David Bowie

Acting

Born Jan 08, 1947

From London, England, UK

Died Jan 10, 2016

David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. He was a figure in popular music for over five decades, regarded by critics and musicians as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, his music and stagecraft significantly influencing popular music. During his lifetime, his record sales, estimated at 140 million worldwide, made him one of the world's best-selling music artists. In the UK, he was awarded nine platinum album certifications, eleven gold and eight silver, releasing eleven number-one albums. In the US, he received five platinum and seven gold certifications. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Born and raised in South London, Bowie developed an interest in music as a child, eventually studying art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. “Space Oddity” became his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart after its release in July 1969. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of his single “Starman” and album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, which won him widespread popularity. In 1975, Bowie's style shifted radically towards a sound he characterized as “plastic soul,” initially alienating many of his UK devotees but garnering him his first major US crossover success with the number-one single “Fame” and the album Young Americans. In 1976, Bowie starred in the cult film The Man Who Fell to Earth and released Station to Station. The following year, he further confounded musical expectations with the electronic-inflected album Low (1977), the first of three collaborations with Brian Eno that would come to be known as the Berlin Trilogy. Heroes (1977) and Lodger (1979) followed; each album reached the UK top five and received lasting critical praise. After uneven commercial success in the late 1970s, Bowie had UK number ones with the 1980 single “Ashes to Ashes,” its parent album Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), and “Under Pressure,” a 1981 collaboration with Queen. He then reached his commercial peak in 1983 with Let's Dance, with its title track topping both UK and US charts. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Bowie continued to experiment with musical styles, including industrial and jungle. Bowie also continued acting; his roles included Major Celliers in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983), the Goblin King Jareth in Labyrinth (1986), Pontius Pilate in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006), among other film and television appearances and cameos. He stopped concert touring after 2004 and his last live performance was at a charity event in 2006. In 2013, Bowie returned from a decade-long recording hiatus with the release of The Next Day. He remained musically active until he died of liver cancer two days after the release of his final album, Blackstar (2016).

David Bowie

Known For

The Prestige

Arthur and the Invisibles

Labyrinth

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

The Last Temptation of Christ

Zoolander

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Christiane F.

The Hunger

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music

Filmography — Acting

The Prestige

Arthur and the Invisibles

Labyrinth

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

The Last Temptation of Christ

Zoolander

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence

Christiane F.

The Hunger

Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music

The Man Who Fell to Earth

Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces

Jim Henson Idea Man

Moonage Daydream

Basquiat

Into the Night

Bandslam

Bowie: The Final Act

Live Aid

The Concert for New York City

The Snowman

Twiggy

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Thriller 40

Yellowbeard

Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA

The BRITs at 40

Night Lunch

Absolute Beginners

The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

LOLA

Zappa

Vanilla Ice Archive

August

WHAM!

Why Are We Creative?

Gunslinger's Revenge

Freddie Mercury: The Final Act

Imagine: John Lennon

Saturday Night Live: 25th Anniversary Special

Enigma

The Velvet Underground

Late Night with Conan O'Brien: 10th Anniversary Special

The World of Jim Henson

The Show Must Go On: The Queen + Adam Lambert Story

The Love We Make

Can't Buy Me Lunch: Another Look at The Rutles

Luther: Never Too Much

Nam June Paik: Moon Is the Oldest TV

The Dancing Man of L.A.

Just a Gigolo

The Filth and the Fury

The Lost Weekend: A Love Story

Can Creativity Save the World?

The Sensational Shocking Wonderful Wacky 70's

The Virgin Soldiers

Mr. Rice's Secret

Mickey: The Story of a Mouse

Bing Crosby: Rediscovered

Queen: Champions of the World

The Linguini Incident

Tokyo Melody: A Film About Ryuichi Sakamoto

Live Aid

Gimme Danger

Glam Rock at the BBC

Live Aid: 20 Years Ago Today

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man