Johnny Depp

Biography for Johnny Depp

Born John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963. Raised in Florida, he dropped out of school at age 15 in hopes of becoming a rock musician. He fronted a series of garage bands, including The Kids, which once opened for Iggy Pop. Depp got into acting after a visit to LA with his former wife, who introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage. He made his film debut in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984). In 1987, he shot to fame when he replaced Jeff Yagher in the role of undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the popular TV series "21 Jump Street" (1987).

In 1990, after numerous roles in teen films, his first of a few great collaborations with director Tim Burton came about when he portrayed the title role in Edward Scissorhands (1990). Following the film's success, Depp carved a niche for himself as a serious, somewhat dark, idiosyncratic performer, consistently selecting roles that surprise critics and audiences alike. He continued to gain critical acclaim and increasing popularity by appearing in many features before re-joining with Burton in the lead role of Ed Wood (1994). In 1997, he played the undercover FBI agent in the factually based film Donnie Brasco (1997), opposite Al Pacino; in 1998 he appeared in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and then in 1999 he appeared in the sci-fi horror The Astronaut's Wife (1999). The same year, he teamed up again with Burton in Sleepy Hollow (1999), brilliantly portraying Ichabod Crane.

Depp has played many characters in his career including another factually based character, Inspector Fred Abberline in From Hell (2001). He stole the show from screen greats such as Antonio Banderas in the finale to Robert Rodriguez's Mariachi trilogy Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003) in the same year as starring in the marvelous family blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), playing a character that only the likes of Depp could pull off, Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp has been announced as joining up again with Tim Burton in a new screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).

Apart from his on-screen life, Depp has dated several female celebrities off-screen including failed engagements to Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder and Kate Moss. He was married to Lori Anderson in 1983 but then divorced in 1985. Currently Depp is living with French singer/actress Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has two children: Lily-Rose Melody born in 1999 and Jack born in 2002.

Overview in the masterpiece of Wes Craven, the claws of the night and in Platoon of Oliver Stone, the young actor Johnny Depp becomes a real star with 21 Jump Street. Yet the actor does not have a good memory of the series. For him, the subject was doubtful and his status as a star of the small screen displeased him enormously. Rebelle, the actor takes everyone on the wrong foot and wants to be recognized for his acting talents. He therefore turns with the filmmaker shifted John Waters, in the Dance Cry Baby. He sank into the magnificent Edward with Tim Burton's silver hands. Besides, he will become "the alter ego" of the filmmaker since they will shoot together several times: Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow are two excellent films. While waiting to be recalled by Burton, Johnny Depp works with Emir Kusturica in Arizona Dream, Jeremiah S. Chechik in Benny & Joon or Lasse Hallström in Gilbert Grape with another beautiful mouth of cinema, Leonardo DiCaprio. With atypical roles, the actor shows a rare charisma and talent. While he could have given in to ease, Depp was able to escape his image and become a serious and recognized actor. Subsequently, he worked with big names like Marlon Brando, Faye Dunaway (Don Juan Demarco), Jim Jarmusch (Dead Man), Terry Gilliam (Las Vegas Parano), Al Pacino (Donnie Brasco), Juliette Binoche (Le Chocolat) Or Roman Polanski (the 9th door). Very solicited, he spontaneously accepts roles and often works: he systematically bursts the screen. And the hearts too. Since we know many connections including Winona Ryder, Kate Moss and of course Vanessa Paradis with whom he had a daughter. In any case, the actor knew, thanks to a fairly rare artistic rigor, to become one of the favorite actors of the public and criticism.

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his roles in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Edward with silver hands, Sweeney Todd: the Diabolique Barbier de Fleet Street and Charlie and the Chocolate factory. He was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. Depp began his acting career in the 1980s by playing in television series such as 21 Jump Street and Private Resort. He then made his cinema debut in the 1990s with films like Edward with silver hands and Benny & Joon.

Since then, Depp has been very successful by playing complex and eccentric characters in Tim Burton films, such as Edward with silver hands, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sweeney Todd: the diabolical barber of Fleet Street. He was also nominated three times for the Oscar for best actor for his performance in the rebel wedding, Sweeney Todd: the Diabolique Barbier de Fleet Street and Dallas Buyers Club.

Depp is also known for his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, for which he has received many positive criticisms. In addition to his acting career, Depp is also a musician and has played in rock groups such as The Kids and Rock City Angels. He is considered one of the most talented and most popular actors of his generation.

