Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, quickly becoming a teen idol. Turning to film, he was notable as the title character of Edward Scissorhands (1990), and later found box office success in films such as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
He has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, the most recent of which are Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp has gained acclaim for his portrayals of people such as Edward D. Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco, Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and George Jung in Blow. More recently, he portrayed the bank robber John Dillinger in Michael Mann's 2009 film Public Enemies.Films featuring Depp have grossed over $2.6 billion at the United States box office and over $6 billion worldwide.[1] He has been nominated for top awards numerous times; he won the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for his role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Childhood
Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the son of Betty Sue Palmer (née Wells), a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, Sr., a civil engineer.[2] He has one brother, Daniel, who is a novelist, and two sisters, Christie (now his personal manager) and Debbie. According to one recent biography, the Depp family in the United States began with a French Huguenot immigrant, Pierre Deppe or Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700,[3] part of a refugee colony situated above the falls on the James River.The family moved frequently during Depp's childhood, and he and his siblings lived in more than 20 different locations, settling in Miramar, Florida, in 1970. In 1978, Depp's parents divorced. He engaged in self-harm as a child, due to the stress of dealing with family problems. He has seven or eight self-inflicted scars. In a 1993 interview, he explained his self-injury by saying, "My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist".[4]
1980s
With the gift of a guitar from his mother when he was 12, Depp began playing in various garage bands. His first band was in honor of his girlfriend, Meredith. A year after his parents' divorce, Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician. As he said on Inside the Actors Studio, he attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. He played with The Kids, a band that enjoyed modest local success. The Kids set out together for Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to Six Gun Method, but the group split up before signing a record deal. Depp subsequently collaborated with the band Rock City Angels[5] and co-wrote their song "Mary", which appeared on Rock City Angels' debut for Geffen Records titled Young Man's Blues.
On December 24, 1983, Depp married Lori Anne Allison, a makeup artist and sister of his band's bass player and singer. During Depp's marriage, his wife worked as a makeup artist while he worked a variety of odd jobs, including a telemarketer for pens. His wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career. They divorced in 1985. Depp later dated and was engaged to Sherilyn Fenn (whom he met on the set of the 1985 short film Dummies).
Career
Johnny Depp at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.
Television
Depp starred in a lead role on the Fox TV television series, 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987. Depp accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Depp's long time friend Sal Jenco joined the cast as a semi-co-star as the janitor named Blowfish. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s. He felt "forced into the role of product."[6] Depp decided to appear only in films that he felt were right for him.[6]
Film roles
Depp's first major role was in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, playing the heroine's boyfriend and one of Freddy Krueger's victims. In 1986, he appeared in a secondary role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. In 1990 he undertook the quirky title role of the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. The film's success began his long association with Burton.
Depp, a fan and long-time friend of writer Hunter S. Thompson, played a version of Thompson (named Raoul Duke) in 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on the writer's pseudobiographical novel of the same name. Depp accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours.[7] In 2006, Depp contributed a foreword to Gonzo: Photographs by Hunter S. Thompson, a posthumous biography published by ammobooks.com. Depp paid for most of Thompson's memorial event, complete with fireworks and the shooting of Thompson's ashes by a cannon, in Aspen, Colorado, where Thompson lived.[8]
Critics have described Depp's roles as characters who are "iconic loners."[9] Depp has noted this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison,"[10] but he thought the studios never understood the films and did not do a good job of marketing.[9] Depp has chosen roles which he found interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.[9]
Depp wearing a mustache and goatee similar to the style used in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
The 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a major success,[9] in which Depp's his lead performance as the suave pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. Studio bosses were more ambivalent at first,[11] but the character became popular with the movie-going public.[9] According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp was a major draw for audiences.[12] The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's character closely resembles the actor's personality, but Depp said he modelled the character after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.[13] Depp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.
