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Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp in 2005
Birth name John Christopher Depp II
Born June 9, 1963 (age 43)
Flag of United States Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
Spouse(s) Lori A. Depp (1983 - 1986) (divorced)
Notable roles Edward Scissorhands in
Edward Scissorhands
Raoul Duke in
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
J.M. Barrie in
Finding Neverland
Captain Jack Sparrow in
Pirates of the Caribbean
Willy Wonka in
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Academy Awards
Nominated:
Best Actor
2004 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
2005 Finding Neverland
Johnny Depp (born John Christopher Depp II[2] on June 9, 1963) is an Academy Award-nominated and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning American actor.
Contents
[hide]
* 1 Biography
o 1.1 Early life
o 1.2 Career
o 1.3 Personal life
* 2 Trivia
* 3 Awards and nominations
* 4 Filmography
* 5 References
* 6 External links
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Johnny Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky to John Christopher Depp Sr. and Betty Sue Wells.[3] He has one brother, Danny, and two sisters, Christie (who was formerly Johnny's personal manager) and Debbie. The Depp family has mostly Irish, German and Cherokee ancestry. The book Johnny Depp: A Kind of Illusion (ISBN 1-905287-04-6) states that the Depp family originated with a French huguenot Pierre Deppe or Dieppe who settled in Virginia around 1700. Johnny Depp has said he doesn't know the origin of his surname, but he repeatedly jokes that the name translates to "idiot" in German (which is actually true, as it is a minor insult meaning fool or moron).[4] [5] Depp's maternal great-grandmother, Minnie, was a full-blooded Cherokee,[6] 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, when he was 7. Depp engaged in self-harm as a child, owing 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, "My 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".[7]
Depp's mother bought him a guitar when he was twelve, and he began playing in garage bands. His parents divorced in 1978, and he dropped out of high school a year later to become a rock musician. (As he explained once on Inside the Actors Studio, he attempted to go back two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician, which Depp said was "really sweet.") He played with a band named "The Kids" which enjoyed modest local success, whose members set out together for Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to "Six Gun Method." Depp married Lori Anne Allison, his makeup artist and the sister of the band's drummer, on December 24, 1983. The marriage caused friction between the band members, and the group split before signing a record deal. Depp subsequently collaborated with the band Rock City Angels[8] 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 while he worked a variety of odd jobs, including a telemarketer for ink pens. Later, his wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career. In 1985, Depp and Lori divorced.
[edit] Career
Johnny Depp's first major role was in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, playing the heroine's boyfriend and one of Freddy's victims. In 1986, he also appeared in a secondary role as a Vietnamese speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. Depp was later cast in a lead role on the FOX TV television series, 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987. Depp only took on this role because he wasn't getting much action in the business and he wanted to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who he said inspired him. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s. He found the status an irritant, noting that he felt "forced into the role of product"[9] and that it was "a very uncomfortable situation and I didn't get a handle on it and it wasn't on my terms at all."[10] Depp promised himself that after his contract on the series expired, he would only appear in films that he felt were "right" for him.[9] 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 the writer's pseudobiographical novel of the same name. Depp also accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours.[11] In 2006, Depp contributed a touching and personal foreword to GONZO by Hunter S. Thompson, a posthumous visual biography of the writer's legacy published by ammobooks.com.
Depp's film characters have been described by the press as "iconic loners,"[12] and Depp has noted that this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison,"[13] stating that he believes film studios never "understood" the films he appeared in and did not know how to market them properly.[12] Depp has also said that he specifically chose to appear in films that he found personally interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.[12]
Depp as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Depp as Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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,[12] where he was highly praised for his lead performance as the suave 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;[12] in 2006, Depp's co-star from the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, Bill Nighy, described the role as probably being "one of the most popular performances of recent times."[13] The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's Jack Sparrow character closely resembles Depp's own personality, although Depp himself said that he modelled the character after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.[14] Depp, who has noted that he was "surprised" and "touched" at the positive reception given to the film,[12] was nominated for an Academy Award for the role. In 2004, he was again nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, this time for playing Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. Depp next starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was a major success at the box office.[14]
Depp's most recent film is the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which opened on July 7, 2006 and grossed $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release, breaking a box office record in reaching the highest weekend tally ever.[15] The next sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean will be released May 25, 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.[16] Depp voiced Sparrow in the video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.[17]
Depp and Gore Verbinski are executive producers of the album "Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys".
