Eric Da Re is an American actor who is primarily famous for playing the notorious criminal Leo Johnson on the cult television show, Twin Peaks and its prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Maine.
Background
Eric Da Re was born in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is the son of the late actor Aldo Ray, and is of Italian descent. His mother is Johanna Ray, an award winning casting director (Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Showgirls), who did casting for Twin Peaks.
Career
Da Re"s first role was in the television movie Into the Homeland in 1987, which was directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, who would later go on to direct Da Re in the show that brought him fame, Twin Peaks. After a few more roles in television movies he landed the role of Leo Johnson in the 1990 cult classic Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch. Da Re went on to work with Lynch again as a casting assistant for Wild at Heart (1990), as Leo Johnson in the Twin Peaks prequel, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Maine (1992) and as a property buyer for Lost Highway (1997).
In 1992 he was Bernie in Critters 4, fourth film of the Critters series.
He also had roles in the Paul Verhoeven film Starship Troopers (1997) and in Ted Bundy (2002). He is sometimes credited as Eric Da Re, Eric DaRae or Eric Dare.
Eric attended Horace Mann elementary and Beverly Hills High School with fellow actor Nicolas Cage.