John Christopher Depp II, popularly known as Johnny Depp, has been one of the most versatile actors to have embraced Hollywood cinema. He has donned multiple hats as a musician and even a film producer over the years.
Starting off with being a teen idol after appearing in the TV series 21 Jump Street, Johnny has been regarded as one of the world`s biggest film stars, having delivered stellar performances in movies like
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its sequels,
Sleepy Hollow,
Alice in Wonderland,
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and
The Tourist among many others.
This intense actor has been included in the 2012 Guinness World Records as the highest paid actor with earnings of around $75 million. In 2015, Johnny was inducted as a Disney Legend. He started his own film production company named Infinitum Nihil in 2004. He has featured in several music videos and exhibited his guitar skills for music albums as well as soundtracks for movies like
Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and
Chocolat.
Early Life
Johnny was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, USA, on June 9, 1963. His father, John Christopher Depp, was a civil engineer, while his mother, Elizabeth `Betty` Sue Wells, was a waitress. He is youngest of the four siblings, with the others being Danny, Christi Dembrowski, and Deborah.
At the age of 15, Johnny`s parents divorced and it was also the year when he dropped out of school. He took part in various music garage bands and later became a ballpoint salesman after his marriage to Lori Allison. The turning point in his life came when he was with Lori in Los Angeles, California, and bumped into actor
Nicolas Cage, who suggested him to try acting.
Personal Life
John Depp II married makeup artist Lori Anne Allison in 1983, but they ended up with a divorce in 1985. In the late 1980s, he dated actresses
Jennifer Grey and Sherilyn Fenn and also got engaged to both of them while he was dating them. However, neither of both the relationships lasted. He soon proposed marriage to his
Edward Scissorhands co-star
Winona Ryder in 1990. He also got a `Winona Forever` tattoo for her on his right arm. Unfortunately for Depp, even that relationship did not last long.
Following his split with Ryder, Depp started dating English supermodel
Kate Moss in 1994. The two dated for four years before they called it quits in 1998. He was later romantically involved with French actor and singer
Vanessa Paradis in 1998, with whom he even has two kids - Lily-Rose Melody Depp and John `Jack` Christopher Depp III. The two separated in 2012, following which the handsome Depp started dating model
Amber Heard, and eventually got married to her in 2015. They filed for divorce in May 2016.
Movie Career
Depp made his acting debut with the rather small-budget horror flick A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. However, he gained his popularity only after he starred as the undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the popular TV series 21 Jump Street in 1987. In 1990, Johnny appeared in the musical comedy
Cry Baby, which although wasn`t a commercial success then, went on to achieve cult-classic status in the years to follow. The 1990 movie
Edward Scissorhands kick-started the glorious collaboration between Depp and director
Tim Burton. The movie`s success led to Johnny Depp doing a series of dark, intense, and idiosyncratic roles that surprised everyone. He played the title role in Tim Burton`s
Ed Wood in 1994 and was critically acclaimed for his splendid performance. The actor received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the movie.
He was seen in the 1995 movie
Don Juan DeMarco opposite
Marlon Brando, which proved to be a box office success. In 1997, Depp appeared alongside
Al Pacino in, what is regarded as one of his finest performances,
Donnie Brasco, which went on to become a commercially successful movie. In the same year, he directed the movie
The Brave, for which he was the screenwriter as well as one of the actors. The actor known for his outlandish clothing next teamed up with Tim Burton for the period flick
Sleepy Hollow in 1999, where he played the role of Ichabod Crane. The year 2003 saw Depp brilliantly portray the comic character of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Walt Disney Pictures adventure flick
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Depp was a major attraction in the movie, which turned out to be a huge success. He went on to receive two nominations for Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and
Finding Neverland.
Depp`s classy portrayal of the character Willy Wonka in Tim Burton`s 2005 British-American musical fantasy
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory resulted in him receiving yet another Golden Globe Award nomination, and the famous Depp-Burton collaboration translating into good numbers at the box-office. Depp lent his voice to the character of Victor Van Dort in the 2005 animation flick
Corpse Bride, which was also directed by Tim Burton. Johnny Depp reprised the role of Jack Sparrow in its sequels such as
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man`s Chest (2006),
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World`s End (2007), and
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011). Depp prepared a lot to carry out the dark role of a murderous barber Sweeney Todd in the 2007 musical horror
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, directed by none other than Tim Burton again. He received yet another Best Actor Academy Award nomination and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
He next appeared in Burton`s 2010 fantasy film Alice in Wonderland. The actor lent his voice to the titular character in the animated action comedy film Rango in 2011. The same year, he starred in his production company`s first movie
The Rum Diary, which had been adapted from Hunter S. Thompson`s novel of the same name. Depp`s production company later released another Tim Burton flick
Dark Shadows in 2012. He followed up his success in Hollywood with strong roles in movies like
The Lone Ranger (2013), and
Black Mass (2015). In 2016, he was appreciated for his portrayal of businessman and US presidential candidate Donald Trump in the movie
Donald Trump`s The Art of the Deal: The Movie. He then reprised his role of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). His other releases include Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), The Professor (2018), City of Lies (2018), Waiting for the Barbarians (2019) and Minamata (2020).