Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Who Are Those Guys? ~ Johnny Depp

 

John Christopher Depp II was born in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963. At age 16 Depp dropped out of high school to pursue a music career. His band, the Kids, relocated from Florida, where he spent the majority of his childhood, to Los Angeles. In 1983 Depp married Lori Anne Allison, who worked as a makeup artist while he struggled as a musician. Allison had her friend the actor Nicolas Cage arrange for Depp to audition with director Wes Craven, and Depp made his film debut as a teenager eaten by his own bed in “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984). Depp divorced Allison the following year.

Depp’s professional break came in 1987 with the premiere of ‘21 Jump Street’, a television police series that starred Depp as Officer Tom Hanson, a young cop who frequently went undercover in high schools and colleges to catch troubled youths. The show was a hit, though Depp resented his promotion as a teen heartthrob. In 1990 he left the series and appeared in John Waters’s “Cry-Baby” and Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands”, two films by maverick directors that showcased Depp’s range. Scissorhands began a long association between the actor and director that led to Depp’s appearance in several other Burton films, including “Ed Wood” (1994), “Sleepy Hollow” (1999), and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005). In addition, Depp provided the voice of the unfortunate groom in Burton’s macabre animated tale “Corpse Bride” (2005).

Depp is probably best known for the marvelous family blockbuster “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” (2003), playing a character that only the likes of Depp could pull off: the charming, conniving and roguish Captain Jack Sparrow. The film's enormous success opened several doors for his career and included an Oscar nomination. Depp reprised the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates sequels “Dead Man's Chest” (2006) and “At World's End” (2007), both of which were major box office successes. He also voiced the character in the video game ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow’. According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp in the role of Jack Sparrow was the main reason for many cinemagoers to see a Pirates film.

Depp’s only Euro-western appearance so far was as William ‘Bill’ Blake in 1994’s “Dead Man” directed by Jim Jarmusch and co-starring Gary Farmer.

DEPP, Johnny (aka J. Depp, Guy Lapointe, Oprah Noodlemantra) (John Christopher Depp II) [6/9/1963, Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.A. -     ] – producer, director, writer, film, TV, voice actor, musician, singer, brother of writer Daniel Depp [1953-    ], producer Christi Dembrowski (Christi Depp) [1960-    ], married to producer Lori A. Depp (Lori Anne Allison) [1957-    ] (1983-1986), father of actress Lily-Rose Depp [1999-    ], actor Jack Depp [2002-    ] with singer Vanessa Paradis [1972-    ], married to producer, actress, singer Amber Heard (Amber Laura Heard) [1986-    ] (2015-2017), co-founded the ’Viper Room’ nightclub [1993-2003], founded ‘Infinitum Nihil Productions’ [2004].

Dead Man – 1994 (William ‘Bill’ Blake)

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