In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, for playing Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. Depp next starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a major success at the box office and earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.[13][14]
Depp returned to the role of Jack Sparrow for the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which opened on July 7, 2006 and grossed $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release, breaking a box office record of the highest weekend tally.[15] The next sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, was released May 24, 2007. Depp has said that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me", and he wants to play the role in further sequels.[16] Depp voiced Sparrow in the video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.[17] Johnny Depp's swashbuckling sword talents as developed for the character of Jack Sparrow, were highlighted in the documentary film Reclaiming the Blade. Within the film, Swordmaster Bob Anderson shared his experiences working with Depp on the choreography for The Curse of the Black Pearl. Anderson who also trained Errol Flynn, another famous Hollywood pirate, described in the film Depp's ability as an actor to pick up the sword to be, "about as good as you can get."[18]
Depp and Gore Verbinski were executive producers of the album Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. Depp played the title role of Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Depp thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and praised Tim Burton for his "unwavering trust and support."[19]
In 2007, Depp accepted Warner Bros.' proposal to make a film of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, a series that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. He had been a fan as a child. Depp and Graham King will produce the movie with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions inc. until Curtis died in 2006. Depp will also appear in a film version of writer Hunter S. Thompson's book, The Rum Diary,[7] portraying the main character, Paul Kemp. Depp played the former Heath Ledger character in the 2009 film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell. All three actors gave their salaries from the film to Ledger's daughter, Matilda.[20] He portrayed the Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and will play Tonto in a future Lone Ranger film.[21] Disney Studios announced a fourth installment of the Pirates series is in development.[21]
Collaboration with Tim Burton
Depp has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, beginning with Edward Scissorhands (1990), opposite Winona Ryder and Vincent Price. His next role with Burton was in the 1994 film, Ed Wood. Depp later said that "within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed."[22] At the time, the actor was depressed about films and filmmaking. This part gave him a "chance to stretch out and have some fun"; he said working with Landau "rejuvenated my love for acting".[22]
Producer Scott Rudin once said, "Basically Johnny Depp is playing Tim Burton in all his movies,"[23] although Burton personally disapproved of the comment. Depp, however agrees with Rudin's statement. According to Depp, Edward Scissorhands represented Burton's inability to communicate as a teenager. Ed Wood reflected Burton's relationship with Vincent Price (very similar with Edward D. Wood, Jr. and Béla Lugosi).
Depp's Hollywood Walk of Fame star received on November 19, 1999.
Depp's next venture with Burton was the role of Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999), opposite Christina Ricci. Sleepy Hollow reflected Burton's battle with the Hollywood studio system.[24] For his performance, Depp took inspiration from Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall and Basil Rathbone.[23] Depp stated, "I always thought of Ichabod as a very delicate, fragile person who was maybe a little too in touch with his feminine side, like a frightened little girl."[25]
Depp did not work with Burton again until 2005 in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which he played Willy Wonka. Depp modeled the character's hair on Anna Wintour.[26] The film was a box office success and received positive critical reception.[27][28] Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, initially criticized this version.[29] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released in July, followed by Corpse Bride, for which Depp voiced the character Victor Van Dort, in September.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) followed, bringing Depp his second major award win, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy as well as his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Burton first gave him an original cast recording of the 1979 stage musical in 2000. Although not a fan of the musical genre, Depp grew to like the tale's treatment. He cited Peter Lorre in Mad Love (1935) as his main influence for the role, and practiced the songs his character would perform while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.[30] Although he had performed in musical groups, Depp was initially unsure that he would be able to sustain Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. Depp recorded demos and worked with Bruce Witkin to shape his vocals without a qualified voice coach. In the DVD Reviews section, Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty gave the film an A minus, stating, "Depp's soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he's been hiding... Watching Depp's barber wield his razors... it's hard not to be reminded of Edward Scissorhands frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago... and all of the twisted beauty we would've missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met."[31]
In his introduction to Burton on Burton, a book of interviews with the director, Depp called Burton "...a brother, a friend,...and [a] brave soul".[32] The next Depp-Burton collaboration was Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp played the Mad Hatter alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman.
