philadelphia. It was here Cooper was partnered with the older Windom Earle. At some point, Cooper would be placed under the authority of FBI Chief Gordon Cole, which sometimes meant being handed the mysterious 'Blue Rose' cases. Some time after Cooper joined the Bureau, Earle's wife, Caroline, was a witness to a federal crime. Earle and Cooper were assigned to protect her, and it was around this time that Cooper began an affair with Caroline. However, one night, while in Pittsburgh, Cooper let his guard down - and Caroline was murdered by her husband. Cooper's former partner had "lost his mind", and was subsequently sent to a mental institution. Cooper was absolutely devastated by the loss of the woman he would later refer to as the love of his life, and swore to never again get involved with someone who was a part of a case to which he was assigned.