Background

Ethnicity: Depp is of mostly English ancestry, with some Dutch, Belgian, African and French ancestry. He is descended from a French Hugenot immigrant (Pierre Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700) and from colonial freedom fighter Elizabeth Key Grinstead, daughter of a British nobleman and an indentured African woman.

Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, the youngest of four children of Betty Sue Palmer (née Wells), a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, a civil engineer.

Depp moved frequently during his childhood. He and his siblings lived in more than 20 different places, eventually settling in Miramar, Florida in 1970. Depp's parents divorced in 1978 when he was 15. His mother married Robert Palmer, whom Depp has called "an inspiration to me."

Education

With the gift of a guitar from his mother when he was 12, Depp began playing in various garage bands. A year after his parents' divorce, he dropped out of Miramar High School to become a rock musician. He attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician.

Career

Depp's band, the Kids, relocated from Florida, where he spent the majority of his childhood, to Los Angeles. In 1983 Depp married Lori Anne Allison, who worked as a makeup artist while he struggled as a musician. Allison had her friend the actor Nicolas Cage arrange for Depp to audition with director Wes Craven, and Depp made his film debut as a teenager eaten by his own bed in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

Depp’s professional break came in 1987 with the premiere of 21 Jump Street, a television police series that starred Depp as Officer Tom Hanson, a young cop who frequently went undercover in high schools and colleges to catch troubled youths. The show was a hit, though Depp resented his promotion as a teen heartthrob. In 1990 he left the series and appeared in John Waters’s Cry-Baby and Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, two films by maverick directors that showcased Depp’s range. Scissorhands began a long association between the actor and director that led to Depp’s appearance in several other Burton films, including Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005); in the latter film Depp played the reclusive candy baron Willy Wonka. In addition, Depp provided the voice of the unfortunate groom in Burton’s macabre animated tale Corpse Bride (2005).

Depp continued to show his versatility with roles as a 19th-century accountant in Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man (1995) and as an FBI agent who infiltrates the Mafia in Donnie Brasco (1997). In 1998 Depp, a longtime friend and fan of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, starred in Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a film based on Thompson’s pseudo-autobiographical novel of the same name; Depp later received top billing in another Thompson adaptation, The Rum Diary (2011). He interviewed gonzo artist Ralph Steadman, who illustrated much of Thompson’s work, in the documentary For No Good Reason (2012). Other notable films include Roman Polanski’s The Ninth Gate (1999) and Ted Demme’s Blow (2001); while working on the former film, he met French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis.

In 2003 Depp appeared as Capt. Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). His performance, which was modeled on Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, earned Depp his first Academy Award nomination. He was nominated again the following year for his portrayal of Peter Pan creator James M. Barrie in Finding Neverland (2004). Depp reprised the role of Sparrow in later installments of the Pirates of the Caribbean series: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), which were among the highest-grossing films ever.

In 2007 he reteamed with Burton for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical; as the serial killer Sweeney, Depp earned praise for both his acting and his singing. In Public Enemies (2009) he played John Dillinger, a criminal who became legendary for robbing a string of American banks during the Great Depression. Depp later joined Colin Farrell and Jude Law in contributing an alternate portrayal of Heath Ledger’s character to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), a conceit engineered to salvage Ledger’s incomplete final performance and made plausible by the fantasy premise of the film.

In 2010 Depp portrayed the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, Burton’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Later that year he starred opposite Angelina Jolie in the thriller The Tourist. In the animated western Rango (2011), Depp provided the voice of the title character, a chameleon who becomes the sheriff of a colourful desert town. He then played an 18th-century vampire awakening in the 1970s in Dark Shadows (2012), Burton’s comedic adaptation of the cult-favourite soap opera of the same name. In The Lone Ranger (2013), Depp sported a headdress and war paint as the titular lawman’s laconic Native American sidekick, Tonto.

