BIOGRAPHY -- SHORTENED
QUICK FACTS ;;
Birth name: John Christopher Depp II
Date of birth: June 9, 1963
Birthplace: Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Hometown: Miramar, Florida, USA
Parents: John Christopher Depp Sr. and Betty Sue Palmer (divorced)
Siblings: Danny "DP" Depp (brother); Christi Dembrowski (sister); Debbie Depp (sister)
Significant other: Vanessa Paradis (1998-present)
Children: Lily-Rose Melody Depp and John Christopher "Jack" Depp III
EARLY LIFE ;;
One of the most versatile actors in Hollywood, Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro,
Kentucky with the birth name John Christopher Depp II. At age seven, he moved to Florida where he
grew up in Miramar. His parents John Christopher Depp Sr. and Betty Sue Palmer divorced when he was
fifteen and he soon dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of becoming a rock musician at the
age of sixteen. Depp fronted a series of garage bands--one of the most popular being The Kids, which
once opened for Iggy Pop.
ACTING AND CAREER ;;
After a visit to Los Angeles, California with his former wife Lori Anne Allison, Depp was introduced to
actor Nicolas Cage--who suggested to Depp that he should give acting a try. In 1984, he made his film
debut as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street. A few years later in 1987, Depp starred as the
undercover cop Officer Tom Hanson in the television series 21 Jump Street, which helped him rise
to stardom.
Depp was on the show until 1990. Later that year, he starred in the parody Cry-Baby and he also
starred as the title character in the classic Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands. This film was
Depp's first collaboration with Burton, and it marked the start of a long-lasting friendship.
Following the success of Edward Scissorhands, Depp continued to take on more serious, darker roles
and he continued to surprise both the critics and audiences alike. Since then, Johnny Depp has starred in
a large number and variety of films that range from comedies like Benny & Joon (1993) to gothic, horror
tales like From Hell (2001) and Sleepy Hollow (1999) to biographical films like The Libertine
(2004).
Even though he gained popularity with films like Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow, Johnny
Depp had remained to be a very underrated actor for many years. That completely changed in 2003 when he
played the charming rogue pirate Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl. The movie recuperated his image tremendously, revealing him to a much larger audience of all ages.
Captain Jack Sparrow also gave Depp his first Oscar nomination--this was the first and [so far] only time that
any actor has received a "Best Actor" Oscar nomination for a Disney film.
Since the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Depp's popularity has
skyrocketed. He has created a number of hit movies, has worked with close friend and director Tim Burton six
times, has been nominated for a "Best Actor" Oscar award three times, and has been named the most gracious celebrity
for three years straight by Autograph magazine.
OFF-SCREEN ;;
In the past during his career, Depp has gotten himself under bad public scrutiny. In 1993, he was accused of selling
drugs at his own club--The Viper Room--due to River Phoenix's death outside the club, which was caused by an overdose.
In 1994, he was arrested for trashing a New York suite and in 1999, he was arrested in London for being in a fight with
the paparazzi outside of a restaurant.
Depp has dated several female celebrities. The only woman he actually married was Lori Anne Allison; the marriage only lasted
from 1983 to 1985. He has been engaged to Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder, and Kate Moss after that. While filming The
Ninth Gate in 1998, Johnny Depp met French singer-actress Vanessa Paradis and the two were soon inseparable. The two are
still together today with two children: Lily-Rose Melody (born in 1999) and Jack (born in 2002).
