Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp (born 9.6.1963)

Johnny Depp is an American actor who has played a large number of high profile roles in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Edward Scissorhands.

Johnny Depp: Childhood

Johnny Depp was born to Betty Sue Palmer and John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky. He has one brother and two sisters, one of whom (Christie) now works as his personal manager. Depp's family moved often throughout his childhood, though they eventually settled in Florida.

Johnny Depp started to learn the guitar when he was 12 years old and played in a number of garage bands. He dropped out of school to play in a band named The Kids, who moved to Los Angeles and changed their name to Six Gun Method. Johnny Depp also worked with the band Rock City Angels and co-wrote 'Mary', which appeared on their album Young Man's Blues, released on Geffen Records.

Johnny Depp: Acting Career

In the early 1980s, Depp's wife at the time, Lori Anne Allison, introduced him to Nicolas Cage, who encouraged him to pursue an acting career.

In 1987, Johnny Depp landed his first lead TV role in 21 Jump Street. He reportedly took the role because it meant that he would get to work with Frederic Forrest. Depp's friend Sal Jenco was also cast in the series.

Johnny Depp first appeared in a feature film in 1984, when he appeared in A Nightmare on Elm Street, playing one of Freddy Kruger's victims. In '86, he appeared in Oliver Stone's Platoon, which also starred Charlie Sheen and Willem Dafoe.

In 1990, Depp took the lead role in Edward Scissorhands. The film was directed by Tim Burton, with whom Depp would have a long-standing working relationship. The highly successful film also stars Winona Ryder and features music by Danny Elfman.

In 1994, Burton cast him to play the title role in Ed Wood.

Johnny Depp is a huge fan and a personal friend of the writer Hunter S Thompson. In 1998, he played the role of Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, adapted from the writer's autobiographical novel of the same name. When Thompson died, Johnny Depp paid for a large proportion of the funeral proceedings, in which Thompson's ashes were fired from a cannon in Aspen, Colorado.

In 1999, Depp starred opposite Christina Ricci in another Burton movie, Sleepy Hollow.

In 2003, Johnny Depp starred in the first of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, The Curse of the Black Pearl. He plays the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, whom he loosely based on Keith Richards (who makes a cameo appearance in the last film of the trilogy). The films also star Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley. He was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his role, which became hugely popular among the cinema-going public. The second film, Dead Man's Chest was released in 2006 and the third installment, At World's End was released in 2007.

Depp was nominated for another Best Actor Oscar in 2004 for his portrayal of the author JM Barrie in Finding Neverland, which also starred Kate Winslet, Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman.

His next major project was playing Willie Wonka in the 2005 adaptation of the Roald Dahl children's novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Depp returned to working with Tim Burton in 2008, with the release of the musical version of Sweeney Todd: The Demon barber of Fleet Street. The music was scored by Steven Sondheim and the film also starred Helena Bonham-Carter. Depp won the Golden Globe Best Actor award (Musical or Comedy) for his performance in the film.

In 2007, Johnny Depp secured a deal with Warner Brothers to make a film version of Dark Shadows, the gothic soap opera that was shown on the ABC network from 1966-71.

Along with Colin Farrell and Jude Law, Johnny Depp was chosen to play a transformation of Heath Ledger's character in the Terry Gilliam-directed The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Ledger's untimely death half-way through the film led to the re-casting of the character and all three of the actors chosen to take on the role have donated their salaries from the film to Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams' daughter Matilda.

Johnny Depp: Personal Life

Johnny Depp was married to Lori Anne Allison for a couple of years in the 1980s. After they divorced, Depp was briefly engaged to Sherilyn Fenn, though they never married. He has also dated Winona Ryder and Kate Moss.

Johnny Depp met his long-term partner, Vanessa Paradis whilst working on the film The Ninth Gate. They have two children together, Lily Rose Melody Depp (b.1999) and John Jack Christopher Depp III (b.2002).