In 2014 Depp assumed the roles of an artificial-intelligence researcher in the thriller Transcendence, a detective in the horror film Tusk, and a wolf in the cinematic adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical fairy tale Into the Woods. In 2015 Depp evinced a talent for the farcical as the title character in the comic spy caper Mortdecai before exuding menace as gangster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass. He reprised his cheerfully loony take on the Mad Hatter in Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) and later was part of an all-star cast in Murder on the Orient Express (2017), based on Agatha Christie’s 1933 novel. In 2018 Depp lent his voice to the title character in the animated feature Sherlock Gnomes. The same year Depp reprised his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Maintaining his early interest in music, Depp played acoustic guitar in the film Chocolat (2000) and on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). His work as a guitarist also appears on albums by the Pogues and Oasis.

Achievements

• 

  Considered one of the most successful actors of all time in terms of box office draw and recognition, Johnny Depp has formed a solid bond with moviegoers spanning multiple generations due to his ability to fully absorb himself into an assortment of dynamic characters. The talented actor’s real life story is filled with equally surprising twists and turns at par with the plots of some of the movies he's starred in throughout his career.
  
  Depp has been nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Depp won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his performance in the title role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, as well as the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness World Records as the world's highest paid actor, with earnings of $75 million. Depp was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2015. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2011.
  
  

Works

More photos

• movie

  • Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

    (Pirate Jack Sparrow must seize the fabled "Dead Man's Che...)

    2006
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

    (Join the adventures of Jack Sparrow and his nemesis Capta...)

    2003
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984
  • Private Resort 1985
  • Platoon 1986
  • Cry-Baby 1990
  • Edward Scissorhands 1990
  • Freddy's Dead 1991
  • Arizona Dream 1992
  • Benny and Joon 1993
  • What's Eating Gilbert Grape 1993
  • Ed Wood 1994
  • Don Juan Demarco 1994
  • Dead Man 1995
  • Nick of Time 1995
  • Donnie Brasco 1997
  • Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas 1998
  • The Ninth Gate 1999
  • Sleepy Hollow 1999
  • The Astronaut's Wife 1999
  • Chocolat 2000
  • Before Night Falls 2000
  • The Man Who Cried 2001
  • Blow 2001
  • From Hell 2001
  • Once Upon A Time In Mexico 2003
  • Secret Window 2004
  • Finding Neverland 2004
  • The Libertine 2004
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005
  • Corpse Bride 2005
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End 2007
  • Sweeney Todd 2007
  • Public Enemies 2009
  • The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus 2009
  • Alice in Wonderland 2010
  • The Tourist 2010
  • Rango 2011
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011
  • The Rum Diary 2011
  • 21 Jump Street 2012
  • Dark Shadows 2012
  • The Lone Ranger 2013
  • Lucky Them 2013
  • Transcendence 2014
  • Tusk 2014
  • Into The Woods 2014
  • Mortdecai 2015
  • Black Mass 2015
  • Yoga Hosers 2016
  • Alice Through the Looking Glass 2016
  • Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2016
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales 2017
  • Murder on the Orient Express 2017
  • Sherlock Gnomes 2018

Religion

On the October 16, 2011 episode of Larry King Live, when asked if he had faith, Depp replied, "Yes. I have faith in my kids. And I have—I have faith, you know, that as long as you keep moving forward, just keep walking forward, things will be all right, I suppose, you know. Faith in terms of religion, I don't—religion is not my specialty, you know."

Politics

Depp stated to the German magazine Stern in 2003 that "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth—that can bite and hurt you, aggressive." Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and his words were 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." 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 perceived him as a "European wannabe", saying that he liked the anonymity of living in France while in a relationship with Paradis and his simpler life there. Depp became a U.S. resident again in 2011, because France wanted him to become a permanent resident, which he said would require him to pay income tax in both countries.

