Sting Filmography
Sting has opted to purposely steer away from the kind of stereotyped pop-star role that Rick Springfield played in the '80s flick "Hard to Hold." With his sculptured face, exceptional physique, and on-camera charm, Sting doesn't have to be a great actor to steal a scene. Sting admits that he's still learning to be an actor, but he's got some pretty impressive credits already, including working with Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and director David Lynch.
Ace in Quadrophenia.
His first role, a cameo part in The Who's 1979 classic Quadrophenia, catapulted Sting into the public eye. Although his role in the film is minuscule, his ability to capture attention is enormous. It was Sting's face--the face of a bit-part actor--that publicized the movie.
Since then, Sting has acted in nearly a dozen films. "I've sort of come into film from the underside, playing in movies that were out in left field," Sting said after acting in his third motion picture in 1984. He knew where he wanted his acting career to go. "I don't want to take rock star roles in film. When I make a film I want to be challenged."
Quadrophenia
Year: 1979
Character: Ace
Role: At the urging of his (then) wife, Frances Tomelty, Sting auditioned for the role. In his film debut, Sting plays the leader of a slick Mod gang.
Quote: "The role was a walk-on, and I was happy to get it. But I never felt it made me an actor. You learn the craft for years and years, and then you wind up an actor."
Brimstone and Treacle
Year: 1982
Character: Martin Taylor
Role: Sting is cast as a perverse but sexy devil on holiday.
Quote: "When I made Brimstone & Treacle, I never dreamed anyone would see it. I was surprised when it got a distribution deal in America."
Dune
Year: 1984
Character: Feyd Rautha
Role: As a most sinister villain from the nasty Harkonnen clan, Feyd drinks the juices of squashed "squoods" and kills for the sheer pleasure of it. Sting faces off with this science fiction film's hero, Paul Atreides, in a battle to the death. Sting spent most of the seven weeks he was on the set training with martial arts expert Kiyoshi Yamazaki.
Quote: "They thought I'd be appropriately mean and wretched for the role. It wasn't a difficult role, like playing the lead, with a lot of emotional ups and downs. My character is pretty consistent. I have one thing in mind throughout the movie: me."
The Bride
Year: 1985
Character: Dr. Frankenstein
Role: Sting is the lead here, playing an attractive, tragic Frankenstein to female lead Jennifer Beals (of Flashdance fame), directed by Frank Roddam (of Quadrophenia fame).
Quote: "Eventually he starts to crumble away with jealousy and lust. I'm a character who wants control, wants to possess. It's actually the sequel to The Bride of Frankenstein--it's not a remake. It's done more in the style of Mary Shelley's original novel. It's not a horror film."
Plenty
Year: 1985
Character: Mick
Role: Meryl Streep's leading character (Susan) picks the lower-class cockney named Mick to father her child. Set in post-WWII Britain, the film also stars Sir John Gielgud, Sam Neill, and Tracey Ullman. Being cast in this movie proved to many that he had acting ability.
Quote: Being cast in Plenty was "a privilege and an important landmark in my career."
Julia and Julia
Year: 1987
Character: Daniel Osler
Role: Opposite Kathleen Turner in this reality-bending film, Julia and Julia is the flick some fans remember as the one where "you get to see Sting's butt."
Quote: Sting describes his sex scenes with Kathleen Turner as "not arousing in the least."
Feyd Rautha in Dune.
Stormy Monday
Year: 1988
Character: Finney
Role: Sting returns home to Newcastle to play Finney, a feisty, foul-mouthed club owner. The movie also stars Melanie Griffith and Tommy Lee Jones.
Quote: "I made up a life story for the man I play so that I felt I knew him. I hope I'm getting better at acting because I am acting with good people. I reckon the part worked, but I don't see it as my career now to play Geordies. I definitely don't want to become a professional Geordie."
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Year: 1989
Character: Heroic Officer
Role: Sting is one of a number of celebrities with small roles in this Pythonesque film. Also includes Robin Williams, Uma Thurman, Eric Idle, and Jonathan Pryce.
Quote: N/A
Grave Indiscretion
Year: 1996
Character: Fledge
Role: Also called The Grotesque and Gentlemen Don't Eat Poets, this movie was produced by and co-stars Sting's wife, Trudie Styler. Sting and Trudie play an eccentric married couple, described by USA Today as a "sexy butler and a boozy housekeeper," who infiltrate an equally eccentric English home.
Quote: "I think we're out to amuse people more than shock them, and sometimes it takes a little shock to amuse them."
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels
Year: 1998
Character: JD
Role: Sting has a very small role as a threatening barman in this British comedy.
Quote: From the London Evening Standard: "Yes, Sting is in it (and very good he is too) but he's playing the hero's father, for God's sake.
Frankenstein in The Bride.
It should be noted that Sting has acted in a number of television films programs, such as the BBC thriller Artemis '81 and the American comedy series "Saturday Night Live." He also starred on Broadway as Macheath in the short-run production of The Threepenny Opera in 1990.
For a listing of Sting's film and television appearances, visit the Internet Movie Database. If you'd like to read reviews of some of Sting's films (and also find out the ones he performed in as a musician, not an actor), visit Stingchronicity. To purchase videos, visit Amazon.com and Reel.com.
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