Johnny Depp became a global megastar playing off-beat characters from Willy Wonka to Captain Jack Sparrow, until his destructive off-screen lifestyle threatened to permanently derail his career.
Pouring his own eccentricities into his roles, Depp earned a reputation as both heartthrob and indie darling through sensitive performances in films such as “Edward Scissorhands” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”.
He stepped into another level of fame fronting Disney’s billion-dollar “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise as the rum-swilling sea dog Captain Jack Sparrow — partly inspired by one of his many heroes, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
But his bitter legal battles with ex-wife Amber Heard laid bare a turbulent private life involving rows, drink and drugs that turned him into a toxic figure in Hollywood, from which his career is still recovering.
– From music to stardom –
Born June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, Depp set out trying to be a musician, and sold ballpoint pens before dabbling in acting.
He made his big-screen debut in the cult Wes Craven thriller “A Nightmare on Elm Street” in 1984.
From there, he launched a successful television career as a baby-faced undercover police officer in the popular series “21 Jump Street”.
In 1990, he played “Edward Scissorhands”, a shear-fingered creature with a heart of gold who brings a bit of magic and joy to a small town with fanciful topiaries and cutting-edge hairdos.
It was one of several collaborations with director Tim Burton that also included “Ed Wood”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Alice in Wonderland”.
Depp portrayed another renegade hero, journalist and drug aficionado Hunter S. Thompson, in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”.
It was on set of one of Thompson’s lesser-known works, “The Rum Diary” that he met and starred opposite Heard in 2011.
He has also taken on heavier roles, such as an undercover detective who infiltrates the mob in 1997’s much-loved “Donnie Brasco”.
Depp has been nominated three times for an Oscar, including for his role as “Peter Pan” creator J.M. Barrie in 2004’s “Finding Neverland” and 2007’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”.
He has also frequently returned to his first love of music, collaborating with Oasis, Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry.
– Messy private life –
Depp dated a string of celebrities including actress Winona Ryder and supermodel Kate Moss, and was with the mother of his two children, French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis, for 14 years.
But his lifestyle and finances were a mess.
He once claimed he spent more than $30,000 a month on wine alone, and spent lavishly on art and property.
He told a London court in 2020 that business managers stole the $650 million he made from “Pirates of the Caribbean”.
His marriage to Heard in 2015 was short-lived. They split the following year and divorced in 2017.
In 2020, he tried to sue The Sun newspaper for libel…
