Today is David Bowie's 69th Birthday, and also the release date of his highly anticipated new album, Blackstar. Bowie is an entertainment icon that has wowed us with some of the best music, strangest looks and groundbreaking performances over the years, but we want to take a look at his acting career. While David has shown up as himself in cameos in a number of movies, the films featuring his thespian talents are just as interesting as the man himself. Below, we've picked out 6 of David Bowie's best roles that you should check out on his Birthday today!

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Yes, we mentioned that Bowie's cameos as himself wouldn't be on this list, but we need to start off with his role of celebrity judge in Zoolander during a runway showdown between Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. The removal of his sunglasses, straight-up swagger, and reaction to Stiller's nonchalant reaction to his presence make this one of favorite big-screen appearances from Bowie.

Director Martin Scorsese's controversial 1988 film, The Last Temptation of Christ, took on the story of Jesus in a different way, so why not cast one of the most different entertainers in the world in a pivotal role? Bowie portrayed Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect responsible for Christ's condemnation, crucifixion, and death. Seeing Bowie in this role really opened our eyes to his dramatic talents.

The Hunger is an erotic horror movie from 1983 that features David Bowie as a man in love with a vampire played by Catherine Deneuve. Bowie's character is sexy, tragic and mesmerizing in this film. You're already downloading the movie, aren't you?

If you haven't watched the cult classic film Labyrinth, you are most likely not a Bowie fan - which is not great news for you.

Bowie has portrayed real people, too. In Basquiat, the biopic about artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bowie portrays pop culture icon Andy Warhol.

Bowie also portrayed scientist Nikola Tesla in filmmaker Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed film, The Prestige. Though the story of this film is fictional, Bowie brought the real-life Tesla back to life in a great way.

David Bowie is basically an alien, so his movie The Man Who Fell to Earth is maybe his most believable performances of his entire acting career.

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