Personal life
Depp backstage at the Ahmanson Theatre on December 31, 2006
In 1994, Depp was arrested and questioned by police for allegedly causing serious damage to a New York City hotel suite.[33] Since 1998, following a relationship with British supermodel Kate Moss, Depp has had a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate.[34] He was arrested again in 1999 for brawling with paparazzi outside a restaurant while dining in London with Paradis.[35]
The couple have two children. Daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp was born May 27, 1999, and son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III was born April 9, 2002.[36] In 2007, his daughter recovered from a serious illness, an E. coli infection that began to cause her kidneys to shut down and resulted in an extended hospital stay.[37] To thank Great Ormond Street Hospital, Depp visited the hospital in November 2007 dressed in his Captain Jack Sparrow outfit and spent 4 hours reading stories to the children. He later donated £1 million (about $2 million) to the hospital in early 2008.[38]
Although Depp has not remarried, he has stated that having children has given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything."[16] "You can't plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision. It was part of the wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny; kismet. All the math finally worked." The family divides its time between their home in Meudon, located in the suburbs of Paris, Los Angeles, an island he bought in The Bahamas, and their villa in Le Plan-de-la-Tour, a small town 20 km from Saint-Tropez, in the south of France.[39][40] Depp also acquired a vineyard estate in the Plan-de-la-Tour area in 2007.[41]
Depp has 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life. They include a Native American in profile and a ribbon reading "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever", altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, "Lily-Rose" (his daughter's name) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" (his son's name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean) on his right forearm.
In 2003, Depp's comments about the United States appeared in Germany's Stern magazine: "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth — that can bite and hurt you, aggressive."[42] Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and the quotation was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview. CNN added his remark that he would like his children "to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out."[43] The July 17, 2006 edition of Newsweek reprinted the "dumb puppy" quotation, verbatim, in the context of a Letter to the Magazine. Depp has also disagreed with subsequent media reports that he says paint him as a "European wannabe", saying that he just likes the anonymity of living in France and his simpler life there.[42]
On October 8, 2010, Depp made an unannounced appearance at a London Primary School near where he was filming scenes for the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He turned up dressed as his character Jack Sparrow after receiving a letter from a pupil asking for his help with a class mutiny.[44]
Depp bought a 17th century Palazzo Dona Sangiantoffetti in Venice worth £8.5 million after falling in love with the city during the filming of The Tourist.[45]
Other interests
Music
As a guitar player, Depp has recorded a solo album, played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from Be Here Now, 1997), as well as on "Fade Away (Warchild Version)" (b-side of the "Don't Go Away" single). He also played acoustic guitar in the movie Chocolat and on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He is a friend of The Pogues' Shane MacGowan, and performed on MacGowan's first solo album. He was also a member of P, a group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. He has appeared in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' music video "Into the Great Wide Open".
Winemaker and restaurateur
Depp and Paradis grow grapes and have wine making facilities in their vineyard in Plan-de-la-Tour north of Saint-Tropez.[41][46][47] He is known for a fondness of French wines: among Depp's favorites are the Bordeaux wines Château Calon-Ségur, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Pétrus, and the Burgundy wine Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Interviewed in Madame Figaro, he stated, "With those wines, you reach nirvana".[48] Along with Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall, Depp co-owned the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray, located near the Champs-Élysées.[49]
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp
Some of the awards that Depp has won include honors from the London Film Critics Circle (1996), Russian Guild of Film Critics (1998), Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004) and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. At the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, he won the award for "Best Villain" for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd and "Best Comedic Performance" for Jack Sparrow. Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards, in 2004 for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, in 2005 for Finding Neverland, and in 2008 for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp won his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in 2008.
