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Johnny Depp (b. John Christopher Depp II on June 9, 1963) is a popular Academy Award-nominated American actor born in Owensboro, Kentucky to civil engineer John Christopher Depp Sr. and waitress Betty Sue Palmer. Depp came to fame in the 1980s playing Officer Tom Hanson on the series 21 Jump Street. Since then he has been known for his off beat roles and versatility. He is best known to genre and young fans as the quirky and roguish pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
Early Life
Johnny was the last of the Depps' four children. Depp was preceded by Danny, Christi and Debbie. The family is of Irish, German, and Native American ancestry and Depp has joked that in German, their surname means "idiot." Depp's parents moved several times in his childhood years before settling in Miramar, Florida, when he was seven years old. His parents divorced in 1978 and not long after, he dropped out of high school to pursue a career as a rock musician. He tried to return to high school but his principal encouraged him to follow his dream. He played with a band known as The Kids and the grouped moved to Los Angeles to pursue a recording deal. The group changed their name to Six Gun Method. In 1983, Depp married make-up artist Lori Anne Ellison who was also the sister of one of his band mates. Partly due to the friction their relationship caused, the band broke apart before ever recording an album. Lori Anne introduced him to Nicolas Cage who encouraged him to pursue acting instead. Depp and Lori Anne divorced in 1985.
Career
Depp followed up on Cage's suggestion and met with his agent who sent him to casting director Anette Benson. She cast him in his first acting role, Nightmare on Elm Street, starring as Glen Lantz. He followed up with Private Resort and Platoon which co-starred Forrest Whitaker and Charlie Sheen. Depp acknowledged his appearance in Platoon as the first time he realized he was now an actor.
Depp returned from filming Platoon in the Phillipines to replace Jeff Yagher as undercover cop Tom Hanson on the series that made him a teen heart throb, 21 Jump Street. Depp was uneasy with the prospect of being a teen star and was relieved to leave the series when it ended in 1990. Uncomfortable with being a project or product, he took on odd roles beginning with Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands in 1990 costarring Winona Ryder. Depp played the title role of Edward a strange pale man with scissors for hands who nevertheless becomes loved by an all-American family.
Depp's career is filled with similarly odd roles that nevertheless are wildly different from each other. Other notable roles include Cry Baby, Benny & Joon, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood, Don Juan DeMarco, Donnie Brasco and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The late 90s returned Depp to genre roles with The Ninth Gate, The Astronaut's Wife, and Sleepy Hollow. Despite steering away from obvious or blockbuster roles and aiming simply for those he found interesting, Depp's performances and film choices have nevertheless made him a household name. He starred in the romantic film Chocolat as a handsome gypsy opposite Juliette Binoche, Blow as George Jung with Penélope Cruz, Once Upon a Time in Mexico with Salma Hayek and Secret Window.
In 2004, Depp was nominated for an Oscar for his role as J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland. He was also nominated as Best Actor for his role in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The success of Pirates of the Caribbean led to two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and 2007's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Depp claims to have modeled the character of Jack Sparrow on Rolling Stone's guitarist Keith Richards and his performance won over fans and critics. In 2005, Depp starred in another hit film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory based on the earlier film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Depp lent his voice to yet another Tim Burton project, Corpse Bride as Victor Van Dort.
In 2007, Depp appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in 2007, the Tim Burton and Stephen Sondheim musical, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street , and prepared to film The Rum Diary and Shantaram. Depp also formed his own production company, Infinitum Nihil. Its first productions will be The Rum Diary, Shantaram and an adaptation of the gothic soap, Dark Shadows.
Personal Life
Following the end of his marriage to Lori Anne Ellis, Depp dated Sherilyn Fenn and became engaged to Winona Ryder. Depp tattooed "Winona Forever" on his arm. After the two broke off their relationship he had the tattoo altered to read "Wino Forever". He was also engaged to super model Kate Moss.
Depp is engaged to French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate. They have two children, Lily-Rose Melody Depp and , John Christopher Depp III nicknamed "Jack". They split their time between Los Angeles and their home in the south of France. Depp also purchased an island in the Bahamas.
External Links
To see specific information, such as individual movies, please click the Johnny Depp category link at the bottom of this article. To see other articles that reference Johnny Depp, please click the What Links Here tool in the toolbox at the bottom of this page.
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