Birth name

John Christopher Depp II

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Nickname

"Mr. Stench" (self-chosen)
"Colonel" (given to him by Hunter S. Thompson)

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Height

5' 10" (1.78 m)

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Mini biography

Born John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963. Raised in Florida, he dropped out of school at age 15 in the 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 Los Angeles, California, with his former wife, Lori Anne Allison, who introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage. He made his film debut in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984). In 1987, he shot to stardom 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-oriented films, his first of a handful of 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 surprised 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), directed by Terry Gilliam; and then, in 1999, he appeared in the sci-fi/horror film 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. Now, Depp is collaborating again with Tim Burton in a new screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, 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 Anne Allison in 1983 but then divorced her 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.

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IMDb mini-biography by

mikedavies86

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Mini biography

Johnny Depp is perhaps one of the most versatile actors of his day and age in Hollywood, who has recuperated his image greatly since his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the acclaimed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), with a supporting cast of Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Geoffrey Rush.

Though highly successful now, Depp's early life, strangely, was as a rebel, and he took to vandalism and narcotics. He dropped out of school when he was 15, and he fronted a series of music-garage bands, including one named The Kids. However, it was when he married Lori Anne Allison that he took up the job of being a ballpoint-pen salesman to support himself and his wife. A visit to Los Angeles, California, with his wife, however, happened to be a blessing in disguise, when he met up with actor Nicolas Cage, who advised him to turn to acting, which culminated in Depp's film debut in the low-budget horror classic, A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), where he played a teenager who falls prey to dream-stalking demon Freddy Krueger. Three years later, Depp achieved fame as police cop Tom Hanson in the series "21 Jump Street" (1987) (1987-90), and in 1990, he was firmly established as a leading Hollywood actor with the Tim Burton movie Edward Scissorhands (1990), where he played a sad-faced, tragic hero who has scissors for hands.

From then on, Depp was selective of his choice of roles in movies, and he more often than not played dark, sinister characters on-screen. He played an undercover FBI agent in Donnie Brasco (1997), in which he co-starred with Al Pacino; a druggie in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998); and in two more Tim Burton ventures, Ed Wood (1994) and Sleepy Hollow (1999), with Christina Ricci and Casper Van Dien. He is currently filming a fifth Tim Burton film, Corpse Bride (2005), as well as being committed for another Tim Burton production, where he plays Willy Wonka in the upcoming Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), based on the classic children's novel by Roald Dahl..

During his career, Depp has, unfortunately, gotten himself under bad public scrutiny. He was accused of selling drugs at his own club, The Viper Room, in regard to the legendary celebrity, River Phoenix, who died outside the club due to drug overdose in 1993. The following year, Depp was arrested for smashing and trashing a New York suite. And, in 1999, he was arrested in London for being in a fight with paparazzi outside a restaurant.

Although he gained popularity since the success of Edward Scissorhands (1990), Depp wasn't hugely famous for many years until his portrayal of the suave, charming Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) in 2003. With the film's enormous success, it has opened several doors for Johnny Depp's career and even included an Oscar nomination. He appeared as the central character in the Stephen King-based movie, Secret Window (2004); as the kind-hearted novelist James Barrie in the factually-based Finding Neverland (2004), where he co-starred with Kate Winslet; and most recently as Rochester in the British film, The Libertine (2004).

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IMDb mini-biography by

Sidhartha Shankar

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Spouse

Lori Anne Allison

(20 December 1983 - 1985) (divorced)

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Trade mark

Highly defined cheek-bones

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Trivia

Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" (#1). [1995]

Daughter, with Vanessa Paradis, Lily-Rose Melody Depp. [27 May 1999]

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, in Los Angeles, California.

Has twice recorded with British band "Oasis". Most notably, he plays lead slide guitar on the track "Fade In-Out", from the 1997 album Be Here Now. 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-fiancées: Sherilyn Fenn, Kate Moss, Jennifer Grey and 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!"

Was the guitarist in a band called The Kids.

Currently plays in a band called P.

Grew up in Florida.

Brother of D.P. Depp.

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.

Son, Jack, born to him and Vanessa Paradis on April 10, 2002, in Neuilly, France, weighing just over 7 lbs.

Chosen #2 on E!'s 25 sexiest entertainers list

With Chuck E. Weiss, Depp paid a reported USD$350,000 for the Central Nightclub in Los Angeles, California, 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 television--as his favorite TV program 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 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 the late famed schizophrenic Chicago street artist Wesley Willis.

Parents: John Christopher and Betty Sue Palmer.

He wanted some of his teeth to be gold-capped 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, and Debbie.

Was People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 2003.

Before Depp turned it into The Viper Room, the building in which the club is housed was owned by famous gangster Bugsy Siegel.

Chosen as E!'s 2003 Entertainer of the Year.

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 six films in which the title contains the name of the character he plays: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Cry-Baby (1990), What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Ed Wood (1994), Don Juan DeMarco (1995), and 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.

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 fan of Jack the Ripper.

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 actor Robert Englund, famed for portraying dream-stalking Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. Both of them appeared in the first A 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 any more, 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 (2001) and Finding Nemo (2003).

Co-owns a restaurant/club in Paris called Man Ray (named after avant-garde artist Man Ray) with Sean Penn and John 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.

When he was cast as Willy Wonka, many newspapers published headings about "Depp's Willy" and "Deppy's Willy is a Bit Wonkier."

Apparently conceived his portrayal of Edward D. Wood Jr. as a cross between Ronald Reagan (the wobbly-headed thing), the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz (1939), and the voice of Casey Kasem.

