Owain Rhys Davies, the Cardiff-born actor best known for playing Agent Wilson in Twin Peaks: The Return, has died at 44, his family announced on social media.
Davies’ brother, Rhodri Davies, posted an Instagram tribute saying his brother had passed “suddenly, naturally, and peacefully,” adding he was “incredibly proud.” Rhodri said there are still questions that remain unanswered regarding the circumstances of his death and that the family will share further information in due course.
Davies’ screen career began in the early 2000s and included a string of film and television credits: he appeared in the Netflix drama The OA, the film Alice Through The Looking Glass and the horror satire A Serial Killer's Guide To Life. In 2017, Twin Peaks: The Return aired; Davies appeared in three episodes as FBI Agent Wilson, a role for which many viewers will remember him.
He was also a well-known presence on stage. Davies appeared in West End productions of Mamma Mia! and The Wizard of Oz and had credits in The Lion King, Something Rotten!, Grease and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. In 2024 he led the musical Grindr Help Desk, portraying a drag queen named Candice. His recent work included the film La Fantasia and the play The Opera Singer.
The news prompted tributes from the Twin Peaks Instagram page, which wrote: "Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those who knew and loved him." The account added, "Thank you for being a part of the world of Twin Peaks, Agent Wilson." The Welsh National Theatre paid tribute as well, calling Davies "a remarkable talent whose work enriched Welsh theatre and screen, and whose contribution to the performing arts will be remembered by audiences, colleagues, and friends alike." The theatre said, "His passion, creativity, and dedication to his craft made a lasting impact on the cultural life of Wales" and that "the Welsh performing arts community is poorer for his loss."
Davies’ death is immediate news for colleagues and fans across stage and screen; his roles in both cult television and mainstream West End musicals made him a familiar face to different audiences. The family’s statement — and Rhodri’s direct phrasing that the death was "suddenly, naturally, and peacefully" — establishes the basic circumstances while leaving open the unanswered questions Rhodri acknowledged.
What happens next, the family said, is that funeral arrangements will begin and further details will be released in due course. For now the most consequential unresolved fact is precisely what Rhodri referred to: the circumstances that remain unexplained by the brief statement the family issued.
