Johnny Depp Biography

Nominated thrice for the Oscars, nine times for the Golden Globe Awards, Johnny Depp bagged the Golden Globe award in 2008. Born as 'John Christopher Depp II' on June 9, 1963 at Owensboro, Kentucky, USA to John Depp Sr. and Betty Sue, he was  the youngest of four children. John Sr. was a civil engineer and Betty was a waitress in a hotel.

The Depp family moved a lot. Then finally, when Johnny was a child aged 7, John Sr. got a job as a Director of Public Works (at Miramar) and they moved to Florida. Due to the shifting from one place to another quite often, Johnny could hardly settle in their new environment. It was very hard for him to manage his study and daily life.

He was inattentive in studies and got attracted to bad habits of smoking and drinking. He also got involved in thefts and local fights and even started taking drugs by the age of 12. Because of this behavior and habits, he was suspended a couple of times from his school. His story of losing virginity at 13 had become quite famous then.

His first encounter with music was the time when he went to his uncle in Owensboro. Around this time, he received a guitar from his mother when he was in Florida. Johnny used to shut himself in his room and play the instrument religiously. He lost interest in studies and got more attracted to rock-n-roll. He practiced for hours and became very good at it.

Soon, his goal was to join a rock group to quench his thirst of becoming a rock star. He visited a few rock groups and finally was selected in a band called 'The Flame'. They performed in nightclubs (Johnny was paid about $25 a night). When he was 15, his parents got divorced, giving him yet another reason to be a negligent and frustrated kid.

When he was 16, he decided to drop out of school to pursue his dream of succeeding in rock and roll. He decided to go back to school two weeks later. The school principal, a very understanding man, convinced Johnny to pursue his dream. Johnny and his group used every possible opportunity to march ahead. They renamed their band as 'The Kids'.

The band then decided to move to Los Angeles in search of good opportunities. At the age of 20, Johnny married Lori Anne Allison, the sister of the bass player of his band. Lori was a makeup artist and she introduced Johnny to Nicolas Cage. Nicolas convinced Johnny to pursue a career in acting.

He auditioned for the movie 'A Nightmare On Elm Street' by Wes Craven and was offered a role in the thriller. He had no such attraction of acting; he wanted to continue in music, but his band 'The Kids' split up, as there was no chance of getting any success, leaving him with the only option of continuing with acting.

He further received a couple of good acting assignments and to learn some more acting skills, he enrolled in an acting school 'The Loft' (at Los Angeles) after getting divorced from Anne. He had his own unique style of acting, which helped him in getting more roles for himself. Even when he was getting new roles, Johnny never turned his back on music.

Next, as he got a chance, Johnny joined a new rock band 'Rock City Angels'. But he was never lucky to get a good break in his music career, and once again was left with no work. Even when he was unable to get a good break as a rock star, Johnny was lucky to get a lead role as Officer Tom Hanson in the television series 21, Jump Street.

The show was popular and Depp became a teen idol for his charming and boyish persona in the series. Although he became very popular, he was unsatisfied with his work. He thought he was being used by the industry and thought that the role had become very superficial, only meant to please the audience. So he decided to accept roles that had depth and quality.

After The Nightmare On Elm Street, Johnny was offered a role of a Vietnamese-speaking private in the movie Platoon. Although a minor role, people did notice him. His major breakthrough came when he acted in the movie Edward Scissorhands. People praised his acting skills and it started a great partnership between Depp and the film's director Tim Burton.

Here are a few movies that Depp collaborated with Burton.

• Ed Wood
• Sleepy Hollow
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Alice in Wonderland
• Dark Shadows

Depp received critical acclaim for these movies. Critics and movie industry pundits attribute the successful pairing to the similarity in thinking between Burton and Depp.

Burton is a director who is not afraid to make offbeat movies and Depp is famous for his non-conventional acting skills. This makes the pair a match made in movie-heaven, and the movies a delight for the movie goers.

After Edward Scissorhands, Depp was recognized as a versatile actor, but was still away from the total limelight of stardom. He achieved this after his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl. Although studio producers were a bit apprehensive about his eccentric acting, he gained almost universal acclaim.

This role also gave him his first Academy Award nomination. It was after this that he became a bankable star, a star on whom studios could never lose money. He has also come to be known for his dynamic changes in physical appearance for the different roles he played.

Depp models every role differently, using real-life personalities, giving every character a unique appeal. This is what makes him a very special actor.

Depp is also known for his signature deep and whispering voice. This has been used to good effect in the animated movie Rango. He has also lent his voice for many cartoon segments like Spongebob Squarepants and Family Guy.

He has acted in 20 odd movies since Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl, with many big projects still in the pipeline. His fans were desperately awaiting the movie Transcendence as it was interesting to see how Johnny portrayed the role of an artificial intelligence researcher, despite his credentials of excellent acting.

Also eagerly anticipated movies were Alice In Wonderland Part 2, where he reprised his role as the Mad Hatter, and Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Men Tell no Tales, returning as the universally loved, Captain Jack Sparrow. 
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,  London Fields, City of Lies are a few of Depp's upcoming movies.

Depp owns a production company named Infinitum Nihil, of which he is the CEO. He, with his sister Christi Dembrowski, has produced movies such as The Rum Diary, Dark Shadows, and the multiple Oscar winner, Hugo.

Depp was married to Lori Anne Allison from 1983 to 1985. He was then engaged to actresses Jennifer Grey and Sherilyn Fenn in the late 1980s before finally proposing to Winona Ryder in 1990. He met her on the sets of the movie Sleepy Hollow. They split in 1998. He had an affair with supermodel Kate Moss that lasted for four years after that.

In 2002, Depp met Vanessa Paradis, with whom he had a real connect. Although he did not marry her, he did have two children with her. He claims that all life was meaningless before them, and that his life's purpose was clear only after they were born. Depp is an atheist, but says that he has faith in his children, and loves them dearly.

Depp split with Paradis in 2012. He has since then been engaged to actress Amber Heard. He formally announced the engagement in July 2013 and eventually married to her in February, 2015. Just a year later they decided to part their ways in 2016. Though he was rumoured to be dating post his split from Amber Heard, he has been single since then.

Johnny is also known for his tattoos and sharp wit. Each of his 13 tattoos holds significance and is dedicated to the important people in his life. He is known to be one of the smartest people in the entertainment business. He always speaks his mind, and sometimes ruffles feathers of important people, but it is a luxury he can afford and is well-earned.