The History of The Versatile Johnny Depp

Are you a fan of Johnny Depp? Or enjoy his films? Then you should check out this article which breaks down the life of Johnny Depp and how he became one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood. Depp has many titles and accomplishments under his belt, including being labeled the sexiest man alive twice in his lifetime. Depp is loved for his versatility when it comes to the roles he plays and he used this to become one of the most talented actors in the industry.

Aside from being a party animal, Depp is a versatile actor who can play any role he wants and pulls them off extremely well. His deep relationship with Tim Burton is another reason why this man is loved by everyone worldwide, as they have made several amazing films together. So if you are interested to find out more about this man’s life, you should check out these astonishing facts about the versatile Johnny Depp. 

Johnny Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963. He was the youngest out of four that belonged to Betty and John Depp. Depp’s father was a civil engineer, which led to the family moving around several times before finally settling in Miramar, Florida. Depp didn't have the best early childhood as his father was not the best to him and the rest of his family. 

Since Johnny Depp wasn't into school and didn’t get along with his father that much, his mother decided to buy him an electric guitar when he was 12 years old. Depp always wanted a guitar and looked up to guitar players such as Eddie Van Halen and Keith Richards. Depp wanted to learn all the tricks to playing the guitar and was thinking about forming a band at a young age. 

Johnny Depp was so serious about making music that he decided to drop out of high school and start a band named The Kids, which was a punk rock band that was getting popular locally in his hometown of Miramar. The Kids opened up for bands such as the Ramones, Iggy Pop, the Pretenders, and Talking Heads. 

Once Johnny Depp’s band split up he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. His wife at the time, Lori Allison, was good friends with Nicholas Cage and the two started talking about what Johnny wanted to do with his future. Since Nicholas Cage was already in the Hollywood industry, he saw the talent within Depp and convinced him to audition for a couple of gigs that he knew about. 

With the help of Nicholas Cage, Johnny Depp scored his first role in the film A Nightmare On Elm Street as one of the jocks in the movie that Freddie Kreuger kills. Wes Craven said that the only reason that he went with Depp at first was that his daughter thought he was cute and said he would be perfect for the role, and boy was she right.

Johnny Depp's third major role that he scored was Oliver Stone's film Platoon which was released in 1986. Depp was supposed to play a bigger role in the film as Stone saw the potential in his acting and even wrote a whole script that involved his character. Unfortunately, Stone was forced to go with Charlie Sheen who was extremely popular at the time and was the person that the studios wanted to promote. 

Johnny Depp started slowly getting his name out in the public and he scored big when he was offered a role on the hit television show series 21 Jump Street which first launched in 1987 and became a hit among the teens at the time. 

Even though Johnny Depp was one of the leading television actors during the late 80s, he felt that the role he was playing was someone that he would never be and wanted something more from his acting career. He also felt that if he kept working on 21 Jump Street, he would be typecasted and would not fulfill his dreams. He started thinking about moving on but was still locked in a contract that he was not looking to break. 

Since Johnny Depp was stuck in a contract and was unable to leave 21 Jump Street, he started rebelling and making it obvious that he didn't want to be part of the show anymore. This was the start of Depp's long career of rebelling and one of the reasons why he became the most popular young actor at the time. He was known to show up on set in the weirdest costumes including him dressing up as Elton John. 

Johnny Depp has given a lot of credit to his mother, Betty Sue Wells, who was a big inspiration in his life and the person that bought him a guitar at a young age. He believes that if it wasn't for his mother being around he would have never followed his dreams. He learned a lot from his mother as he didn't have the best relationship with his father.

Cry-Baby was the first film that Johnny Depp starred in after he left the show 21 Jump Street and it was a surprise to everyone as it was a film that was quite different from the others that he had worked on. Depp played Wade Walker, who was the opposite version of the character he portrayed in 21 Jump Street and was why he wanted to be in the film so badly. 

Aside from becoming the next rising Hollywood star, Johnny Depp started becoming a notorious partier in Hollywood and would hang out with the biggest names in the industry. At this stage in his life, Depp was just looking to have fun and enjoy the Hollywood life, as when he was younger, he was more of an introvert. 

