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David Byrne, actor
Actor

David Byrne: Movies & Box Office

films
54
on screen
1973–2025
box office
$16.5M
average score
73
Born
May 14, 1952 (age 74)
Birthplace
Dumbarton, Scotland
Citizenship
United Kingdom, United States, Ireland
Occupations
Singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, music theorist, visual artist, actor, writer, filmmaker
Years active
1971-present
Spouses
Adelle Lutz
Children
1
Biggest hits

The Best David Byrne Movies

The films of David Byrne that made the most at the worldwide box office, biggest first: Stop Making Sense (1984) leads with $13.1M. The full ranking adds the most awarded films and the newest releases.

Full ranking
Career at a glance

David Byrne's Career in Numbers

David Byrne's films in numbers — as an actor, not counting appearances as themselves: when they were made, the genres David Byrne works in most and the milestones along the way. The filmography runs from And His Ghost May Be Heard (1973) to The Greatest Night in Pop (2024), and the 1980s were the busiest decade.

David Byrne Movies by Decade

  1. 1970s 2
  2. 1980s 6
  3. 1990s 2
  4. 2000s 3
  5. 2010s 6
  6. 2020s 1

The 1980s were David Byrne's busiest decade, with 6 films.

David Byrne Movies by Genre

  • Music 6
  • Documentary 4
  • Comedy 3
  • Horror 2
  • Family 1
  • Romance 1
  • Drama 1

Music is the genre David Byrne has worked in most, with 6 films, ahead of documentary (4).

David Byrne Career Milestones

Biggest box office hit
Stop Making Sense $13.1M worldwide
Best-rated film
The Greatest Night in Pop Movie Echo Score 81
54 credits

David Byrne Filmography: Every Movie

Every film David Byrne is credited on, newest first, with the role, the box office and the Movie Echo Score. Rated films average a score of 73. Re-order the list to see the best-rated films or the biggest hits first.

David Byrne in Documentaries & Specials

34
  1. 2025 Monk in Pieces (2025) movie poster Monk in Pieces as Self · Documentary
  2. 2025 SNL50: The Homecoming Concert (2025) movie poster SNL50: The Homecoming Concert as Self · Comedy
  3. 2021 Twyla Moves (2021) movie poster Twyla Moves as Self · Documentary
  4. 2020 David Byrne's American Utopia (2020) movie poster David Byrne's American Utopia as Self · Music Movie Echo Score: 79
  5. 2020 David Byrne’s American Utopia (2020) movie poster David Byrne’s American Utopia as Self · Documentary Movie Echo Score: 92
  6. 2020 BREAK IT ALL: The History of Rock in Latin America (2020) movie poster BREAK IT ALL: The History of Rock in Latin America as Self · Documentary
  7. 2019 Café Tacvba - Un Segundo / MTV Unplugged (2019) movie poster Café Tacvba - Un Segundo / MTV Unplugged as Self - Voice · Music
  8. 2019 Museum Town (2019) movie poster Museum Town as Self · Documentary
  9. 2018 The Making of True Stories (2018) movie poster The Making of True Stories as Self · Documentary
  10. 2014 Lennon or McCartney (2014) movie poster Lennon or McCartney as Self · Music
  11. 2012 Paul Simon: Under African Skies (2012) movie poster Paul Simon: Under African Skies as Self · Documentary
  12. 2010 Ride, Rise, Roar (2010) movie poster Ride, Rise, Roar as Self · Music
  13. 2009 Wandering Heart (2009) movie poster Wandering Heart as Self · Documentary
  14. 2009 Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB (2009) movie poster Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB as Self · Music
  15. 2008 The Man Who Bottled Clouds (2008) movie poster The Man Who Bottled Clouds as Self · Documentary
  16. 2008 Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell (2008) movie poster Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell as Self (archive footage) · Documentary
  17. 2007 David Byrne - Live from Austin Texas (2007) movie poster David Byrne - Live from Austin Texas as Self · Music
  18. 2007 NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell (2007) movie poster NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell as Self (archive footage) (uncredited) · Documentary
  19. 2006 Fabricating Tom Zé (2006) movie poster Fabricating Tom Zé as Self · Documentary
  20. 2006 By the Ways, a Journey with William Eggleston (2006) movie poster By the Ways, a Journey with William Eggleston as Self · Documentary
  21. 2005 TV Party (2005) movie poster TV Party as Self · Documentary
  22. 2004 The Pogues Live at the Town and Country (2004) movie poster The Pogues Live at the Town and Country as Self · Music
  23. 2001 25 Years of Punk (2001) movie poster 25 Years of Punk as Self · Documentary
  24. 1998 Tori Amos: Sessions at West 54th (1998) movie poster Tori Amos: Sessions at West 54th as Self · Music
  25. 1998 Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart (1998) movie poster Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart as Self · Music
  26. 1993 10000 Maniacs: MTV Unplugged (1993) movie poster 10000 Maniacs: MTV Unplugged as Self · Music
  27. 1990 Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter (1990) movie poster Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter as Self · Music
  28. 1990 Summer of Love (1990) movie poster Summer of Love as Self · Documentary
  29. 1989 Heavy Petting (1989) movie poster Heavy Petting as Self · Documentary
  30. 1988 Talking Heads: Storytelling Giant (1988) movie poster Talking Heads: Storytelling Giant as Self · Music
  31. 1984 Talking Heads: The Name of this Programme is Once In A Lifetime (1984) movie poster Talking Heads: The Name of this Programme is Once In A Lifetime as Self · Music
  32. 1980 Talking Heads: Live in Rome (1980) movie poster Talking Heads: Live in Rome as Self - Vocals, guitar · Music
  33. 1980 Talking Heads: Capitol Theatre (1980) movie poster Talking Heads: Capitol Theatre as Self - Lead Vocals, Guitar · Music
  34. 1976 The Blank Generation (1976) movie poster The Blank Generation as Self · Documentary
Biography

