Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, is a fictional character who is the protagonist of the ABC television series Twin Peaks and its 2017 revival series by Showtime. He also plays a supporting role in the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. An eccentric FBI agent, Cooper arrives in Twin Peaks in 1989 to investigate the brutal murder of popular high school student Laura Palmer. Concept and characteristics Creator David Lynch named Cooper in reference to D. B. Cooper, the pseudonym of 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 (1986), 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." Lynch has stated Cooper's character was developed as "a grown-up Jeffrey Beaumont". Cooper 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. In an interview with Scouting Magazine, Lynch said that Cooper is likely an Eagle Scout, the highest rank of the Boy Scouts of America (which incidentally Lynch also holds), and that this is the root of Cooper's courteous yet determined nature and natural leadership skills. In the same interview, Lynch said that Sheriff Harry S. Truman was probably also a scout as a child, yet one that only made it to the rank of Life Scout, Scouting's second-highest rank. Appearances In television Twin Peaks Born on April 19, 1954, Dale Cooper is a graduate of Germantown Friends School and Haverford College. He is quirky and intellectual, with a profound interest in the mystical, particularly in Tibet and Native American mythology. Much of his work is based on intuition and even dreams. On joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cooper was based at the Bureau offices in Philadelphia. It was here that Cooper was partnered with the older Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh). At