In 1993, Johnny Depp and Sal Jenco decided to open up a music venue named The Viper Room, which is located on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. The two actors met on the show 21 Jump Street and became good friends since they were both into rock'n'roll. The club became instantly popular among the Hollywood elite, rock stars, and regular individuals. 

Edward Scissorhands was the first film that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton worked on together. Depp was impressed with the script and was delighted to meet Tim Burton himself, as the two had a lot in common and got along from the start. The film was released in 1990 and was a romantic fantasy with a Burton theme. 

During the 90s, Johnny Depp was labeled the sexiest man alive and this wouldn't be the only time in his life that he would receive that title, overall he was given that title two times. It is hard to deny that Depp is a good-looking guy and every girl during the 90s wanted to date him. 

Johnny Depp starred in the film Arizona Dream which showed a different side of his acting and proved that he was versatile with his roles. The film was released in 1993 and was a breakthrough role for Depp as the film received praise from many critics. The director, Emir Kusturica, was impressed by Depp's audition and was automatically interested in him being in the film. 

Johnny Depp started becoming extremely popular when he was in his early 20s and he probably didn't realize that he would become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Depp was being offered movie roles left and right, but he only went for roles that interested him.

Ever since Johnny Depp and Tim Burton worked together on their first film, they formed a close relationship and worked on several films after since they were both like-minded. The two would end up making nine movies together and often would help each other in the process. 

The next film that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton worked on was Ed Wood, a film about the weird director Ed Wood. The whole film was shot in black and white, which made it stand out from the rest of the films in the 90s. Depp's performance was something that was never seen before and showed another side of what this actor could portray. 

Donnie Brasco was another film in Depp's career that was quite different from the rest. Depp was able to pull off the role of Donnie Brasco who was an undercover FBI agent who infiltrates the New York Maffia during the 70s. The story was based on a true story and follows what happens to this undercover cop. 

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas was a movie that made Depp a bit weird after filming since the whole story is about a drug-induced journalist that makes a trip to Las Vegas. The film is based on the novel Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas which was written by Hunter S. Thompson. 

After the film Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas was released, Hunter S. Thompson and Johnny Depp became really great friends and were known to party a lot. Depp always looks back on his relationship with Thompson and cherishes his moments with the legendary man. 

In 1999, Johnny Depp received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since he was one of the most popular actors at the time. This was an excellent accomplishment for Depp, as he never thought that his acting career would go anywhere. Even though Depp was one of the most popular actors, he wasn't a fan of receiving awards and didn't look forward to the ceremonies. 

Since Johnny Depp started taking on more serious roles, he decided to work on the film Blow, which was about the life of a cocaine smuggler by the name of George Jung. The film was directed by Ted Demme, who wanted Depp to portray Jung, which was the perfect choice.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were at it again when they started working on the film Sleepy Hollow, which was based on the short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. This film had a different tone from the short story as Burton liked to put his own twist on his films, and Depp was the perfect actor to help him achieve this. 

From Hell was a film that Johnny Depp was delighted to work on since it was directed by the Hughes Brothers, who had a different outlook on making films. Depp gravitated toward directors that were willing to make something different from the norm. 

Captain Jack Sparrow is Johnny Depp's most beloved character that he has portrayed during his acting career and what everyone knows him as. It was surprising that Depp decided to accept the role of Captian Jack as he was someone that stayed far away from big franchise movies, but he decided to take a risk and go with it. 

Once the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released, Johnny Depp became the most famous actor in the world, and everyone wanted to meet the legend that portrayed Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp was seen everywhere at the time and it was a big highlight in his career as he really enjoyed playing Captain Jack.  

Johnny Depp's next big film was Secret Window which was overshadowed by his performance as Captain Jack Sparrow but was a film that he enjoyed because he liked the novel Secret Window, which Stephen King wrote.

Although the man is one of the most popular actors in the world, he likes to keep his life private and doesn't reveal too many details about his life to the press. You can't blame him for wanting a little privacy, especially in this age where everyone wants to know what you are doing. 

Johnny Depp wanted to try something new in his acting career and decided to lean toward movies for kids, his first being Finding Neverland. The film was based on the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan and was directed by Marc Forster, who thought Depp would be perfect for the role of J.M. Barrie.

