Johnny Depp, born in Kentucky on June 9th 1963 has followed a bizarre road, consequently landing him as one of today's top sexy Hollywood actors.  Born John Christopher Depp II, young Depp was originally interested in pursuing a music career. Following a relocation to Florida, and his parents divorce at age sixteen, Depp strayed from his friends and siblings and withdrew within a life of drugs and alcohol.  

Young teen Depp dropped out of school to pursue a career in rock and roll music. Over the next few years, Depp fronted numerous garage bands - the most famous entitled "The Kids" opened for Iggy Pop.  Perhaps more importantly, the success of The Kids provided Depp with an increased sense of popularity and accomplishment - ironically shot down by Iggy Pop himself during a back-stage confrontation.

Determination and hope for stardom encouraged the band to relocate to Los Angeles.  Depp married by age 20 to Lori Allison, the band's make-up artist.  As his band struggled among the competitive West-coast market, Depp (under suggestion from his wife) decided to try acting.  An introduction to Nicolas Cage reluctantly influenced Depp to audition.  

Depp's first film debut was in Wes Craven's major motion picture "A Nightmare On Elm Street" (1984).  Unable to keep momentum, The Kids spilt-up soon after the movie's release and Johnny Depp departed from his first love, music, to follow a life of acting.  A small role in 'Platoon" (1986) by Oliver Stone followed.  FOX pursued Depp to star in a new series entitled "21, Jump Street".  Although Depp felt this show "beneath him," it actually catapulted his success as an actor and turned him into a young teen sexy celebrity idol.

Johnny Depp's next film was "Edward Scissorhands" (1990) - thought by Depp to downplay his unwanted young pretty boy reputation.  The success of this movie established his well known choice for odd and unusual roles - essentially carving a niche for himself as a serious and somewhat dark performer who always surprises audiences with his choice of roles. 

His divorce to Lori Allison lead to multiple engagements to multiple love interests including Sherilyn Fenn and Jennifer Gray.  His decision to take the role in "Edward Scissorhands" led to the beginning of a relationship with his then costar Winona Ryder.  Johnny described her as "the one," despite their break up three years later.

Next came an astonishing string of movie roles for Depp.  Within five years, starting in 1993, Depp starred in a number of movies including: "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (1993) starring along side another sexy teen actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Next was "Benny and Joon" (1993), "Arizona Dreaming" (1993) about A rebellious young man. With his own vision of the future. And his own fantasy of love. Depp was then hired and cast in the crime thriller "Nick of Time" (1995), and Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man" (1995) about being on the run after murdering a man, accountant William Blake encounters a strange Indian named "Nobody" who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.  

It was during this time of stressful success that Depp began to relapse into drugs and alcohol.  Depp's completed films were released to mix reviews and included "Ed Wood" (1994) with Patricia Arquette and Sarah Jessica Parker about the mostly true story of the legendary director of awful movies and his strange group of friends and actors. Next was the crime thriller "Donnie Brasco" (1995) starring Al Pacino about an FBI undercover agent who infiltrates the mob and finds himself identifying more with the mafia life to the expense of his regular one. Next was the dramatic film "The Brave" (1997) starring the legendary Marlon Brando about a down-on-his-luck American Indian who is released from jail and offered the chance to "star" as the victim of a snuff film.

Stuck in the trenches of his disillusion, Johnny Depp started an on-off relationship with supermodel Kate Moss; almost simultaneously being arrested twice for trashing his New York hotel room and fighting with a member of the paparazzi.  Although Depp's life was in and out of disaster, on screen Depp continued to establish himself as an incredible actor. In 1998, Depp split with supermodel Kate Moss and started a romantic relationship with French singer Venessa Paradis, relocating to Paris with his two children (Lily-Rose and Jack) in hope to pursue a more normal life.  Ironically, the next role he played was perhaps one of the farthest from normal - cast in the role of Hunter S. Thompson in Terry Gilliam's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998) with Tobey Maguire and Cameron Diaz about an oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer who travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychedelic escapades.

