David Bowie’s Acting Career Is The Subject Of New Isle Of Man Stamps

Once again, legendary rock star David Bowie is being honored on postage stamps—but this time with a twist.

The Isle of Man Post Office on Monday (September 12) will issue eight commemorative Bowie stamps focusing on the late musician’s acting career. According to a press release, the David Bowie: Actor stamps were designed by Jonathan Barnbrook, who worked with Bowie on the art for the singer’s albums from 2002’s Heathen to 2016’s Blackstar.

The eight new stamps depict the following, according to the Isle of Man Post Office’s press release:

Final Portrait (2016): Bowie’s last-ever photoshoot in promotion of his final studio release Blackstar.

Everybody Loves Sunshine (1999): A British indie film that starred Bowie alongside Rachel Shelley and Goldie. The movie was shot and produced in the Isle of Man.

Labyrinth (1986): Directed by Jim Henson, this fantasy movie captured Bowie in one of his popular onscreen roles as Jareth, the goblin king.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983): Set in World War II, this drama starred Bowie as a British soldier imprisoned in a Japanese POW camp.

Baal (1982): Bowie took on the title role in this BBC TV adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s play Baal (the singer also recorded an EP of the same name)

The Elephant Man (1980): The singer played the role of John Merrick in The Elephant Man onstage between 1980 and 1981, including a run on Broadway.

Just a Gigolo (1978): Co-starring with screen legends Marlene Dietrich and Kim Novak, Bowie portrayed Prussian Officer Paul Ambrosius von Przygodski in this story set shortly after World War I.

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976): Perhaps Bowie’s most famous starring vehicle directed by Nicolas Roeg, the singer played extraterrestrial Thomas Jerome Newton, who visits Earth to obtain water for his drought-stricken planet.

Other movies that Bowie appeared in throughout his career included The Hunger, Zoolander, The Prestige and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

Britain’s Royal Mail had previously honored Bowie in 2017 with a set of stamps depicting his albums and live concert performances.

In a press statement, Barnbrook explained about designing the stamps for the Isle of Man Post Office: “I didn’t want to create just another series of nice pictures of David Bowie from record covers. The stamps had to have a connection to the Isle of Man, which is where Everybody Loves Sunshine comes in, but they also needed to show something about Bowie’s career that hadn’t been fully explored, which is why we concentrated on his achievements as an actor.

“There are the films that everyone knows about, but there have been some incredible acting milestones which are less discussed, particularly his performance on stage in The Elephant Man, and Baal, where Bowie managed to bring together both the avant-garde and the mainstream in one character performance.”

For more information on the David Bowie: Actor stamps from the Isle of Man Post Office, click here.