I'm Not a Film Star: David Bowie as Actor - Paperback

by Ian Dixon (Editor), Brendan Black (Editor)

The first collection dedicated to David Bowie's acting career shows that his film characterisations and performance styles shift and reform as decoratively as his musical personas. Though he was described as the most influential pop artist of the 20th century, whose work became synonymous with mask, mystery, sexual excess and ch-ch-ch-changing genres, Bowie also applied his genius to the craft of acting.

Bowie's considerable filmography is systematically examined in 12 scholarly essays that include tributes to Bowie's performance craft in other media forms. Classic films such as The Prestige and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, cult hits Labyrinth and The Man Who Fell To Earth, as well as lesser-known roles in The Image, Christiane F. and Broadway hit The Elephant Man are viewed, not simply through the lens of Bowie's mega-stardom, but as the work of a serious actor with inimitable talent. This compelling analysis celebrates the risk-taking intelligence and bravura of David Bowie: actor, mime, mimic and icon.

Author Biography

Ian Dixon completed his PhD at The University of Melbourne, Australia, in 2011 and currently lectures at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Ian publishes on Bowie, celebrity studies, cultural studies and film theory and delivers academic papers internationally. He also acts and directs for film and television and writes funded screenplays and novels.

Brendan Black is a Melbourne, Australia-based filmmaker, playwright and writer, with a Masters in Applied Linguistics. He has written widely on wine, food, travel and film for titles such as Gourmet Traveller Wine, RoyalAuto and Senses of Cinema. He has premiered three plays through the Melbourne International Comedy Festival: Trotsky and Friends in 2016, The Business of God in 2021, and Empathy Training in 2022.