At the Glastonbury Festival in 2017, Depp brought up U.S. President Donald Trump. Depp then controversially asked "When was the last time an actor assassinated a President?", before adding "I want to clarify: I'm not an actor. I lie for a living. However, it's been awhile and maybe it's time." He then said that he was "not insinuating anything." The comment seemed to reference John Wilkes Booth, the actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Shawn Holtzclaw of the Secret Service told CNN that they were "aware" of Depp's comment, but said, "For security reasons, we cannot discuss specifically nor in general terms the means and methods of how we perform our protective responsibilities". The next day, Depp apologized for making these remarks, saying, "It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone."

Views

In interviews in 2002 and 2011, Depp claimed to have Native American ancestry, stating "I guess I have some Native American somewhere down the line. My great-grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek Indian."

In 2013, Depp's genealogy was analyzed by third-party researchers at Ancestry.com, who discovered the ancestors he believed to be Native American were in fact African-American.

Despite this discovery, Depp continued to claim or imply he was Native American. Depp's claims came under scrutiny when Indian Country Today Media Network stated that Depp had never inquired about his heritage nor was he recognized as a member of the Cherokee Nation. This led to criticism from the Native American community, including of his choice to portray Tonto, a Native American character, in The Lone Ranger. Critical response to his claims from the Native community also included satirical portrayals of Depp by Native comedians.

Quotations: "Me, I’m dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it’s the honest ones you have to watch out for."

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

"I think the thing to do is enjoy the ride while you're on it."

"I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the expression it leaves on my face."

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

"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."

"If you catch me saying ‘I am a serious actor,’ I beg you to slap me."

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

"Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be? I'm a pirate, after all."

"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."

Membership

On 22 May 2012, Depp was adopted as an honorary son by LaDonna Harris, a member of the Comanche Nation, making him an honorary member of her family but not a member of any tribe.

Personality

Johnny Depp is known for wearing outlandish clothing and numerous tattoos.

Depp is a great admirer and good friend of Tom Baker and a good friend of Serbian film director Emir Kusturica. Depp is also a good friends with actress Helena Bonham Carter. He is also good friends with Marilyn Manson, owns the prosthetic breasts Manson wore on the cover of his 1998 album Mechanical Animals, and also played guitar on Marilyn Manson's 2012 cover of Carly Simon's "You're so vain". Depp is also good friends with: Christina Ricci, Abigail Breslin, Freddie Highmore, Orlando Bloom and Robert Downey Jr.

Depp is a fan of The Rolling Stones, the gypsy musical group Taraf de Haidouks, and of The Clash, an English band that was formed in 1976 and was part of the original punk wave, they were fronted by Joe Strummer.

The actor is a great admirer of Marlon Brando. He was also good friends with the legendary actor, who described Depp as one of the greatest actors of his generation. He is also a big fan of Buster Keaton, having a large collection of his films.

Depp's favorite book is "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac. He likes many different writers but is especially fond of Hunter S. Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Rum Diaries. He is hugely interested in Jack the Ripper. He starred in From Hell (2001), which was about Jolly Jack.

Depp is scared of clowns (coulrophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), and ghosts (phasmophobia). He has said that he wears two silver skull rings to remind him that life is short and every moment needs to be lived to the fullest.

Depp has admitted that Black Mass (2015) is his favorite of his own films, however he never watches his own movies.

In 2015 Johnny Depp, Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry and Alice Cooper formed the band Hollywood Vampires. The name of the band was derived from "The Hollywood Vampires", a celebrity drinking club that was formed in the 1970s by Alice Cooper and included members such as Ringo Starr of The Beatles and Keith Moon of The Who.

Depp has struggled with alcoholism and addiction for much of his life. Depp has stated that he began smoking at age 12 and began using alcohol and drugs shortly thereafter. In a 1997 interview, Depp acknowledged past abuse of alcohol during the filming of What's Eating Gilbert Grape? In a 2008 interview, Depp stated that he had "poisoned" himself with alcohol "for years". In 2013, Depp declared that he had stopped drinking alcohol, adding that he "pretty much got everything (he) could get out of it"; Depp also said, "I investigated wine and spirits thoroughly, and they certainly investigated me as well, and we found out that we got along beautifully, but maybe too well." Regarding his breakup with longtime partner Vanessa Paridis, Depp said that he "definitely wasn't going to rely on the drink to ease things or cushion the blow or cushion the situation...(because) that could have been fatal."

