---
name: "Duwayne Dunham"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/duwayne-dunham"
fi1m_id: "duwayne-dunham"
imdb_id: "nm0242271"
tmdb_id: 6592
wikidata_id: "Q1150882"
roles: ["Editor","Director"]
born: "17 November 1952"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 5
average_fi1m_score: 84
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-17T14:45:17.405949+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Duwayne Dunham

## Identity

Duwayne Dunham

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/duwayne-dunham
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** duwayne-dunham
- **IMDb ID:** nm0242271
- **TMDB ID:** 6592
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1150882
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duwayne_Dunham, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1150882, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242271/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/6592

Editor and director. Born 17 November 1952 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Editor, Director
- **Born:** 17 November 1952, Los Angeles County, California, USA
- **Active:** 1981–1990
- **Also known as:** Duwayne R. Dunham, Duwayne Robert Dunham
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 5: 1 directing, 4 crew
- **Frequently works with:** [David Lynch](https://film.one/person/david-lynch.md), [Kyle MacLachlan](https://film.one/person/kyle-maclachlan.md), [Laura Dern](https://film.one/person/laura-dern.md)
- **Primetime Emmy Awards:** 1 Emmy (1 won)
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 85 (3), 1990s 82 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 84 to 74 across 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Action 2, Adventure 2, Crime 2, Thriller 2, Mystery 1, Romance 1
- **Screen time:** 8 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $986m across 4 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duwayne_Dunham, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1150882, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0242271/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/6592

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Blue Velvet*](https://film.one/film/blue-velvet.md) (88)
- **Apple TV:** [*Twin Peaks*](https://film.one/tv/twin-peaks.md) (86)
- **Disney+:** [*Return of the Jedi*](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi.md) (75)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Duwayne Dunham

> Duwayne Dunham understands how long to leave a performance alone. We value his editing most highly, though his directing takes a more welcoming route through family adventures and television films for children.

In *Twin Peaks* (1990), a pause can last just long enough for somebody’s awkwardness to stop being funny. Duwayne Dunham’s editing gives us time to notice the discomfort without hurrying us past it. We grew uneasy as those pauses stretched, because what had seemed merely awkward began to feel wrong. Angelo Badalamenti’s music keeps the melodrama warm, so that the people still matter when their behaviour becomes strange.

His editing credits on *Return of the Jedi* (1983) and *Blue Velvet* (1986) came before his directing career. The latter began his collaboration with David Lynch, whose material benefits from Dunham’s willingness to let a scene find its own pace. His editing favours performance and internal timing over strict continuity, a useful priority when an awkward moment needs room to develop. On *Twin Peaks*, he edited the pilot and made his directing debut, directing three episodes.

His first theatrical feature as director, *Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey* (1993), takes him towards family adventure. *Little Giants* (1994) and numerous Disney Channel television films continue the move towards younger audiences. That is a substantial change of audience, and we would not mistake his association with Lynch for a promise that his own films will be similarly unsettling. He stays involved in editing his directed projects, retaining a practical say over how those performances reach the screen.

The caution is there in *Twin Peaks* too: its patience sometimes becomes drift. We admire Dunham’s willingness to wait, but the programme does occasionally give us longer than we need to appreciate its oddness. He later edited all 18 episodes of *Twin Peaks: The Return* (2017), continuing his work with Lynch. Start with the original *Twin Peaks*, and allow for the slower stretches; Badalamenti’s tender music and Kyle MacLachlan’s steadiness are good reasons to stay.

## Biography

Duwayne Dunham is an American film and television editor and director. Born on 17 November 1952 in Los Angeles County, California, he worked as an assistant editor on *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981) before editing *Return of the Jedi* (1983) and *Blue Velvet* (1986).

He edited two episodes of the series *Twin Peaks* (1990) and directed three episodes, making his directorial debut with the second episode. For his editing work on the series he received a Primetime Emmy Award in 1990. He subsequently directed the feature films *Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey* (1993) and *Little Giants* (1994), as well as several Disney Channel television films including *Halloweentown* (1998).

In 2017 Dunham edited all 18 episodes of *Twin Peaks: The Return*. He is an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org, welcometotwinpeaks.com.*

## On Fi1m (5)

### Directed (1)

- *Twin Peaks* (1990), Fi1m 86, Director, Editor — [page](https://film.one/tv/twin-peaks.md)

### Crew (4) — the average rests on these

- *Wild at Heart* (1990), Fi1m 78, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/wild-at-heart.md)
- *Blue Velvet* (1986), Fi1m 88, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/blue-velvet.md)
- *Return of the Jedi* (1983), Fi1m 75, Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi.md)
- *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981), Fi1m 93, Assistant Editor — [page](https://film.one/film/raiders-of-the-lost-ark.md)

