Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bowie: always an intriguing screen presence

Dan Webster

Over the course of his career, David Bowie affected a range of identities. And he created some fairly great music.

But Bowie was always more than a mere rock star. He was a talented actor who, as most movie fans know, starred in a number of movies.

One of his most famous roles was as the Goblin King in Jim Henson's 1986 film "Labyrinth." Bowie's character plays against the then-16-year-old Jennifer Connelly — who in 2002 would win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

As I've already written below, "Labyrinth" is being revived nationwide in screenings over three days.

But here's a larger question: Which Bowie starring role was best? You can choose among the following:

"The Man Who Fell to Earth" (1976, see photo above): Director Nicolas Roeg cast Bowie as something he was born to play — an alien.

"The Hunger" (1983, see embed below): Tony Scott cast Bowie as another character he seemed destined to play — a vampire.

"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" (1983): Controversial Japanese director uses Bowie for target practice as a captured British POW during World War II.

"Basquiat" (1996): Bowie played Andy Warhol in Julian Schnabel's bio-pic of the late artist Jean Michel Basquiat (played by Jeffrey Wright).

"Just a Gigolo" (1978): Bowie plays a World War I veteran who returns to Berlin and becomes just what the title suggests.

"The Last. Temptation of Christ" (1988): Bowie plays Pontius Pilate. Seriously.

"The Prestige" (2006): For Christopher Nolan, Bowie took on the role of another oddity — Nicolas Tesla.

And there are others — supporting roles, foreign and made-for-TV productions. Some good, some fairly bad. But in all, Bowie remained constant, always an intriguing screen presence.