In 2016, then-wife Amber Heard claimed that Depp "plunged into the depths of paranoia and violence after bingeing on drugs and alcohol," although a joint statement issued by Heard and Depp in connection with their divorce denied that either party intended "physical or emotional harm" to the other. In 2018, reporter Stephen Rodrick of Rolling Stone wrote that Depp had used hashish in his presence and described Depp as "alternately hilarious, sly and incoherent"; Rodrick also quoted Depp as stating that a claim that he had spent $30,000 per month on wine was "insulting" because he had spent "far more" than that amount.

Physical Characteristics: Johnny has a deep, whispering voice, dark, intense eyes and highly defined cheekbones.

Johnny Depp is known for wearing outlandish clothing and numerous tattoos. 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!" He got his "Betty Sue" tattoo on May 31, 1988. He has also his son's nickname, Jack, tattooed on his arm and a beaded bracelet made by his daughter Lily Rose.

As a child, he was allergic to chocolate.

Depp suffers from near-sightedness since birth, and is nearly blind in his left eye. He claims that the condition cannot be corrected by surgery.

Interests

• His favorite pastimes is watching cartoons.

• Writers

  Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson

• Music & Bands

  The Rolling Stones, Taraf de Haidouks, The Clash

Connections

Depp married makeup artist Lori Anne Allison on December 20, 1983; they divorced in 1985. He was later engaged to actresses Jennifer Grey and Sherilyn Fenn in the late 1980s before proposing in 1990 to his Edward Scissorhands co-star Winona Ryder, for whom he tattooed "WINONA FOREVER" on his right arm. From 1994 until 1998, he was in a relationship with English supermodel Kate Moss.

Following his breakup from Moss, Depp began a relationship with French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate in France in 1998. They have two children, daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born 1999) and son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III (born 2002). Depp and Paradis announced their separation in June 2012.

Depp subsequently began dating actress and model Amber Heard, whom he had met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011. They were married in February 2015. Heard filed for divorce on May 23, 2016, and five days later filed for and obtained a temporary restraining order against Depp, stating in her court declaration that "during the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me". In response, Depp's lawyers said that Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse".

A settlement was reached in the divorce case on August 16, 2016; the settlement required Heard to receive US$7 million and to dismiss her request for a continued restraining order against Depp. Heard and Depp issued a joint statement indicating that their "'relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love'", adding that neither party "made false accusations for financial gain", and further indicating that there was "never any intent of physical or emotional harm." Heard stated that she would donate the entire proceeds from the divorce to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In December 2016, she filed a Request for Order at the Los Angeles Superior Court since Depp had failed to fulfill the requirements of the settlement. Depp's attorney filed papers disputing this. The divorce was finalized on January 13, 2017.

Father:

John Christopher Depp

(born 1938)

John Christopher Depp is a public engineer who lives in Lexington.

Mother:

Betty Sue Palmer

(1935 - May 20, 2016, Los Angeles, California, United States)

Betty was a waitress while Depp was growing up and bought Johnny’s first guitar when he was 12. This guitar was of key importance in the birthing of Depp’s short-lived musical career. By the age of 15, Johnny’s parents got divorced so he basically stayed with Betty Sue.

All through his career and fame, they maintained some level of closeness until Amber Heard. Johnny has his mom’s name tattooed in a heart on his left arm and in 1999, bought her a large acres of farm. Betty said once that Amber was the reason her and Depp were not so close anymore.

Brother:

Daniel Depp

(born November 14, 1953)

Daniel was born in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to Betty Sue Wells (later Palmer) before she met Johnny’s Dad, Christopher Depp. After the wedding between Christopher and Betty, Daniel was adopted by the Depp father and became a half-brother to Johnny Depp.

