Johnny Depp, born John Christopher Depp II on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, is an award-winning actor and successful musician. He was the youngest of four siblings. Johnny’s mother Betty Sue was a waitress and his father John Christopher was a civil engineer. His family moved around a lot during his childhood, eventually settling in Florida in 1970. His parents divorced when he was 15 years old, and his mother later married Robert Palmer, whom Depp called “an inspiration.”
Depp’s Early Career
Depp began playing guitar at 12 years old. Four years later, he dropped out of high school to be a professional rock musician. After just two weeks, he tried to go back to school, but his principal encouraged him to follow his dream of being a musician. In 1980, Depp began playing in a band called The Kids. The band found success in Florida, so they moved to Los Angeles to pursue a record deal and renamed the band Six Gun Method. The band split up and Depp’s first wife Lori Ann Allison introduced him to Nicolas Cage. The two hit it off and became drinking buddies. At this point in time, Cage told Depp he should pursue an acting career and would help him get an audition for 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Depp had no acting experience but became inspired after reading James Dean’s biography and watching Rebel Without a Cause. Depp landed his first role as Glen Lantz. Landing role after role, Depp became a teen idol in the late ’80s.
The Peak
Over the next decade, Depp starred in a number of Tim Burton films, beginning with Edward Scissorhands in 1990. He starred alongside Hollywood legends like Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco and Marlon Brando in Don Juan DeMarco. By the time the early 2000s came, Depp landed his best-known work as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. At this point, Depp made hit after hit at the box office with works such as Corpse Bride, the Pirates of the Caribbean films and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet-Street.
Though the actor has an impressive collection of films he’s starred in, there were also many flops. On top of some failures, Depp faced major backlash for portraying a Native American in The Lone Ranger. Next was a lawsuit when filming City of Lies after a crew member sued Depp for assault. After receiving all this negative publicity due to allegations of domestic violence and substance abuse, Disney dropped the actor. It wasn’t until 2022 that Depp won against his ex-wife, Amber Heard in a defamation case. In 2023, Depp made his “comeback” to Hollywood opening up the Cannes Film Festival with Jeanne du Barry.
Take a look below at Johnny Depp’s best movies of all time, ranked.