Photos

Filmography

Trivia

• Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" (#1). [1995]
• Arrested for being in a fight with paparazzis in front of a restaurant in London. [January 1999]
• Ranked #67 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. [October 1997]
• Chosen by People (USA) Magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World." [1996]
• Voted Empires's (UK) "Sexiest Male Movie Star of All Time." [1995]
• River Phoenix died outside Depp's L.A. club, The Viper Room at 8852 Sunset Boulevard.
• Featured on a rock album from British band "Oasis." He plays lead slide guitar on the track "Fade In-Out." Noel Gallagher, Oasis's lead guitarist, was allegedly too drunk to perform it himself, so celebrity pal Depp stepped in and nailed the lead on one take.
• Arrested for trashing a New York apartment. [1994]
• Ex-fiancees: Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder.
• When engaged to Winona Ryder, he had "Winona forever" tattooed on his arm. After the broke up, he had the n and a surgically removed to simply say "Wino forever!"
• Played as guitarist in a band called "The Kids."
• Currently plays in a band called "P."
• Grew up in Florida.
• Adopted Goldeneye, the one-eyed Andalusian horse who played Gunpowder, Ichabod Crane's steed in Sleepy Hollow (1999), thereby saving him from the glue factory.
• Got his "Betty Sue" tattoo May 31, 1988.
• Named one of E!'s "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001."
• Chosen #2 on E!'s 25 sexiest entertainers list
• With Chuck E. Weiss, Depp paid a reported $350,000 for Central nightclub and turned it into the Viper Room. Other stars in contention to buy the club in 1993 included Arnold Schwarzenegger and (separately) Frank Stallone.
• Lists British comedy "The Fast Show" (1994) - renamed 'Brilliant' for US TV - as his favourite TV programme of all time. He used to take tapes of the series on tour with him to keep him amused. Made a guest appearance in the last ever sketch in its last ever episode.
• Was named one of the "50 Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine in 2001.
• Wrote the foreword to Mark Salisbury's biography of Tim Burton, 'Burton on Burton'. He credits Burton's belief in him for rescuing him from being "a loser, an outcast, just another piece of expendable Hollywood meat".
• Appears in Tom Petty's 1991 music video "Into The Great Wide Open."
• Johnny's two children with Vanessa Paradis have the same names of the two main characters in Legend (1985): Lily (b. 1999) and Jack (b.2002).
• His long-time girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis, is a popular singer/ songwriter in her native country, France; as well as an aspiring actress.
• Gave Noel Gallagher a white guitar with the letter "P" on it, which Noel regularly plays during Oasis' gigs. "P" is the name of a band that Depp was in.
• Has a song about him by famed Chicago street artist, Wesley Willis
• Parents: John Christopher and Betty Sue Palmer.
• He wanted some of his teeth to be goldcapped for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) but knew that the directors would never agree, so he went out and got lots more than he wanted capped. He then showed the directors, and they decided to make him give up a few, so he got some taken off. He had only gotten the extras so he could negotiate with the directors, while pretending that he wanted all his teeth capped.
• Resides in France and Los Angeles.
• Siblings: Danny, Christy, Debbie.
• People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" for 2003.
• Before Depp turned it into The Viper Room, the building was owned by famous gangster Bugsy Siegel.
• Chosen as E!'s "Entertainer of the Year" (2003).
• According to the liner notes for the soundtrack CD of Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), he wrote his own theme music, the music for Sands (Track 9 on the CD).
• Shot all of his scenes in 9 days for Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), but after his filming was done he didn't want to leave. So he suggested to Robert Rodriguez that he play a small part, the priest that Antonio Banderas talks to in the church, and use his Marlon Brando impression.
• Reportedly based his portrayal of Ichabod Crane in _Sleepy Hollow (1999)_ on Withnail, from _Withnail and I (1987)_ , as played by Richard E. Grant.
• Has been in seven films where the title contains the name of the character he plays: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Cry-Baby (1990), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Benny and Joon (1993), Ed Wood (1994), Don Juan DeMarco (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997).
• Persuaded actor Rey-Phillip Santos to give acting a try.
• His son is named after him (John Christopher Depp) but is called Jack for short.
• Received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 19 November 1999. Tim Burton and Martin Landau were guest speakers.
• His niece Megan works for popular online entertainment magazine TYCP.
• Was ranked #5 on VH1's "100 Hottest Hotties."
• Based the character of Captain Jack Sparrow on rock legend Keith Richards.
• Shares a birthday with Michael J. Fox and Natalie Portman.
• He is part Navajo Indian.
• Purchased Bela Lugosi's Los Angeles home.
• Sports his son's name's, Jack, tattoo on his arm and a beaded bracelet made by his daughter Lily Rose.
• Is a huge Jack the Ripper fan.
• He has said in a number of interviews that he is of Cherokee, Irish, and German descent.
• Ranked #4 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" (23 January 2005 issue).
• Has something in common with Horror actor, Robert Englund, famed for portraying dream-stalking Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Both of them appeared in the first Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and both had played characters with blades for hands: Englund as Freddy Krueger, and Depp as the title character in Edward Scissorhands (1990). And strangely, both of them were born in June, with their birthdays three days apart, and they both share the same height, which is 5' 10".
• A movie buff (with a somewhat encyclopedic knowledge of older films), he admits he watches few movies anymore other than the children's films that his "kiddies" prefer. He also enjoys most of them.
• Loves watching animated films with his daughter such as Shrek and Finding Nemo.
• Co-owns a restaurant/club in Paris called 'Man Ray' with Sean Penn and Malkovich. The restaurant is located in a renovated theater and serves Tibetan cuisine.
• He was voted the 47th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere Magazine.
• Salary : Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) $18,000,000 / Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) $10,000,000 / "21 Jump Street" (1987) $45,000 per episode

Quotes

"Anything I've done up till 27 May, 1999 was kind of an illusion, existing without living. My daughter, the birth of my daughter, gave me life."

