We have sequenced a cDNA that encodes the nonmuscle myosin heavy chain from Drosophila melanogaster. An alternatively spliced exon at the 5' end generates two distinct heavy-chain transcripts: the longer transcripts inserts an additional start codon upstream of the primary translation start site and encodes a myosin heavy chain with a 45-residue extension at its amino terminus. The remainder of the coding sequence reveals extensive homology with other conventional myosins, especially metazoan nonmuscle and smooth muscle myosin isoforms. Comparisons among available myosin heavy-chain sequences establish that characteristic differences in sequence throughout the length of both the globular myosin head and extended rod-like tail readily distinguish nonmuscle and smooth muscle myosins from striated muscle isoforms and predict a basis for their functional diversity.