He has worked extensively with David Lynch, appearing as Paul Atreides in Lynch's epic adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, and as Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet. Later he was to play Special Agent Dale Cooper in the series Twin Peaks, getting some of the best lines.
In the 1993 film version of The Trial, MacLachlan played the lead role of the persecuted Josef K
More recently he has appeared in the American television series Sex and the City.