Naomi Watts said on Tuesday that she almost quit acting before David Lynch cast her in Mulholland Drive. "He was very instrumental to me. Even being in America, I wouldn't have stayed had I not have met David Lynch,

With the passing of beloved director David Lynch, many of the actors he worked with – along with countless staunch admirers – have shared emotional tributes and testaments to his legacy.

Naomi Watts wouldn’t be a Hollywood star if it weren’t for David Lynch.Naomi Watts nearly left the acting world before a pivotal meeting with the late director changed her

Naomi Watts revealed on “Live With Kelly and Mark” (via Entertainment Weekly) that she nearly quit acting before she met the late David Lynch, who cast her as the lead in 2001’s “Mulholland Drive.” The film’s critical acclaim and global success turned Watts into a star after “10 years” of “flunking auditions.

“My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave…” began Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts on Instagram about the death of that movie’s filmmaker David Lynch. “The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful,” she wrote.

David Lynch revolutionized cinema — and now, Hollywood is paying tribute to the legendary auteur, who died Thursday at the age of 78.

Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts, Isabella Rossellini and other collaborators of David Lynch mourned the filmmaker's death on social media.

"Eraserhead" filmmaker David Lynch brought a dark, thoughtful surrealism to Hollywood. Here are his best movies and TV work, including "Twin Peaks."

Then David Lynch dropped a movie-length pilot for a show that would become a beacon of artistic audacity for TV creators in the boom years to come. Among them: David Chase, whose brainchild “The Sopranos” would follow in 1999.