Nickname: "Mr. Stench" (self chosen), Oprah Noodleman
Height: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Johnny was born John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963. He was raised in Florida and at the age of 12 his mother bought him a guitar. After his parents divorced, he dropped out of school at age 17 ant turned all his attention to his music. He played in a series of garage bands, including The Kids, which once opened for Iggy Pop. He was married to Lori Anderson in 1983 in Florida, moved to Hollywood, then they divorced in 1985. Depp got into acting his former wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who in turn introduced him to his agent.
Johnny made his film debut in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street.. In 1987 he won the role of Tom Hanson in FOX Televsion's first hit show, "21 Jump Street." While filming 21 Jump Street, Johnny dated such Hollywood actresses as Sherilyn Fenn and Jennifer Grey. The rise to fame was meteoric thanks to the popular TV series. Johnny had signed up for the show thinking it would last maybe one season, but mostly because of his popularity, the show ran strong. See our TIMELINE for all of his films. In 1990 he began dating Winona Ryder and he collaborated with director Tim Burton when he portrayed the title role in Edward Scissorhands. The quirky films success allowed Johnny to pick and choose his roles and he became known as an actor who was serious about his career, often portraying the odd-man-out character with dark and idiosyncratic roles. His critical acclaim and increasing popularity was fueled again when he teamed up with Tim Burton again playing the lead role in Ed Wood. He had broken up with Winona and was dating Kate Moss by this time.
In 1997, he shifted gears when he portrayed undercover FBI agent Donnie Brasco opposite Al Pacino, followed by the 1998 film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In 1999 he appeared in the Sci-fi thriller with Charlize Theron, The Astronaut's Wife before joining Tim Burton again in Sleepy Hollow. Basing his brilliant performance on "Angela Lansbury, Basil Rathbone and a pre-pubescent girl," Johnny played Ichabod Crane with charm and endeared his fans even more.
Johnny went on to play another historic detective, Inspector Fred Abberline, in From Hell which was released in 2001. At the end of 2002 and beginning of 2003 he filmed J.M. Barrie's Neverland - due out October 2004. In the summer of 2003, Johnny starred in the Disney blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl playing Captain Jack Sparrow as only he could. Next his psychotic and sociopathic character, Agent Sands, stole the show in Robert Rodriguez's Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003.
Johnny is currently filming Libertine with John Malkovitch which will be followed by another film with Tim, Burton in the screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Also in the future he is doing Rum Diaries, based on another book written by gonzo journalist Hunter T. Tompson, and two sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean, rumored to be shot simultaneously.
Since 1999 Johnny has been living with French singer/actress Vanessa Paradis with whom he has two children; Lily-Rose Melody born in May 27, 1999 and Jack born in April 9, 2002.