In June 2006, several reports indicated that Depp had joined the cast of the forthcoming science fiction-action film, I Am Legend, also starring Will Smith, which was due to begin filming in September 2006,[18] although this has since been proven to be a false rumor. He has denied rumors that he was offered to play either musician Michael Hutchence[19] or writer Edgar Allan Poe in upcoming film biographies,[12] although it has been confirmed that he will portray Paul Kemp, the main character in a film version of writer Hunter S. Thompson's book, The Rum Diary.[11] He has also shown interest in playing the role of Syd Barrett in a future biopic of the reclusive former Pink Floyd frontman's life.[20]
Johnny Depp will next play the title role of Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical Sweeney Todd.[21] He is rumored to be in line to play Freddie Mercury in a biopic of the Queen frontman's life sometime in 2007. [1] Depp's production company has picked up the rights to the story of poisoned former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, and he may be interested in starring in the film as well.[22]
[edit] Personal life
After his first marriage ended, Depp had dated and been engaged to Sherilyn Fenn, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Grey, and Kate Moss. Since 1998, Depp has been involved with Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate.[23] The couple have two children, daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp (born May 27, 1999) and son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III (born April 10, 2002). Depp has noted that having children has given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything."[16] "You can't plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision. It was part of the wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny; kismet. All the math finally worked." The family divide their time between Los Angeles and a villa in France.[24] Depp also owns an island in the Bahamas, where he spends some of his time.
In 2003, Depp was quoted as criticizing the United States in Germany's Stern magazine, commenting that "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth—that can bite and hurt you, aggressive."[24] Although he later asserted that the magazine had misquoted him and that the quote was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview, which added his remark that he would like his children "to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out." The July 17, 2006, edition of Newsweek reprinted the "dumb puppy" quote, verbatim, within the context of a Letter to the Magazine. 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.[24]
Depp has been arrested several times. His first arrest was in Vancouver B.C for a late-night altercation in a hotel lobby. He was accused of allowing illegal drugs to be sold at his club The Viper Room, after actor River Phoenix died in front of the club from an overdose of heroin and cocaine 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. In May 2006, Autograph Collector Magazine published its list of 10 Best & 10 Worst Hollywood Signers, with Depp topping the list of Best Signers.[25]
Depp, a musician, is a keen guitar player and a big fan of The Rolling Stones. He is friends with singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Frusciante, whom Depp encouraged to record his first solo album after leaving the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He is also friends with Marilyn Manson and is known to be a fan of the band Neurosonic (he can be seen wearing a wristband with the band's logo in a segment on the Fear and Loathing DVD). He played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from Be Here Now, 1997), as well on "Fade Away (Warchild Version)" (b-side of the "Don't Go Away" single. He also played acoustic guitar in the movie Chocolat and 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. He is also a fan of and friends with the gypsy musical group Taraf de Haidouks.
Along with Sean Penn, John Malkovich, and Mick Hucknall, Depp part-owns the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray. He has thirteen tattoos, including "Lily-Rose" (the name of his first-born child) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name), a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" below it (the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it's for his son Jack), and "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever"; Depp had the tattoo altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder.)
[edit] Trivia
This article contains a trivia section.
Content in this section should be integrated into other appropriate areas of the article or removed, and the trivia section removed.
* He has expressed an interest in the philosophy and practice of chaos magic.[26]
* Queercore band Gay for Johnny Depp have lyrics almost entirely centered around Depp.
* Appeared in the Johnny Cash music video for "God's Gonna Cut You Down".
* Appeared in the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers music video "Into the Great Wide Open".
* Appeared in the Lemonheads music video "It's A Shame About Ray".
* Directed and appeared in the Shane MacGowan and The Popes music video for "That Woman's Got Me Drinking". He also played guitar on that track.[citation needed]
* He directed the video for his girlfriend Vanessa Paradis's song "Pourtant". The song is about him as well.[citation needed]
* He appeared in the final episode of the BBC comedy sketch-programme The Fast Show.
* The character Ben DiCarlo from Jiminy Glick in Lalawood was a combined parody of Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio, but the character was primarily based on Depp.
* Formed a short-lived band with Flea called "P (group)".
* He was depicted in an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch in a match against Orlando Bloom. He won
[edit] Awards and nominations
Main article: List of Johnny Depp's awards and nominations
Sexiest Man Alive, People Magazine
[edit] Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street Glen Lantz
1985 Private Resort Jack
1986 Platoon Private Gator Lerner
1990 Edward Scissorhands Edward Scissorhands
Cry-Baby Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker
1991 Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Teen on TV Credited as "Oprah Noodlemantra".
