John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, producer, and musician. He has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards, winning one for Best Actor for his performance of the title role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and has been nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Actor, among other accolades. Depp made his film debut in the 1984 film A Nightmare on Elm Street, before rising to prominence as a teen idol on the television series 21 Jump Street (1987–1990). He had a supporting role in Oliver Stone's 1986 war film Platoon and played the title character in the 1990 romantic fantasy Edward Scissorhands.

Depp has gained critical praise for his portrayals of inept screenwriter-director Ed Wood in the film of the same name (1994), undercover FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco (1997), author J. M. Barrie in Finding Neverland (2004) and Boston gangster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass (2015). He has starred in a number of commercially successful films, including Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Public Enemies (2009), Alice in Wonderland (2010), The Tourist (2010), Rango (2011), Into the Woods (2014), Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and its 2018 sequel. Depp also plays Jack Sparrow in the swashbuckler film series Pirates of the Caribbean (2003–present).

Depp is regarded as one of the world's biggest film stars.[1][2] He is the tenth highest-grossing actor worldwide in a lead role, as films featuring Depp have grossed over US$3.7 billion at the United States box office and over US$10 billion worldwide.[3] He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness World Records as the world's highest-paid actor, with earnings of US$75 million.[4][5] Depp has collaborated on eight films with director, producer, and friend Tim Burton. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2015.[6] In addition to acting, Depp has also worked as a musician. He has performed in numerous musical groups, including forming the rock supergroup Hollywood Vampires along with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry.

Early life and ancestry

Depp was born on June 9, 1963,[7] in Owensboro, Kentucky,[8][9] the youngest of four children of waitress Betty Sue Palmer (née Wells)[10] and civil engineer John Christopher Depp.[11][12] Depp's family moved frequently during his childhood, eventually settling in Miramar, Florida in 1970.[13] His parents divorced in 1978 when he was 15,[13][14] and his mother later married Robert Palmer, whom Depp has called "an inspiration".[15][16]

Depp was gifted a guitar by his mother when he was 12 years old, and began playing in various bands.[13] He dropped out of Miramar High School aged 16 in 1979 to become a rock musician. He attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician.[13] In 1980, Depp began playing guitar in a band called The Kids. After modest local success in Florida, the band moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to Six Gun Method. In addition to the band, Depp worked a variety of odd jobs, such as in telemarketing. In December 1983, Depp married make-up artist Lori Anne Allison,[9] the sister of his band's bassist and singer. The Kids split up before signing a record deal in 1984, and Depp subsequently began collaborating with the band Rock City Angels.[17] He co-wrote their song "Mary", which appeared on their debut Geffen Records album Young Man's Blues.[18] Depp and Allison divorced in 1985.[9]

Career

1984–1989: Early roles and 21 Jump Street

In the early 1980s, Depp's then-wife Lori Ann Allison introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised him to pursue an acting career.[13] Depp's first film role was in the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), in which he played the boyfriend of heroine Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and one of Freddy Krueger's victims.[13] After a starring role in the comedy Private Resort (1985), Depp was cast in the lead role of the skating drama Thrashin' (1986) by the film's director, but the decision was later overridden by its producer.[37][38] Instead, Depp appeared in a minor supporting role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Vietnam War drama Platoon (1986). Depp became a teen idol during the late 1980s, when he starred as an undercover police officer in a high school operation in the Fox television series 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987.[13] He accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Despite his success, Depp felt that the series "forced [him] into the role of product."[39] He subsequently decided to appear only in films that he felt were right for him.[39]

1990–2002: Independent films and first collaborations with Tim Burton

Disillusioned by his experiences as a teen idol in 21 Jump Street, Depp began choosing roles which he found more interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.[40] His first film release in 1990 was John Waters' Cry-Baby, a musical comedy set in the 1950s. Although it was not a box office success upon its initial release,[41] over the years it has gained cult classic status.[42] Also in 1990, Depp played the title character in Tim Burton's romantic fantasy film Edward Scissorhands opposite Dianne Wiest and Winona Ryder. The film was a commercial and critical success with a domestic gross of $53 million.[43] In preparation for the role, Depp watched many Charlie Chaplin films to study the idea of creating sympathy without dialogue.[44] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised Depp's performance stating that he "artfully expresses the fierce longing in gentle Edward; it's a terrific performance",[45] while Rita Kempley of The Washington Post stated that he "brings the eloquence of the silent era to this part of few words, saying it all through bright black eyes and the tremulous care with which he holds his horror-movie hands.[46] Depp earned his first Golden Globe nomination for the film.

Depp had no film releases in the following two years, with the exception of a brief cameo in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), the sixth installment in the A Nightmare of Elm Street franchise. He appeared in three films in 1993. In the romantic comedy Benny and Joon, he played an eccentric and illiterate silent film fan who befriends a mentally ill woman and her brother; it became a sleeper hit. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that Depp "may look nothing like Buster Keaton, but there are times when he genuinely seems to become the Great Stone Face, bringing Keaton's mannerisms sweetly and magically to life".[47] Depp received a second Golden Globe nomination for the performance. His second film of the year was Lasse Hallström's What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), a drama about a dysfunctional family in which he starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis. It did not perform well commercially, but received positive notices from the critics.[48] Although most of the reviews focused on DiCaprio, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance, Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote that "Depp manages to command center screen with a greatly affable, appealing characterization".[49] Depp's final 1993 release was Emir Kusturica's surrealist comedy-drama Arizona Dream, which opened to positive reviews, and won the Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival.

2015–2018: Dhoni biopic, Raabta and Kedarnath