To avoid confusion with child actor and The Monkees member Davy Jones, changed name from David Jones to David Bowie; adopted Bowie after the Bowie knife

Apprenticed in Lindsay Kemp's mime troupe, exchanging musical scores for pantomime lessons

Acted in a 15-minute short ("The Image"), a commercial for ice cream and a BBC-TV play, "The Pistol Shot"

With co-star from "The Pistol Shot", started Feathers, a mime troupe

First hit record, "Space Oddity"; an international smash at the time of the US moon landing, it peaked at Number 5 in the UK

Started Beckenham Arts Lab to experiment with theater and music

Feature debut in a bit part in "The Virgin Soldiers"

Mimed at some T. Rex concerts

Told MELODY MAKER he was gay, enjoying the idea of a cult growing around his androgynous image

Feature film debut as performer and songwriter, the concert documentary, "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" (not released in the USA until 1984)

Collaborated with John Lennon on "Fame", song from the "Young Americans" album which became his first Number 1 single in the USA

Starred in "The Man Who Fell to Earth" (directed by Nicolas Roeg), his first significant feature work

Toured Europe and America as Iggy Pop's pianist; had produced Pop's albums "Raw Power","The Idiot" and "Lust for Life"

US TV debut (taped in London), "Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas" special; performed duet of "Little Drummer Boy" with Crosby

Portrayed Prussian war veteran in "Just a Gigolo", notable as Marlene Dietrich's last film

Broadway acting debut as John Merrick in "The Elephant Man"

Appeared in BBC-TV production of Bertolt Brecht's "Baal"

Was splendid as a WWII British major in Nagisa Oshima's first English-language film, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence"

Portrayed 150-year-old vampire in "The Hunger"; Bowie's aging scene is considered one of the film's highlights

Appeared in Martin Scorsese's "Into the Night"

Played Jareth, King of the Goblins, in Jim Henson's "Labyrinth"

Acted the part of Pontius Pilate in Scorsese's "The Last Temptation of Christ"

First network TV special, "David Bowie: Glass Spider Tour" (ABC)

Served as executive producer on "Magic Hunter" and "Mesmer"

Portrayed Andy Warhol in "Basquiat"

Received star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (February 12)

Co-founded the art book publishing house 21

Released album "Heathen" to positive reviews;

Voice featured in "Arthur and the Minimoys," a live-action/computer-animated fantasy feature based on a popular French children's book by filmmaker Luc Besson, who is directing the project

Set to score the Broadway musical that will be based on the life of Bruce Lee

Cast as an inventor and electrical wizard in the Christopher Nolan-directed "The Prestige"