Dropped out of high school at 16

As a teen, he and his band "The Kids" performed for Iggy Pop

As a child, he was allergic to chocolate.

In 2004, Renée Zellweger accepted the Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role" on his behalf, because he wasn't present at the awards ceremony

Learned French to be able to converse with Vanessa Paradis' parents.

He also played slide for an acoustic recording of Fade Away, recorded in 1995 for the War Child: Help album.

Had come into professional contact with the great screen villains, Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. Price co-starred with Depp in Edward Scissorhands (1990), and Lee co-starred with Depp in Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and The Corpse Bride (2005). Strangely all these movies that Depp co-starred with Price and Lee were Tim Burton movies.

Great admirer of late Marlon Brando.

Although unable to attend, he was awarded the Gary Cooper Spirit of Montana Award at the 2005 HatcH audiovisual festival in Bozeman, Montana. HatcH honored Mr. Depp for his outstanding career and his role as a mentor and inspiration to young and aspiring artists.

Has portrayed a real life character in 7 films: Edward James Wood Jr. (Ed Wood), Lt. Victor/Pon Pon (Before Night Falls), Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas), Inspector Fred Abberline (From Hell), Joseph Pistone/Donnie Brasco (Donnie Brasco), George Jung (Blow), and J.M. Barrie (Finding Neverland).

Sherilyn Fenn's name is scrawled across his helmet in Platoon (1986).

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Personal 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 when 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."

"All the little films I've done that were perceived by Hollywood as these obscure, weird things, I always thought could appeal to a larger audience. I mean, box office is such a mystery to me that I can't... you know... I have enough -trouble doing my own gig. "

[When asked why he hides his box office good looks behind strange wigs, fake teeth, and girly squeals] "I think it's an actor's responsibility to change every time. Not only for himself and the people he's working with, but for the audience. If you just go out and deliver the same dish every time...it's meatloaf again...you'd get bored. I'd get bored."

We had been shooting Charlie for about a month, and I was beginning to get nervous because there weren't any phone calls. I called my agent and asked, Has no one called from the studio to complain or say, 'Hey, what's he doing?' or 'Hey, he's freaking us out?' And when she said no, I thought, 'Christ, I'm not doing enough! Something's wrong!' Then some of the studio brass came over to the set, and they were sitting in my trailer and I was all decked out as Wonka with the little bangs. And I just had to know. So I said, 'Okay, who was the first one, when you started seeing the dailies, that got a little worried?' And there was this beautiful 30-second silence. And [Warner Bros. president] Alan Horn finally said, 'Yeah, that was me.' I felt better instantly.

[on Gene Wilder's comment on the remake of Willy Wonka] "Hearing about that was disappointing, but I can understand where he's coming from, I guess. The one thing I didn't understand was that apparently he was quoted as saying 'Well, they just did this for money.' Well, hey, man, where have you been? When didn't they ever do anything for money? Nobody's ever made a film in the history of cinema where they weren't expecting some return on their dough."

On his daughter, Lily-Rose: "I see this amazing, beautiful, pure angel-thing wake up in the morning, and nothing can touch that. She is the only reason to wake up in the morning, the only reason to take a breath. Everything else is checkers."

"He can ask me everything. If he wants me to have sex with an aardvark in one of his next movies, then I will do that." - on director Tim Burton.

[On reactions to his directorial debut] "You know what was traumatizing, what was very, very strange in terms of this film I directed a few years back called The Brave. Well, I guess I wouldn't say traumatizing, but I would say weird: at the premiere of the film the reception of it was beyond any expectation that I had. I had no idea I'd be looking at Bertolucci or Antonioni sitting there watching my film. And then to receive the applause that my film got, it was so incredible. And then the next day the majority of the American press, just turn it into this horrible thing. Once again, everybody is entitled to their opinion, man. Maybe it's a bad film? Maybe it's a good film? To me it's just a film. It's something I needed to make."

"I started out as a guitarist in the early Eighties. I hooked up with a guy who idolized James Dean and he gave me a copy of the Dean biography, 'The Mutant King', which I thought was really interesting. While reading the book, I watched Rebel Without a Cause (1955), and I thought, 'Wow, this guy really has something', and I was hooked. I wasn't really into acting at the time - but James Dean was the catalyst."

"Sarah is a really great person and i miss her so much" - On how he feels about his long lost daughter Sarah.

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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

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Where are they now

(November 2004) Working with the Entertainment Industry Foundation, the Montblanc and the National Arts Intiative to give children more access to the Arts.

(July 2005) Shooting the two Pirates of the Caribean sequels, in the Caribean.

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Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:

Former teen heartthrob who gained popularity in the TV series "21 Jump Street," but has matured into a genuinely gifted actor. His big-screen debut came in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), and he appeared in Platoon (1986) as well, but it was his tongue-in-cheek portrayal of the title character in John Waters' Cry-Baby (1989) that really opened eyes to Depp's ability. He demonstrated remarkable ability in bringing to life the title character in Tim Burton's whimsical paean to outsiders, Edward Scissorhands (1990), delivering a touching and inventive performance. In Benny & Joon (1993) he delivered on that promise with another endearing performance, in which he incorporated the manner (and in some cases actual routines) of silent-screen greats Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Other recent credits include What's Eating Gilbert Grape (also 1993), the title role in Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994), Arizona Dream (1995, filmed in 1991), and Don Juan DeMarco (also 1995).

Copyright © 1994 Leonard Maltin, used by arrangement with Signet, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc.

Information from:

www.imdb.com/name/nm0000136