Lynch was a onetime artist who broke through in the 1970s with the surreal “Eraserhead” and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences and peers in the following decades.

The American filmmaker who was celebrated for his uniquely dark vision in movies such as Blue Velvet has died just days before his 79th birthday.

Watts said "the chips were down" and she was "desperate" for work after "10 years into flunking auditions" in Hollywood before Lynch agreed to work with her.

Naomi Watts credits the late David Lynch with saving her Hollywood career. The "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" star shared that the director — whose family announced his passing on Jan. 16 — rescued her stalled career by casting her in 2001’s Mulholland Drive.