Friday, January 16, 2015

West Side Story to Twin Peaks - Richard Beymer

While my heart will always reside in Iowa, my body currently has taken up residence in a small town west of Seattle called Snoqualmie.  Admittedly Western Washington has been home for over 15 years now and is truly a beautiful corner of the world.  Clearly the creators of the cult classic Twin Peaks agreed when they filmed the series in Snoqualmie and neighboring towns.  In 2016, exactly 25 years after Twin Peaks first aired, Showtime is going to air new episodes. David Lynch and crew will soon be returning to the Snoqualmie Valley to pick up where they left off over 2 decades ago.  Among those who will be reprising their past roles is Iowan Richard Beymer.  Beymer played Ben Horne, the richest man in Twin Peaks.

Beymer himself has quite the story.  Born in Avoca, Beymer broke through on screen in the West Side Story in 1961, a role he earned a golden globe for.  The next year he enrolled in New York City's actor studio, only to take leave to join the civil rights movement's 1964 Freedom Summer in Mississippi. Since 2010 Beymer has returned to his roots with residence in Fairfield where he continue artistic pursuits and practices TM. I will certainly be on the look out for him when filming starts up in town.  He surely will be the guy meditating with the Iowa Hawkeyes T shirt on.

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