David Bowie is an English musician, famous for his innovative work from the 1970s through today. He frequently adopted various personas for each album; the most famous is that of Ziggy Stardust, a bisexual alien. Along with bands like T Rex, David Bowie was one of the primary members of the 1970s "glam rock" movement, which was famous for high-energy rock music and sexual ambiguity.
David Bowie was born as David Robert Jones in London, in 1947. He changed his name to avoid confusion with the Monkees singer, Davey Jones, and chose the last name of "Bowie" after the Bowie knife. Bowie was interested in music from a young age, and recorded his first album in 1967. The album, simply called David Bowie, was a commercial failure.
David Bowie's first musical success came in 1969, with the release of the single "Space Oddity." His next release, 1971's "Hunky Dory," brought more commercial acclaim with the success of a single called "Changes."
However, Bowie's real breakthrough occurred in 1972, with the release of his legendary concept album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. The album produced numerous classic songs, including "Ziggy Stardust," "Five Years," and "Suffragette City." On the tour for the Ziggy Stardust album, Bowie dressed in drag and wore a bright red wig. He made headlines for publicly acknowledging his bisexuality.
Since that time, David Bowie has met with much critical and commercial success for albums including Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, and many others. He performed duets with artists ranging from Bing Crosby to Queen's Freddie Mercury. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.
David Bowie has also acted in numerous films throughout his long career. In The Hunger, which also starred Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve, Bowie played a vampire. He also played a goblin king in the classic Jim Henson film, Labyrinth, in 1986. Most recently, he appeared in 2006's The Prestige.
A 1998 film called Velvet Goldmine is loosely based on David Bowie's early life and his associations with the world of glam rock. The film focuses on the relationship between the Bowie character and a character played by Ewan McGregor, based on the punk singer, Iggy Pop. David Bowie is married to Iman, a former model from Somalia. They have a daughter, Alexis, and live in Manhattan, New York.