Filmography
ActorYear Title Role Notes
1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street Glen Lantz
1985 Private Resort Jack Marshall
1986 Platoon Specialist Gator Lerner
1990 Cry-Baby Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker
1990 Edward Scissorhands Edward Scissorhands Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1991 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Teen on TV Cameo (as Oprah Noodlemantra)
1993 What's Eating Gilbert Grape Gilbert Grape
1993 Benny & Joon Sam Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1993 Arizona Dream Axel Blackmar
1994 Ed Wood Edward D. Wood, Jr. London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Don Juan DeMarco
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1995 Nick of Time Gene Watson
1995 Dead Man William Blake
1995 Don Juan DeMarco Don Juan/John R. DeMarco London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (also for Ed Wood)
1996 Cannes Man Himself
1997 Donnie Brasco Donnie Brasco/Joseph D. Pistone Nominated—Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
1997 The Brave Raphael Nominated—Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival)
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Raoul Duke playing Hunter S. Thompson
1998 L.A. Without a Map Himself/William Blake Cameo
1999 Sleepy Hollow Ichabod Crane Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1999 The Astronaut's Wife Spencer Armacost
1999 The Ninth Gate Dean Corso
2000 Chocolat Roux Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2000 Before Night Falls Lt. Victor, Bon Bon
2001 From Hell Frederick Abberline Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
2001 The Man Who Cried Cesar (Limited release)
2001 Blow George Jung
2003 Once Upon a Time in Mexico Sheldon Sands Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
2003 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Captain Jack Sparrow Empire Award for Best Actor
Irish Film Award for Best International Actor
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
2004 Happily Ever After L'inconnu Cameo
2004 Finding Neverland J. M. Barrie Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Empire Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2004 Secret Window Mort Rainey
2005 The Libertine John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester Nominated—British Independent Film Award for Best Actor
2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka Empire Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Irish Film Award for Best International Actor
Nominated—London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor
2005 Corpse Bride Victor Van Dort voice role
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Captain Jack Sparrow Empire Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—National Movie Award for Performance – Male
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Captain Jack Sparrow
2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Sweeney Todd/Benjamin Barker Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
National Movie Award for Performance – Male
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
2009 Public Enemies John Dillinger Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
2009 The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Tony (1st transformation)
2010 Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Global Superstar
Nominated—National Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Best Fantasy Actor
2010 The Tourist Frank Tupelo/Alexander Pearce Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2011 Rango Rango voice role
post-production
2011 The Rum Diary Paul Kemp post-production
2011 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Captain Jack Sparrow post-production[50]
2011 Jack & Jill Cameo
filming
2012 Dark Shadows Barnabas Collins pre-production
2012 The Lone Ranger Tonto pre-production
DirectorYear Title Notes
1992 Stuff short film
1997 The Brave
2011 Keith Richards Documentary
DocumentaryYear Title Role Notes
1999 The Source Jack Kerouac
2002 Lost in La Mancha Himself Uncredited role
2006 Deep Sea 3D Narrator
2007 Runnin' Down A Dream Himself
2008 Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Narrator
2010 When You're Strange Narrator
MusicYear Title Songs
2000 Chocolat "Minor Swing",
"They're Red Hot",
"Caravan"
2003 Once Upon a Time in Mexico "Sands' Theme"
2007 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street "No Place Like London",
"My Friends",
"Pirelli's Miracle Elixir",
"Pretty Women",
"Epiphany",
"A Little Priest",
"Johanna (Act II)",
"By The Sea",
"The Judge's Return",
"Final Scene (Part 1)",
"Final Scene (Part 2)"
ProducerYear Title Notes
2011 The Rum Diary post-production
2011 Hugo Cabret filming[51]
TelevisionYear Production Role Notes
1985 Lady Blue Lionel Viland Episode: "Beasts of Prey"
1986 Slow Burn Donnie Fleischer TV film
1987–1991 21 Jump Street Officer Thomas "Tom" Hanson, Jr. TV series (57 episodes)
1987 Hotel Rob Cameron Episode: "Unfinished Business"
1999 The Vicar of Dibley Himself Episode: "Celebrity Party"[52]
2000 The Fast Show Himself Episode: "The Last Ever Fast Show"[53]
2004 King of the Hill Yogi Victor (voice) Episode: "Hank's Back"
2009 SpongeBob SquarePants Jack Kahuna Laguna (voice) Episode: "SpongeBob vs. The Big One"[54]
WriterYear Title
1997 The Brave