Daniel is sometimes referred to as "the other talented Depp". He majored in classics then European History and works as a history teacher. The bald Depp is a lover of books and photography. As regards his relationship with his brother, Daniel says they are very close. He helped in the writing of The Brave (1997) screenplay where Johnny was the lead character and also the director.

Since July 7, 1979, soft-spoken and courteous Daniel has been married to Mahnaz Sham and they live in California where he owns a bookstore. The detective novel, Loser’s Town (2009) was his first published book.

Sister:

Deborah J. Depp

(born May 10, 1956)

Debbie is a half-sister to Johnny Depp but shares same paternal origin with Daniel, Depp’s elder brother. She is the one who loves to not be in the spotlight and all the celebrity family drama. Debbie lives in Lexington and is married with two kids. She works as a teacher in an elementary school.

Sister:

Elisa Christi Depp-Dembrowski

(born December 21, 1960)

Christi is the president of Infinitum Nihil, Depp’s movie producing company which she helped him start. Christie is an important part of Johnny’s business dealings and some also think she is his personal assistant.

ex-spouse:

Lori Anne Allison

(born September 6, 1957, United States of America)

ex-spouse:

Vanessa Chantal Paradis

(born 22 December 1972)

Vanessa Paradis is a French musician, singer, songwriter, actress and model.

ex-spouse:

Amber Heard

(born April 22, 1986)

Amber Heard is an American actress and model.

Daughter:

Lily-Rose Depp

(born May 27, 1999)

Lily-Rose Depp is a French-American actress and model.

Son:

John Christopher Depp III

(born April 9, 2002, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France)

Partner:

Winona Ryder

(born October 29, 1971)

Winona Ryder is an American actress and film producer.

Partner:

Kate Moss

(born 16 January 1974)

Kate Moss is an English model and businesswoman.

Partner:

Sherilyn Fenn

(born February 1, 1965)

Sherilyn Fenn is an American actress.

Friend:

Marlon Brando

(April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004)

Marlon Brando was an American actor and film director.

colleague:

Tim Burton

(born August 25, 1958)

Tim Burton is an American film director, producer, artist, writer, and animator.

Depp 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."

Depp is a godfather of Tim Burton's son Billy Ray Burton.

Friend:

Hunter S. Thompson

(July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005)

Hunter S. Thompson was an American journalist and author, and the founder of the gonzo journalism movement.

Depp was good friends with Hunter S. Thompson until his death. Depp helped to fulfill Thompson's last wish after the writer died. Thompson wanted his remains to be shot out of a 150 foot long canon.

Friend:

Marilyn Manson

(born January 5, 1969)

Marilyn Manson is an American singer, songwriter, musician, composer, actor, painter, author, and former music journalist.

colleague:

Orlando Bloom

Orlando Bloom is a British actor. Though he began his career with minor roles in feature films, he soon rose to stardom with his portrayal of the elf prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Subsequently, he appeared in films that included the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Troy, New York, I Love You and many more.

colleague:

Sean Penn

(born August 17, 1960)

Sean Penn is an American actor and filmmaker.

Friend:

Helena Bonham Carter

(born 26 May 1966)

Helena Bonham-Carter is an English actress best known for her roles in low-budget art films and independent films to large-scale Hollywood productions.

Friend:

Nicolas Cage

(born January 7, 1964)

Nicolas Cage is an American actor, director and producer.

Friend:

Iggy Pop

(born April 21, 1947)

Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, producer and actor.

References

• Johnny Depp: Difficulties, Challenges and Success
  2016
• Johnny Depp: A Retrospective
  2013
• Johnny Depp: The Illustrated Biography
  2006
• Johnny Depp Photo Album
  2009
• Johnny Depp: A Kind of Illusion
  2004
• Johnny Depp: The Passionate Rebel
  2005
• Johnny Depp: A Biography
  2008