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Johnny Depp Profile |
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Birth Date: June 9, 1963
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Birth Place: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
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Birth Name: John Christopher Depp II
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Height: 5'10"
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Biography |
Johnny Depp (born John Christopher Depp II on June 9, 1963)
is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. After making
his film debut in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street, Depp
came to fame on the television series 21 Jump Street, before
establishing a career in Hollywood films, including
well-received starring roles in the 1990s films Edward
Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco and Sleepy Hollow. In 2003,
Depp's Oscar-nominated performance in Pirates of the
Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl re-established him as a
leading man, leading to roles in the successful films
Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and
his latest, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky to John Christopher
Depp, Sr. and Betty Sue Palmer. He has one brother, Danny,
and two sisters, Christie (who now is Depp's personal
manager) and Debbie. The Depp family has Cherokee, Irish,
French and German ancestry; The name Depp is French in
origin. Depp's maternal great-grandmother, Minnie, was a
full-blooded Cherokee, and his father also has distant
Cherokee heritage. The family was constantly on the move
during Depp's childhood, and he and his siblings lived in
more than twenty different locations, finally settling in
Miramar, Florida in 1970. Depp has admitted to engaging in
self-mutilation as a child, due to the stress of dealing
with family problems and his own insecurity. He has seven or
eight scars from practicing self-harm. In a 1993 interview,
he explained his self-injury by saying that his "body is a
journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where
every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life
when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself
with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist".
Depp has stated that he lost his virginity at the age of
thirteen and "did every kind of drug there was by fourteen,
swiped a few six-packs, broke into a few classrooms, just to
see what was on the other side of that locked door".
Depp's parents divorced in 1978, and he dropped out of
school a year later to become a rock musician. Depp's mother
bought him a guitar at age thirteen, and he began playing in
garage bands. He played with a band named "The Kids", who
had modest local success and set out for Los Angeles,
California in pursuit of a record deal. At this time, they
changed their name to "Six Gun Method". Depp married Lori
Anne Allison, the sister of the drummer of the band, on
December 20, 1983. The marriage caused friction between the
band members and the group split before signing a record
deal. Depp subsequently also collaborated with the band
"Rock City Angels" and co-wrote the song "Mary", which
appeared on their debut for Geffen Records, "Young Man's
Blues". During Depp's marriage, his wife worked as a makeup
artist and he worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a
pen salesman. Later, his wife introduced him to actor
Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career.
In 1985, Depp and Allison divorced.
Depp's first major role was in the 1984 horror film A
Nightmare on Elm Street. He was subsequently cast in a lead
role on the FOX TV television series, 21 Jump Street. The
series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during
the late 1980s. Depp found the status an irritant, but the
role was too lucrative to leave for several seasons.
Depp left his teen idol image in 1990, after playing the
quirky title role in the Tim Burton film, Edward
Scissorhands. The film's success began a long association
with Burton, as Depp starred in several of his films,
including Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Corpse Bride (2005). Depp,
an avid fan and long-time friend of writer Hunter S.
Thompson, played a version of Thompson (named Raoul Duke) in
1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on Thompson's
novel of the same name.
Depp's film characters have been described by the press as
"iconic loners", and Depp has noted that this period of his
career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that
were "box office poison", stating that he believes film
studios never "understood" the films he appeared in and did
not know how to properly market them. Depp has also said
that he specifically chose to appear in films that he found
personally interesting, rather then those he thought would
succeed at the box office.
Depp's status as a major star was solidified with the
success of the 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film, Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, where he was
highly praised for his lead performance as the wacky pirate
Captain Jack Sparrow. The performance was initially received
negatively by the studio bosses who saw the film, but the
character became popular with the movie-going public; in
2006, Depp's co-star from the sequel to Pirates of the
Caribbean, Bill Nighy, described the role as likely being
"one of the most popular performances of recent times". The
film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's Jack
Sparrow character closely resembles Depp's own personality.
Depp, who has noted that he was "surprised" and "touched" at
the positive reception given to the film, was nominated for
an Academy Award for the role. In 2004, he was again
nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, this time for playing
author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. Depp next
starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 remake Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory, which was a major success at the box
office.
Depp's latest film, opening on July 7, 2006, is Pirates of
the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, the first of two sequels to
the 2003 film. The next sequel will be released in May of
2007. Depp has mentioned his attachment to his Captain Jack
Sparrow character, specifying that Sparrow is "definitely a
big part of me", and expressing his desire to portray the
character in further sequels. Depp will voice Sparrow in the
upcoming video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of
Jack Sparrow.
In late June 2006, several reports indicated that Depp has
joined the cast of the upcoming science fiction-action film,
I Am Legend, which also stars Will Smith and will begin
filming in September of 2006. Depp has also been in talks to
appear in a film version of the musical Sweeney Todd, which
may be directed by Tim Burton. He has denied rumors that he
has been offered to play either musician Michael Hutchence
or writer Edgar Allan Poe in upcoming film biographies.