On the money he makes: "You use your money to buy privacy because during most of your life you aren't allowed to be normal."

"I don't pretend to be captain weird. I just do what I do."

"One of the most incredible moments I've ever had was sitting in Vincent [Price]'s trailer... I was showing him this first-edition book I have of the complete works of Poe, with really amazing illustrations. Vincent was going nuts over the drawings, and he started talking about 'The Tomb of Ligeia.' Then he closed the book and began to recite it to me in this beautiful voice, filling the room with huge sounds. Such passion! I looked in the book later, and it was verbatim. Word perfect. It was a great moment. I'll never forget that."

"The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants."

"I was ecstatic they re-named 'French Fries' as 'Freedom Fries.' Grown men and women in positions of power in the U.S. government showing themselves as idiots."

"America is dumb. It's like a dumb puppy that has big teeth that can bite and hurt you, aggressive. My daughter is four, my boy is one. I'd like them to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out."

"Taken in context, what I was saying was that, compared to Europe, America is a very young country and we are still growing as a nation. It is a shame that the metaphor I used was taken so radically out of context and slung about irresponsibly by the news media. There was no anti-American sentiment. In fact, it was just the opposite. I am an American. I love my country and have great hopes for it. It is for this reason that I speak candidly and sometimes critically about it. I have benefited greatly from the freedom that exists in my country and for this I am eternally grateful."

"France and the whole of Europe have a great culture and an amazing history. Most important thing though is that people there know how to live! In America they've forgotten all about it. I'm afraid that the American culture is a disaster."

On his character in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003): "Captain Jack Sparrow is like a cross between Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew."

"I can remember when I finished 'Edward Scissorhands,' looking in the mirror as the girl was doing my make-up for the last time and thinking -- it was like the 90th or 89th day of shooting -- and I remember looking and going, 'Wow, this is it. I'm saying goodbye to this guy, I'm saying goodbye to Edward Scissorhands.' You know, it was kind of sad. But in fact, I think they're all still somehow in there."

"With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be, otherwise it's just not acting. It's lying."

"The only gossip I'm interested in is things from the Weekly World News - 'Woman's bra bursts, 11 injured.' That kind of thing."

"I'm an old-fashioned guy... I want to be an old man with a beer belly sitting on a porch, looking at a lake or something."

When asked by James Lipton on _"Inside The Actor's Studio" (1987)_ what attracts him to funny hats: "I don't know, maybe I just read too much Dr. Seuss as a kid."

After being asked if he is a romantic: "Am I a romantic? I've seen 'Wuthering Heights' ten times. I'm a romantic."

Talking on the Sleepy Hollow (1999) set about what it was like being dragged behind a carriage in the woods: "I wasn't afraid of getting hurt. I was just afraid that the horses may relieve themselves on the journey."

"I'm shy, paranoid, whatever word you want to use. I hate fame. I've done everything I can to avoid it."

"When kids hit 1 year old, it's like hanging out with a miniature drunk. You have to hold onto them. They bump into things. They laugh and cry. They urinate. They vomit."

"This is a rumor-filled society and if people want to sit around and talk about whom I've dated, then I'd say they have a lot of spare time and should consider other topics... or masturbation."

"The character I've played, that I've responded to, there has been a lost-soul quality to them."

"Sure, I find it touching, honestly, but awards are not as important to me as when I meet a 10-year-old kid who says, 'I love Captain Jack Sparrow' ... That's real magic for me."

"The term 'serious actor' is kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? [Like] 'Republican party' [or] 'airplane food.'"

"On a film you start to get closer and closer with the people you're working with, and it becomes like this circus act or this travelling family."

"If you turn on the television and see the horrors that are happening to people in the world right now, I think there's no better time to strive to have some kind of hope through imagination. I think it's a time to close your eyes and try to make a change, or at least hope to make a change, or we're going to explode."

"I suppose nowadays it's all a question of surgery, isn't it? Of course the notion is beautiful, the idea of staying a boy and a child forever, and I think you can. I have known plenty of people who, in their later years, had the energy of children and the kind of curiosity and fascination with things like little children. I think we can keep that, and I think it's important to keep that part of staying young. But I also think it's great fun growing old."

Family

• Spouse : Lori Anne Allison (20 December 1983 - 1985) (divorced).
• Daughter, with Vanessa Paradis, Lily-Rose Melody Depp. [27 May 1999]
• Son Jack, born to him and Vanessa on April 10, 2002 in Neuilly, France, weighs in at just over 7 lbs. Brother of D.P. Depp.

Author of the card

• Creation date: 01/07/2003 by stals
• Last update: 01/05/2007 by ore