On This Day

Birthday of David Bowie

January 8th 1947

14:43 8 January 2024

English singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie was born on this day in 1947. Bowie had yet to make his mark as a music icon when he made his feature film debut with a small uncredited part in 'The Virgin Soldiers' (1969). His first major screen role was in Nicolas Roeg's 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' (1976). Roeg had seen the documentary 'Cracked Actor' (1975), filmed at the height of Bowie's 1970s rock star fame, and was convinced the musician had the screen presence required to cast him as Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien on a rescue mission from his home planet who crash-lands on Earth.

Bowie went on to star in dozens more films including 'The Hunger' (1983), 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence' (1983), 'Into the Night' (1985), 'Labyrinth' (1986), 'The Last Temptation of Christ' (1988), 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992), 'Basquiat' (1996), and 'The Prestige' (2006). Always the most visual of artists, it was almost inevitable Bowie would carve out a career in film alongside performing and recording as a musician. David Bowie passed away in January 2016,  just two days before what would have been his 69th birthday, after an 18 month battle with cancer that was kept private from the public and media. A true visionary and a pioneer in sound and vision.