Johnny Depp’s Start as an Actor

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Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky. His full name is John Christopher Depp II. He is known for his work in the “Pirates of the Caribbean,” series as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Depp left high school at the age of 16 to follow his dreams of having a career in music. His band known as the Kids, went from Florida to Los Angeles. He spent a good amount of his childhood in L.A. He married Lori Anne Allison in 1983. She was a makeup artists during his struggles as a musician.

Allison asked her friend Nicolas Cage to set Depp up for an audition with Wes Craven, a director. Depp then made his first movie debut playing a teenager that was eaten by his bed in the movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” in 1984. Depp and Allison divorced a year later.

Depp’s Professional Break

He got his professional break in 1987 with the original performance of “21 Jump Street.” Depp starred as Officer Tom Hanson who is a young police officer who often when undercover at high schools and colleges to arrest troubled youth. The show was popular.

He left the show in 1990 and made an appearance in “Edward Scissorhands,” by Tim Burton and “Cry-Baby,” by John Waters’. Both films were done by Maverick directors and showed the range Depp held. The movie Scissorhands started a lengthy association between Depp and the director that led to the actor’s parts in many other Burton productions such as, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” (2005); “Ed Wood,” (1994); and “Sleepy Hollow,” (1999). Also, he did a voice over for the groom in “Corpse Bride,” (2005).

During the making of “Edward Scissorhands,” he met his co-star Winona Ryder. He had been watching her since a meeting at the “Great Balls of Fire,” (1989) premiere. Ryder and Depp started dating during the production of Scissorhands. They became a power couple in Hollywood. The got engaged five months into their relationship.

He set their love by tattooing “Winona Forever,” on his right arm. However, they broke up in 1993 after her parents prohibited her from get married.

The actor continued showing his ability to adapt by playing roles like an FBI agent who intruded on the Mafia in the movie “Donnie Brasco,” (1997) as well as a 19th-century accountant in the movie “Dead Man,” directed by Jim Jarmusch.

Hunter S. Thompson

Depp is a fan and friend of Hunter S. Thompson, a gonzo journalist. In 1998, he stared in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” directed by Terry Gilman. It is about the pseudo autobiography of Thompson that has the same name as the movie. Later on, Depp got top billing in a different adaption by Thompson called, “The Rum Diary,” (2011).

Depp did an interview with Ralph Steadman, a gonzo artist who did many of the illustrations in Thompson’s documentary, “For No Good Reason,” (2012).

Depp and two of his business partners purchased The Viper Club in Los Angeles. It turned into the hottest spot on Sunset Strip instantly. He started to use the club as a way to introduce people to music from his new band P. The band gave popular shows at the club.

However, a tragedy struck the club on October 31, 1993. Teen heartthrob and River Phoenix overdosed on drugs outside of the club. Phoenix passed away later that day.

Drugs and Kate Moss

Depp experimented with drugs as well. He went into a deep depression. He then got into a public relationship with Kate Moss, a supermodel. They both made headlines often due to their unpredictable and passionate actions. Depp trashed a hotel room in New York following a fight between the couple in 1994.

The actor broke up with long-term partner Moss and took the part of Hunter S. Thompson’s alter ego in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” At the time of filming, Depp created a strong friendship with Thompson. The friendship lasted until Thompson died in 2005. Depp financed the funeral.

For his next movie project, he attempted a role in sci-fi horror in the film “The Astronaut’s Wife,” (1999). He then played in the romantic drama “Chocolat,” that same year. After, he played in a role with a big budget as George Jung, a cocaine kingpin in the movie “Blow,” (2001). He then made an appearance in “From Hell,” 2001 as well as, “Once Upon a Time in Mexico,” (2002).

Award Nominations

Depp received a nomination for an Academy Award for his role as Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” in 2004. It was a box office hit and it led to the creation of the Pirates franchise. Later that year, he also became a critically acclaimed performer in “Finding Neverland.” He played as J.M. Barrier. The role got him over 10 nominations for awards, including Golden Globe and Academy Award.

He went back to be Jack Sparrow in 2006 for “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” The movie broke a record for box office as it reached the highest weekend tally in history. The third movie did well too. “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” (2007) was put into the world on Memorial Day weekend and brought in $138.8 million.

Then, Depp took on a role in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” (2007). It was directed by Burton and Helena Bonham Carter co-starred. Depp received a Golden Globe Award for his role.

Mixed Result Films

Two of his movies in 2009, “Public Enemies,” and “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” showed with different results. He went back to success with box office in the movie “Alice in Wonderland,” (2010). For the movie, he worked with Burton again and played the character, Mad Hatter. The movie brought in over $116 million during the opening weekend.

In 2012, Depp played Barnabas Collins in the Burton comedy, “Dark Shadows.” Collins is a vampire who escaped being imprisoned and goes home to his family. Once home he attempted to help his family. The actor was a fan of the source material for some time before encouraging Burton to bring it to life.

The next large budget movie he starred in did not do well with the box office. In 2013, he worked with Jerry Bruckheimer, the producer of the Pirates series, again. He played in the Disney movie “The Lone Ranger.” The production costed over $215 million but did not do well at the box office.

In 2015, he played the role of Whitey Bulger, notorious crime boss in “Black Mass.” He also brought back his role as the Mad Hatter in the “Alice in Wonderland,” sequel “Through The Looking Glass,” (2016). Then, he returned as Jack Sparrow again for another Pirates movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales.”

He then started in another big featured film franchise as Gellert Grindelwald, an evil wizard in “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” (2018).

Written by Marrissa Kay

Sources:

Britannica: Johnny Depp American actor
Biography: Johnny Depp Biography
IMDb: Johnny Depp Biography

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