David Byrne (/bɜːrn/; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has released solo recordings and worked with various media, including film, photography, opera, fiction, and non-fiction. He has received an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, a Special Tony Award, and a Golden Globe Award, and he is an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Talking Heads. Description above from the Wikipedia article David Byrne, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

• 2026Musk — Songs
• 2025The Twits — Gordon Sniffles (voice), Songs
• 2023John Mulaney: Baby J — Musician, Original Music Composer
• 2022Everything Everywhere All at Once — Songs
• 2021Social! Distance Dance Club
• 2020David Byrne's American Utopia — Self - Lead Singer & Performer, Music, Executive Producer, Writer
• 2019Hream — David Byrne
• 2019John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch — David Byrne
• 2019Triple-Chaser — Narrator
• 2018Real Life — Narrator / Self
• 2016Contemporary Color — Producer
• 2016Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World — Musician
• 2016Temporary Color
• 2015We're Gonna Die — David Byrne
• 2012La Casa del Ritmo: A Film About Los Amigos Invisibles
• 2011Talking Heads - Chronology
• 2011This Must Be the Place — David Byrne, Original Music Composer
• 2009Tom Zé: Liberated Astronaut
• 2008New York Rock at the BBC
• 2008The Vanguard — Original Music Composer
• 2008Untitled Patton/Byrne Piece
• 2007David Byrne - Live from Austin, Texas — Self - Vocals, guitar, Songs
• 2004Dennis Cleveland
• 2004She Hate Me — Thanks
• 2003David Byrne: Live At Union Chapel
• 2003Young Adam — Original Music Composer
• 2002In Spite of Wishing and Wanting — Music, Lyricist
• 2002The Truth About Charlie — Thanks
• 2000The Art of Amália — Introduction (English version)
• 1998Lulu on the Bridge — "Laughing Man" Escort
• 1998PJ Harvey: Sessions at West 54th
• 1994After 68 — Second Assistant Director
• 1993Between the Teeth — Director
• Later... with Jools Holland
• 1990Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter — Self, Director
• Plymptoons: The Complete Early Works of Bill Plympton — Music
• The Simpsons — David Byrne (voice)
• 1989Umbabarauma — Producer
• 1989Îlé Aiyé — Director
• 1988Checking Out — Bartender
• 1988Married to the Mob — Original Music Composer
• 1988Talking Heads: Storytelling Giant — Self, Director, Writer
• 1987Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars
• 1987The Last Emperor — Original Music Composer
• 1986Dead End Kids — Minister
• 1986Something Wild — Main Title Theme Composer
• 1986The Kitchen Presents: Two Moon July
• 1986True Stories — Narrator / Lip-Syncher, Director, Writer, Songs, Original Music Composer
• Alive from Off Center — Theme Song Performance
• 1984Stop Making Sense — Self - Vocals, Guitar, Original Music Composer, Sound Supervisor
• 1984Talking Heads: The Name of this Programme is Once In A Lifetime — Self, Creative Consultant
• 1982Talking Heads: Live at Montreux Jazz Festival
• 1982The Catherine Wheel — Music
• 1981America Is Waiting — Music
• 1981Mea Culpa — Music
• 1981Talking Heads: Rock Pop in Concert
• 1980Talking Heads: Capitol Theatre — Self - Lead Vocals, Guitar
• 1980Talking Heads: Live in Rome — Self - Vocals, guitar
• The South Bank Show
• David Byrne: Who Is The Sky? — Self, Producer, Music
• Talking Heads: 77

Appearances as themselves (68)

• 2026Changing Lanes — Self
• 2026Each Day in a Moment: 2025 — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2025Breakdown: 1975 — Self (archive footage)
• 2025Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music — Self
• 2025Monk in Pieces — Self
• 2025SNL50: The Homecoming Concert — Self
• 2025We Want the Funk! — Self
• 2024Eno — Self
• 2023Homo Brasilis: Tom Zé, o Tropicalista Visionário — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Miley's New Year's Eve Party — Self
• 2021Twyla Moves — Self
• BREAK IT ALL: The History of Rock in Latin America — Self
• 2020FeeLee. History of a Single Label — Self
• Stars in the House — Self - Winner
• 2019Café Tacvba - Un Segundo / MTV Unplugged — Self - Voice
• 2019Everything For All Reasons — Self
• 2019Museum Town — Self
• 2018David Byrne: ACL Fest 2018 — Self
• 2018The Making of True Stories — Self
• 2017Well How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of Talking Heads — Self
• 2016Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall — Self
• StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson — Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self - Musical Guest, Self - Guest/Musical Guest
• Late Night with Seth Meyers — Self - Guest
• 2014Lennon or McCartney — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon — Self
• 2013Fathers and Songs: Music for Father's Day — Self (archive footage)
• 2012Paul Simon: Under African Skies — Self
• 2011Ride, Rise, Roar — Self
• The Jonathan Ross Show — Self - Guest
• 2009Beyond Ipanema — Self
• 2009Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB — Self
• 2009Wandering Heart — Self
• 2008Celia: The Queen — Self
• 2008The Man Who Bottled Clouds — Self
• 2008Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell — Self (archive footage)
• 2007NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2006By the Ways, a Journey with William Eggleston — Self
• 2006Fabricating Tom Zé — Self
• 2005Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth — Self
• 2005TV Party — Self
• 2004The Pogues Live at the Town and Country — Self
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Self - Musical Guest
• 2003Lubbock Lights — Self
• Real Time with Bill Maher — Self
• 2002Hollywood Rocks the Movies: The 1970s — Self
• 200125 Years of Punk — Self
• 1998David Byrne - Live From Teatro Gran Rex — Self
• 1998Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach: Sessions at West 54th — Self - Host/Interviewer
• 1998Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart — Self
• 1998Tori Amos: Sessions at West 54th — Self
• Sessions at West 54th — Self - Host
• 1995Dancing Barefoot — Self
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast — Self
• 199310000 Maniacs: MTV Unplugged — Self
• Late Show with David Letterman — Self - Musical Guest
• 1991Until the End of the World — Self
• 1990Beleza Tropical — Self
• 1989Decade — Self
• 1989Heavy Petting — Self
• 1986Report From L.A. — Himself
• The Max Headroom Show — Self
• 1976The Blank Generation — Self
• Austin City Limits — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Musical Guest
• 60 Minutes — Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• The Oscars — Self