Sean Bean has revealed he used to dress up like David Bowie.

The Lord Of The Rings star, who will turn 50 in April, told The Times he used to glam up like the 70s rock star when he was a teenager.

Sheffield-born Sean said: “I wore similar outfits to Bowie. The truth is, I was a clone. I dyed my hair red, wore jumpsuits and big stack heels decorated with stars.

“People in Sheffield thought I was a poof. A weirdo. Which encouraged me to do it even more. I risked getting my head kicked in for a while, but then glam rock became more mainstream and dyeing your hair, wearing make-up and dressing up became more acceptable.”

The Sharpe star also revealed that after seeing Ken Loach’s film Kes, he bought a kestrel, trained it and let it fly free.

Sean will soon appear on screens in Channel Four’s Red Riding, a Tony Grisoni adaptation of David Peace’s Red Riding Quartet that is set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Ripper murders.

The actor said the script was one of the most harrowing he had read.

“The scripts were dark and perverse,” Sean said. “I’ve never read anything like it. It’s oppressive from the very start. It’s one of the most horrible stories I’ve ever been involved with. 

“But very rewarding. We didn’t get paid much because the money went on the screen, but nobody was bothered.”