Depp continued acting, starring in such films as: "The Source" (1999), "The 9th Gate" (1999) about  rare book dealer, who while seeking out the last two copies of a demon text, gets drawn into a conspiracy with supernatural overtones. Next was the mystery thriller from Tim Burton "Sleepy Hollow" (1999) a remake of the old tale about Ichabod Crane, and how he is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people with the culprit being the legendary apparition, the Headless Horseman. Johnny Depp's next film was the Oscar nominated "Chocolat" (2000) about a woman and her daughter who open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.

Depp's anti-conformity within Hollywood allowed for his brilliant participation in such films as 'Blow" (2001) with Penelope Cruz the story of George Jung, the man who established the American cocaine market in the 1970's, and then the crime mystery "From Hell" (2001) with Heather Graham, set in Victorian Era London, where a troubled clairvoyant police detective investigates the murders by Jack The Ripper.

Johnny Depp took a year away from Hollywood. When he did return, it was with none other than the smash hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" (2003) featuring Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, where blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead. The film was a smash hit and did over $200 million the first four weeks after its release.

Aside from a small part in "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" (2003) with Salma Hayek, Depp continued to single-handedly capture audiences with "Finding Neverland" (2004) with Kate Winslet, the story of J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create "Peter Pan".  Next for Depp was the mystery thriller "Secret Window" (2004) based on a Steven King story about a writer who is accused of plagiarism by a strange man, who then starts haunting him for justice. And finally that year, "The Libertine" (2004), the story of John Wilmot, a.k.a. the Earl of Rochester, a 17th century poet who famously drank and debauched his way to an early grave, only to earn posthumous critical acclaim for his life's work.

A reunion with Tim Burton resulted in two films in 2005. The first was the comedy remake of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) about a young boy who wins a tour through the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world, led by the world's most unusual candy maker. Depp ended the year with "Corpse Bride" (2005) about a shy groom who practices his wedding vows in the inadvertent presence of a deceased young woman, she rises from the grave assuming he has married her.

 

With the success of the "Pirates" franchise it was just a matter of time before the sequels started. This happened in in 2006-2007 with "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow" (2006), "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), and finally "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007). Then it was time to venture into more dramatic roles.

Depp's first post "Pirate" file was the drama thriller "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (2007), the infamous story of Benjamin Barker, a.k.a Sweeney Todd, who sets up a barber shop down in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his fellow tenant, Mrs. Lovett. Based on the hit Broadway musical. Next was the fantasy adventure "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (2009) with Heath Ledger, Colin Farrell and Jude Law about a traveling theater company who gives its audience much more than they were expecting. This was one of the last movies with Heath Ledger before his death in January 2008.

In the can, filming, or in post production are five production with Johnny Depp. They include the crime drama "Public Enemies" (2009) with Christian Bale, about the Feds who try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during a booming crime wave in the 1930s. Next is the crime drama "Shantaram" (2009) about a heroin addict who is incarcerated for a robbery and escapes prison and reinvents himself as a doctor in the slums. Then Depp will star in the drama thriller "The Rum Diary" (2009) and the two back-to back sequels titled "Sin City 2" (2010)with Jessica Alba and  Antonio Banderas, about how in the dark bowels of Sin City, Dwight plans to have his vengeance against the woman who betrayed him, Ava Lord, while Nancy is trying to cope with Hartigan's death. Finally will be "Sin City 3" (2010) where on a dark night in Sin City, an ex-Navy SEAL named Wallace saves a young woman, Esther, from killing herself. After a night on the town, she is kidnapped by mysterious people. May God have mercy on those who stand in Wallace's way

To date, Johnny Depp has been nominated twice for an Oscar as well as five Golden Globes; however, he has won nothing but an Honorary Cesar from the French.  Although he has recently been rewarded with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, it is discouraging that a man of such a diverse acting magnitude has yet to be credited with the praise and awards that are righteously due.

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