Who Is David Byrne?

David Byrne was born in Dumbarton, Scotland in 1952 and is 74 years old. Credited on films since 1973, as an actor. The background, training and the roles that shaped the career.

David Byrne (/bɜːrn/; born 14 May 1952) is a widely-recognized Scottish-American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He earned much of his fame as a founding member and principal songwriter of the American new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has also launched numerous solo recordings and explored various media including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He is a recipient of several prestigious awards including an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, a Special Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award. Byrne is an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Talking Heads. He has shown exponential growth in his artistic pursuits from an early age, mastering skills in playing guitar, accordion, and violin even before high school. After college, he kick-started his musical career and has since delivered numerous chart-topping tracks in different music genres like rock, new wave, post-punk, art pop, worldbeat, and electronic. He has kept his musical vigor alive, currently active in his musical pursuit and continues to inspire masses through his works.

Apart from his musical feats, Byrne has shown significant interests in acting, writing, and filmmaking. His works are extensively used in film soundtracks, contributing significantly to the film industry. He had also directed the documentary Île Aiye and the concert film of his 1992 Latin-tinged tour titled Between the Teeth. He has also used his talents for good, contributing to multiple AIDS benefit compilation albums, as an activist for increased cycling and the founder of the world-music record label Luaka Bop. Byrne has also penned down multiple books shedding light on his artistic journey and perspectives

Works with

Who David Byrne Makes Movies With

The actors and directors David Byrne shares the most films with. Patti Smith comes first, with 4 films together, followed by John Goodman (3).

FAQ

David Byrne: Questions & Answers

How many movies David Byrne has made, the biggest hit, the best-rated film, the award record and more, answered from the filmography above.

How many movies has David Byrne been in?

David Byrne is credited on 54 films, from 1973 to 2025. The filmography on this page lists every one of them, newest first, with the role and the Movie Echo Score.

What is David Byrne's highest-grossing movie?

Stop Making Sense (1984) is David Byrne's biggest box office hit, with $13.1M worldwide, ahead of True Stories (1986) ($2.55M). Across every film with box office figures, David Byrne's movies have made $16.5M.

David Byrne's biggest hits

What is the best David Byrne movie?

By the Movie Echo Score, which blends critic reviews, audience ratings and lasting impact, David Byrne's best-rated film is David Byrne’s American Utopia (2020) with a score of 92, followed by The Greatest Night in Pop (2024) (81).

Best David Byrne movies, ranked

How old is David Byrne?

David Byrne is 74 years old, born on May 14, 1952 in Dumbarton, Scotland.

What is David Byrne's newest movie?

The most recent film on David Byrne's filmography is Monk in Pieces (2025), in the role of Self.

Who does David Byrne work with most often?

David Byrne shares the most films with Patti Smith (4 films), John Goodman (3 films) and Spalding Gray (3 films).

The Best David Byrne Movies, Ranked

Top rated, most awarded and biggest box office hits from 54 credits.

See the ranking

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