50 years ago, David Bowie defied musician-to-movie-star conventions in The Man Who Fell to Earth

There are plenty of options for a pop star looking to transition into cinema. They can take a campy part in a silly movie that winks at their celebrity, as Lady Gaga did in Machete Kills; a music-centric role that shows off their day-job skills in a different context, as Gaga did in A Star Is Born and the Joker sequel;, or a character that pivots away from their pop persona and musicianship entirely, as Gaga did in House of Gucci. Beyonce has also dabbled in all three, with movies like Austin Powers in Goldmember, Cadillac Records, and Obsessed, respectively. But when David Bowie made the leap on March 18, 1976, he did something stranger for his first major film role.