Another huge inspiration in Johnny Depp's life is his older brother Daniel Depp who inspired Johnny to listen to musical legends such as Bob Dylan and got him into movie soundtracks. Depp dropped out of high school when he was a teenager, which Daniel disagreed with but helped Johnny appreciate the works of writers such as Allen Ginsberg. 

Sweeney Todd was another film that Johnny Depp and Tim Burton worked on together, and it was something different for the brilliant actor, as this time he would be singing in the film. Depp wasn't excited about the singing part of the role but wanted to make another film with Burton that was just different in every way. 

Although Johnny Depp is one of the biggest names in Hollywood, the superstar has never won an oscar. Depp won awards from the Golden Globes and Screens Actor Guild but, for some reason, has never won an oscar. He has been nominated three times for Best Actor but hasn't been able to win one. 

Tim Burton wanted to make a live-action film based on the legendary Disney film Alice in Wonderland. The film ended up being a hit when it was released in 2010 and became one of Burton's most successful movies. 

Apart from being a great actor, Johnny Depp is a great person to work with and always makes every opportunity fun when you are with him. There are not too many great actors with good personalities, but it is safe to say that Johnny Depp is indeed one of them. 

Deep Shadows was another Tim Burton film that was based on the soap opera Deep Shadows and starred Johnny Depp. Depp was interested in the movie from the start because he knew of the soap opera and thought that a film adaptation would be interesting to work on. 

In 2004, Johnny Depp decided to make his own production company called Infinitum Nihil, which he entrusted to be run by his sister Christi Dembrowski. The company has produced such films as The Rum Diary, Hugo, The Lone Ranger, and many more that are recognizable.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was one of Johnny Depp's recent films that he starred in, which was set in the Harry Potter universe. This was unusual for Depp as he always stayed away from franchises except for the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Depp's performance was superb and different from any of the roles that he had played before. 

Even though Johnny Depp became one of the most prominent actors in Hollywood, he still had a deep love for guitar and kept playing throughout his whole career. His original band dispersed when he first arrived in Hollywood, but that didn't stop Depp from playing with some of the best musicians.

Johnny Depp is one of the most down-to-earth actors on the planet and is known to sometimes dress up as Captain Jack Sparrow and visit the children's hospitals around the country. Depp is in full character when he interacts with these kids that are going through some hard times, and it is one of the best ways to cheer them up.

There hasn't been a painting seen yet, but apparently, Johnny Depp is a big fan of oil painting and has included it with his many hobbies. Depp admitted that he started oil painting after being inspired by Tim Burton's art. 

Since Johnny Depp likes to keep his personal life private, not many people know that the actor has two children: Lily-Rose Depp and John Christopher "Jack" Depp III. On the set of The Ninth Gate, Johnny Depp met their mother, Vanessa Paradis, and started a long, loving relationship.

Johnny Depp was labeled one of the biggest party animals in Hollywood, and with that came a lot of drug abuse. Depp has admitted that he has had a drug problem in the past and has gotten over that hump but is still known to experiment with drugs that are not as hard. 

Many people in Hollywood have hinted that Depp is one of the most underrated actors in the industry, and several believe that he deserves more than he has gotten in terms of respect. A good number of directors think Johnny should have gotten an Oscar a long time ago since they have worked with him and have seen his talent up close.

Even though Johnny Depp is one of the most underrated actors, it seems that it really doesn't bother him as he loves playing with his band, Hollywood Vampires. The band was formed in 2012 and consists of Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper, and Joe Perry. 

One of Johnny Depp's last films was Waiting for the Barbarians, which was released in 2018 and is based on the novel of the same name which was written by J.M. Coetzee. This was a serious film that Depp was excited to be a part of and was a different role than he had ever portrayed.

Johnny Depp met Amber Heard on the set of the film The Rum Diary and was instantly captivated by her beauty and charm. The two ended up dating for a couple of years before they got married in 2015, but things didn't go so well for them and Heard filed for divorce in 2016. 

Johnny Depp has had a tremendous career in both acting and music; he started from nothing and worked his way up to become one of the most popular actors in the world and an inspiration to people that want to pursue a similar career.