This past week marked the one-year anniversary of the death of pop icon David Bowie at the age of 69. While he may best be remembered for his many albums, Bowie was also an eclectic and multi-faceted film actor, and we’ve compiled a list of the 10 best David Bowie movies to mark the occasion.
Born David Robert Jones, the celebrated English performer made dozens of film appearances, including a few lead roles. One of his best-loved parts among cineastes was his movie debut as the title extraterrestrial in Nicolas Roeg’s 1976 sci-fi drama The Man Who Fell to Earth, which Lionsgate is releasing in a brand-new limited collector’s edition Blu-ray on January 24.
Click here to pre-order your copy of The Man Who Fell to Earth Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray!
What are your favorite David Bowie movies? Which ones did we leave out that should be on our list? Let us know in the comments below!
The 10 Best David Bowie Movies
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10. Zoolander (2001)
David Bowie made a memorable cameo as himself, with a "Let's Dance" stinger and a title card thrown in for good measure. He helps judge a dance-off between Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in what is for many a highlight of the fashion-world comedy.
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9. The Hunger (1983)
Tony Scott (Top Gun, True Romance) made his directorial debut with this moody art house vampire movie that had a huge influence on the look of future music videos. Bowie plays John, an 18th century vampire living in modern-day New York who begins rapidly aging in a matter of days.
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8. Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006)
One of the few films that Bowie personally produced was this documentary on fellow eccentric musician Scott Walker. Taking a sharp right turn from pop musician to the avant garde, Walker was a significant influence on Bowie's own growth as an artist, and he speaks about him on camera in the doc.
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7. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
He ably took on the iconic role of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect who gave the order to execute Jesus Christ (Willem Dafoe). Martin Scorsese's controversial film faced outrage from religious groups upon release but was praised by critics.
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6. Into the Night (1985)
John Landis's underrated comedy features Jeff Goldblum as a hapless engineer who gets swept up in a wild night of intrigue with Michelle Pfeiffer. The episodic adventures include a British hitman played by Bowie at his most wicked.
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5. The Prestige (2006)
Bowie as famed inventor Nicola Tesla is a casting coup made in heaven. Christopher Nolan's turn-of-the-20th-century thriller about dueling magicians (played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) has a lot of twists and turns, but Bowie's scenes are without question the standouts.
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4. Basquiat (1996)
In another classic bit of stunt casting, director Julian Schnabel cast Bowie to play art world icon Andy Warhol. Of course he nails Warhol's wispy, aloof air to perfection in one of the best biopics of the '90s.
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3. Labyrinth (1986)
Arguably Bowie's most iconic film role, he plays Jareth the Goblin King and gets to juggle glass balls and sing memorable tunes like "Magic Dance." Jim Henson's lively blend of live-action, puppetry and special effects was a dud upon release, but is now considered a cult classic.
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2. The Snowman (1982)
Author Raymond Briggs' beloved children's book was turned into an Oscar-nominated animated short that is both magical and haunting. A perennial favorite, Bowie filmed a special introduction as a grown-up version of the boy protagonist in the otherwise silent 27-minute film.
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1. The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
David Bowie made his film debut as Thomas Jerome Newton, an extraterrestrial visiting Earth to figure out a way to export our water to his own planet. Nicolas Roeg's vision is typically surreal and bleak, and Bowie is characteristically otherworldly.