## Complete filmography (29)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Legend of the Happy Worker* (2025), Editor, Writer, Director
- *The Turning* (2020), Editor
- *Spreading Darkness* (2017), Editor
- *That First Glide* (2011), Co-Writer, Co-Director
- *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* (2008), series, Director
- *Now You See It...* (2005), Director
- *Love, Death, Elvis & Oz: The Making of Wild at Heart* (2004), Actor
- *Tiger Cruise* (2004), Director
- *Right on Track* (2003), Director
- *Double Teamed!* (2002), Director
- *Ready to Run* (2000), Director
- *Santa and Pete* (1999), Director
- *The Thirteenth Year* (1999), Director
- *Halloweentown* (1998), Director
- *7th Heaven* (1996), series, Director
- *JAG* (1995), series, Director
- *Little Giants* (1994), Director
- *Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey* (1993), Director
- *Wild at Heart* (1990), Editor — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/wild-at-heart.md)
- *Twin Peaks* (1990), series, Director, Editor — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/twin-peaks.md)
- *Twin Peaks* (1989), Editor
- *Cherry 2000* (1987), Editor
- *Blue Velvet* (1986), Editor — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/blue-velvet.md)
- *The Mean Season* (1985), Editor
- *From Star Wars to Jedi: The Making of a Saga* (1983), Editor
- *Return of the Jedi* (1983), Editor — Fi1m 75, [page](https://film.one/film/return-of-the-jedi.md)
- *Raiders of the Lost Ark* (1981), Assistant Editor — Fi1m 93, [page](https://film.one/film/raiders-of-the-lost-ark.md)
- *More American Graffiti* (1979), Assistant Editor, Editor
- *13 Bourbon St.*, Director

## Gallery

- ![Duwayne Dunham, Josh Whitehouse, Meagan Holder attend the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Locarno, Switz (2000)](https://film.one/media/person/61434/gallery-5a5d2956c2b9.jpg) Duwayne Dunham, Josh Whitehouse, Meagan Holder attend the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Locarno, Switz (2000) — Walid Farouk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Duwayne_Dunham%2C_Josh_Whitehouse%2C_Meagan_Holder_at_the_2025_Locarno_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Duwayne_Dunham%2C_Josh_Whitehouse%2C_Meagan_Holder_at_the_2025_Locarno_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Duwayne Dunham, Josh Whitehouse, Meagan Holder attend the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Locarno, Switz](https://film.one/media/person/61434/gallery-84c978330134.jpg) Duwayne Dunham, Josh Whitehouse, Meagan Holder attend the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Locarno, Switz — Segolene Liger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f7/Duwayne_Dunham%2C_Josh_Whitehouse%2C_Meagan_Holder_attend_the_%22Le_Pays_d%27Arto%22_red_carpet.jpg/1280px-Duwayne_Dunham%2C_Josh_Whitehouse%2C_Meagan_Holder_attend_the_%22Le_Pays_d%27Arto%22_red_carpet.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Duwayne Dunham](https://film.one/media/person/61434/gallery-abcd36e3e6e3.jpg) Duwayne Dunham — Walid Farouk, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Duwayne_Dunham_at_the_2025_Locarno_Film_Festival.jpg/1280px-Duwayne_Dunham_at_the_2025_Locarno_Film_Festival.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Duwayne Dunham attends the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Locarno, Switzerland.](https://film.one/media/person/61434/gallery-17aab189eb8c.jpg) Duwayne Dunham attends the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Locarno, Switzerland. — Segolene Liger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Duwayne_Dunham_attends_the_%22Le_Pays_d%27Arto%22_red_carpet.jpg/1280px-Duwayne_Dunham_attends_the_%22Le_Pays_d%27Arto%22_red_carpet.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Duwayne Dunham](https://film.one/media/person/61434/gallery-6b6921c47982.jpg) Duwayne Dunham — Image via TMDB
- ![Josh Whitehouse, Meagan Holder, Duwayne Dunham and guests attend the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Loc](https://film.one/media/person/61434/gallery-f39ff39ecbe7.jpg) Josh Whitehouse, Meagan Holder, Duwayne Dunham and guests attend the "Le Pays d'Arto" red carpet during the 78th Locarno Film Festival on August 06, 2025 in Loc — Segolene Liger, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Josh_Whitehouse%2C_Meagan_Holder%2C_Duwayne_Dunham_and_guests_attend_the_%22Le_Pays_d%27Arto%22_red_carpet.jpg/1280px-Josh_Whitehouse%2C_Meagan_Holder%2C_Duwayne_Dunham_and_guests_attend_the_%22Le_Pays_d%27Arto%22_red_carpet.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Primetime Emmy Awards — 1 won

- 1990: Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (won), for *Twin Peaks*

### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Children's Programs 2004: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Children's Programs (nominated), for *Tiger Cruise*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/duwayne-dunham