1993 What's Eating Gilbert Grape Gilbert Grape
Benny & Joon Sam Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedic Role
Arizona Dream Axel
1994 Ed Wood Ed Wood Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Comedic Role
1995 Nick of Time Gene Watson
Dead Man William Blake
Don Juan DeMarco Don Juan
1997 Donnie Brasco Donnie Brasco/Joseph D. 'Joe' Pistone
The Brave Raphael Also Director
1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Raoul Duke
1999 Sleepy Hollow Constable Ichabod Crane
The Astronaut's Wife Commander Spencer Armacost
The Ninth Gate Dean Corso
2000 Chocolat Roux
Before Night Falls Lt. Victor + Bon Bon
2001 From Hell Inspector Frederick Abberline
The Man Who Cried Cesar (Limited release)
Blow George Jung
2003 Once Upon a Time in Mexico Sands Depp wrote his own theme music for this movie. He enjoyed the experience of shooting so much that he found his way into the brief role of the priest. The priest thus turned into another one of Sands' disguises. It also served as an opportunity for Depp to employ his Marlon Brando impression.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Jack Sparrow Academy Award nomination.
2004 Happily Ever After L'inconnu French Film where he in fact spoke some French.
Finding Neverland Sir James Matthew Barrie Academy Award nomination.
Secret Window Mort Rainey
2005 The Libertine John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
Corpse Bride Victor Van Dort The first time Depp has been a voice actor for a feature film.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Willy Wonka
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Jack Sparrow The first time Depp has played the same character in more than one movie and the second time that Depp has portrayed Jack Sparrow. Nominated for Best Actor, Musical or Comedy in the Golden Globes.
2007 Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Jack Sparrow The third time Depp has portrayed Jack Sparrow.
2008 Shantaram Lin Also Co-Producer
The Rum Diary Paul Kemp
[edit] References
1. ^ Johnny Depp height Celebheights.com, accessed 25 January 2007
2. ^ The Johnny Depp Zone
3. ^ Ancestry.com. Johnny Depp family tree. Retrieved on July 10, 2006.
4. ^ INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO BRAVO TV, September 8, 2002. Inside the Actors Studio transcript by Heather. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
5. ^ LEO.org Deutsch-Englisch. Retrieved on January 7, 2007.
6. ^ Johnny Depp Zone. Johnny's Cherokee heritage. Retrieved on June 22, 2006.
7. ^ Self Injury: A Struggle. Famous Self-Injurers. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
8. ^ Sleaze Roxx. ROCK CITY ANGELS. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
9. ^ a b Reuters. FEATURE-It's a pirates life for actor Johnny Depp. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
10. ^ The Calgary Sun. A pirate’s life for Depp. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
11. ^ a b ContactMusic. DEPP WAS RAY FOR THOMPSON BOOK TOUR. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
12. ^ a b c d e f g MoviesOnline. Interview: Johnny Depp. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
13. ^ a b MetroMatrix.com. Johnny Depp Moving Away From Pirate Role. Retrieved on July 3, 2006.
14. ^ a b The Toronto Star. Depp thoughts. Retrieved on June 23, 2006.
15. ^ ABC News. Depp's Pirates Plunders Record $132M. Retrieved on July 12, 2006.
16. ^ a b ABC12.com. Johnny Depp Finds Himself, And Success, As Captain Jack Sparrow. Retrieved on June 29, 2006.
17. ^ Gamasutra. Round Up: PAX, Depp In Pirates Game, Kuma\War. Retrieved on June 23, 2006.
18. ^ MovieWeb. Johnny Depp Joins the Cast of I Am Legend. Retrieved on June 30, 2006.
19. ^ MegaStar.co.uk. Depp says Naarrgh. Retrieved on June 30, 2006.
20. ^ Coming Soon.net, June 29, 2005, retrieved July 13, 2006
21. ^ Sweeney Todd to Start Filming Early 2007. ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
22. ^ Cinema Fusion
23. ^ SoFeminine.co.uk. Johnny Depp Not the Marrying Kind. Retrieved on July 6, 2006.
24. ^ a b c The Hindu. Media perception is exaggerated: Johnny Depp. Retrieved on June 22, 2006.
25. ^ MSNBC. Depp, Clooney best at signing fan autographs. Retrieved on July 06, 2006.
26. ^ Jones, William. Generation Hex. Jason Louv (Editor). The Disinformation Company. ISBN 1932857206
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Johnny Depp
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Johnny Depp
* Johnny Depp at the Internet Movie Database
* Johnny Depp at the Notable Names Database
* Depp, Johnny at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
* All About Johnny Depp - Biography
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Persondata
NAME Depp, Jonny
ALTERNATIVE NAMES DeppII, John Christopher
SHORT DESCRIPTION American actor
DATE OF BIRTH June 9, 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Owensboro, Kentucky
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp"
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