Since his first marriage ended, Depp has dated and been
engaged to Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder and
Kate Moss. Depp is now in a long-term relationship with
French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis, whom he met while
filming The Ninth Gate in 1998. The couple have two
children, daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp (b. May 27, 1999)
and son John Christopher "Jack" Depp III (b. April 9, 2002).
Depp has noted that having children has given him "real
foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work,
in everything". The family divides their time between Los
Angeles and a villa in the South of France. Depp also owns
an island in the Caribbean, where he spends some of his
time.
In 2003, Depp was quoted criticizing the United States in a
German magazine, commenting that "America is dumb, is
something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth - that can
bite and hurt you, aggressive"; he later asserted that the
magazine had misquoted him and that the quote was taken out
of context. Depp has also disagreed with subsequent media
reports that he says paint him as a "European wannabe",
citing the fact that he enjoys the "simpler" life and
anonymity that living in France provides.
Depp is noted as a habituitous smoker since he was 12 years
old. He claimed in 2003 that "the three best things in life
for me are 'smoking, sleeping and drinking'". Depp has been
arrested several times. His first arrest was in Vancouver
for a late-night altercation in a hotel lobby. He was
accused of selling drugs at his club The Viper Room, after
actor River Phoenix died in front of the club from a drug
overdose in 1993, although the owners were deemed as not
involved in the death. In 1994, Depp was arrested and
questioned by police for allegedly causing serious damage to
a New York City hotel suite. He was arrested again in 1999
for fighting with paparazzi outside a restaurant while
dining in London with his girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis. Depp
dislikes fans taking pictures of his family and has
threatened paparazzi who have attempted to photograph his
children.
Depp, a musician, is a keen guitar player and a big fan of
the Rolling Stones. He can be heard playing slide guitar on
the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from Be Here Now, 1997), as
well as playing an acoustic guitar in the movie Chocolat and
playing on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Mexico (he
wrote "Sands' Theme," although the track is credited to
"Tonto's Giant Nuts"). He also performed on Shane MacGowan's
first solo album and was a member of P, a group featuring
Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes.
Along with Sean Penn and Mick Hucknall, Depp part-owns the
Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray. He has thirteen tattoos,
including the inscriptions "Lily-Rose" (the name of his
first-born child), "Betty Sue" (his mother's name), and
"Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever"); Depp had the
tattoo altered after his break-up with Winona Ryder). |
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Other Information |
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]
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 at 8852 Sunset Blvd.. 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 he 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. His parents
divorced when he was 15.
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, pretending that he wanted
all his teeth capped to negotiate with the directors. He
then showed the directors, and they decided to make him give
up a few, so he got some taken off.
Resides in France and Los Angeles.
Siblings: Danny, Christi Dembrowski, 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.
Purchased Bela Lugosi's Los Angeles home.
Sports his son's name, Jack, tattooed 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
_Nightmare On Elm Street, A (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 him in Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory (2005) and Corpse Bride (2005). Oddsly, all of them
were Tim Burton films.
Great admirer of 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 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 seven films: Edward
D. Wood Jr. (Ed Wood (1994)), Lt. Victor/Pon Pon (Before
Night Falls (2000)), Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing
in Las Vegas (1998), Insp. Fred Abberline (From Hell
(2001)), Joseph Pistone/Donnie Brasco (Donnie Brasco
(1997)), George Jung (Blow (2001)) and J.M. Barrie (Finding
Neverland (2004)).
Sherilyn Fenn's name is scrawled across his helmet in
Platoon (1986).
His parents divorced when he was 15.
Has mostly Irish, German, and Cherokee ancestry, with some
Navajo as well. "Depp," however, is a French surname.
Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2006 Razzie Award
nominating ballot. He was suggested in the Worst Actor
category for his performance in the film Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory (2005), however, he failed to receive a
nomination.
His ownership of the Viper room ended in 2004, he signed it
over to Amanda Fox, the daughter of his missing partner in
the club, Anthony Fox.
Was voted the Second Greatest Actor (behind Marlon Brando)
in British Channel Channel 4's Greatest Actor Poll.
His performance as Edward Scissorhands in Edward
Scissorhands (1990) is ranked #22 on Premiere Magazine's 100
Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).
His performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) is ranked #79
on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time
(2006).
Friend of Christina Ricci.
Reportedly based his portrayal of Ichabod Crane in Sleepy
Hollow (1999) on Withnail, from Withnail & I (1987), as
played by Richard E. Grant.
Ranked #1 in the "Best Hollywood Signers 2006" list by
"Autograph Collector" magazine (May 2006).
Was close with his grandfather who died when he was 7 years
old.
His performance as Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003) is ranked
#87 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of
All Time.
His performance as Edward Scissorhands in "Edward
Scissorhands" (1990) is ranked #65 on Premiere Magazine's
100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
Ranked #18 on Premiere's 2006 "Power 50" list. Had ranked
#23 in 2005. |
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