Johnny Depp
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| Johnny Depp | |
|---|---|
 During the Paris premiere of Public Enemies in July 2009 |
|
| Born | John Christopher Depp II June 9, 1963 Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, screenwriter, director, producer, musician |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Spouse(s) | Lori Anne Allison (1983–1986) |
| Partner(s) | Sherilyn Fenn (1985–1988) Winona Ryder (1989–1993) Kate Moss (1994–1998) Vanessa Paradis (1998–present) |
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters in a wide variety of dramas and fantasy films. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for major roles in recent films.
Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, quickly becoming a teen idol. Turning to film, he was notable as the title character of Edward Scissorhands (1990), and later found box office success in films such as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
He has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, the most recent of which are Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp has gained acclaim for his portrayals of people such as Edward D. Wood, Jr., in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco, Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and George Jung in Blow. More recently, he portrayed the bank robber John Dillinger in Michael Mann's 2009 film Public Enemies.
Films featuring Depp have grossed over $2.6 billion at the United States box office and over $6 billion worldwide. He has been nominated for top awards numerous times; he won the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for his role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Career
Television
Depp starred in a lead role on the Fox TV television series, 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987. Depp accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Depp's long time friend Sal Jenco joined the cast as a semi-co-star as the janitor named Blowfish. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s. He felt "forced into the role of product." Depp decided to appear only in films that he felt were right for him.
Film roles
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 Krueger's victims. In 1986, he appeared in a secondary role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. In 1990 he undertook the quirky title role of the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. The film's success began his long association with Burton.
Depp, a 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 accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours. In 2006, Depp contributed a foreword to Gonzo: Photographs by Hunter S. Thompson, a posthumous biography published by ammobooks.com. Depp paid for most of Thompson's memorial event, complete with fireworks and the shooting of Thompson's ashes by a cannon, in Aspen, Colorado, where Thompson lived.
Critics have described Depp's roles as characters who are "iconic loners." Depp has noted this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison," but he thought the studios never understood the films and did not do a good job of marketing. Depp has chosen roles which he found interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.
The 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a major success, in which Depp's his lead performance as the suave pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. Studio bosses were more ambivalent at first, but the character became popular with the movie-going public. According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp was a major draw for audiences. The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's character closely resembles the actor's personality, but Depp said he modelled the character after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Depp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.
In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, 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, a major success at the box office and earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.
Depp returned to the role of Jack Sparrow for 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 of the highest weekend tally. The next sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, was released May 24, 2007. Depp has said that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me", and he wants to play the role in further sequels. Depp voiced Sparrow in the video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depp's swashbuckling sword talents as developed for the character of Jack Sparrow, were highlighted in the documentary film Reclaiming the Blade. Within the film, Swordmaster Bob Anderson shared his experiences working with Depp on the choreography for The Curse of the Black Pearl. Anderson who also trained Errol Flynn, another famous Hollywood pirate, described in the film Depp's ability as an actor to pick up the sword to be, "about as good as you can get."
Depp and Gore Verbinski were executive producers of the album Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. Depp played the title role of Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Depp thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and praised Tim Burton for his "unwavering trust and support."
In 2007, Depp accepted Warner Bros.' proposal to make a film of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, a series that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. He had been a fan as a child. Depp and Graham King will produce the movie with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions inc. until Curtis died in 2006. Depp will also appear in a film version of writer Hunter S. Thompson's book, The Rum Diary, portraying the main character, Paul Kemp. Depp played the former Heath Ledger character in the 2009 film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell. All three actors gave their salaries from the film to Ledger's daughter, Matilda. He portrayed the Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and will play Tonto in a future Lone Ranger film. Disney Studios announced a fourth installment of the Pirates series is in development.
Collaboration with Tim Burton
Depp has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in seven films, beginning with Edward Scissorhands (1990), opposite Winona Ryder and Vincent Price. His next role with Burton was in the 1994 film, Ed Wood. Depp later said that "within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed." At the time, the actor was depressed about films and filmmaking. This part gave him a "chance to stretch out and have some fun"; he said working with Landau "rejuvenated my love for acting".
Producer Scott Rudin once said, "Basically Johnny Depp is playing Tim Burton in all his movies," although Burton personally disapproved of the comment. Depp, however agrees with Rudin's statement. According to Depp, Edward Scissorhands represented Burton's inability to communicate as a teenager. Ed Wood reflected Burton's relationship with Vincent Price (very similar with Edward D. Wood, Jr. and Béla Lugosi).
Depp's next venture with Burton was the role of Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999), opposite Christina Ricci. Sleepy Hollow reflected Burton's battle with the Hollywood studio system. For his performance, Depp took inspiration from Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall and Basil Rathbone. Depp stated, "I always thought of Ichabod as a very delicate, fragile person who was maybe a little too in touch with his feminine side, like a frightened little girl."
Depp did not work with Burton again until 2005 in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which he played Willy Wonka. Depp modeled the character's hair on Anna Wintour. The film was a box office success and received positive critical reception. Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, initially criticized this version. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released in July, followed by Corpse Bride, for which Depp voiced the character Victor Van Dort, in September.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) followed, bringing Depp his second major award win, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy as well as his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Burton first gave him an original cast recording of the 1979 stage musical in 2000. Although not a fan of the musical genre, Depp grew to like the tale's treatment. He cited Peter Lorre in Mad Love (1935) as his main influence for the role, and practiced the songs his character would perform while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Although he had performed in musical groups, Depp was initially unsure that he would be able to sustain Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. Depp recorded demos and worked with Bruce Witkin to shape his vocals without a qualified voice coach. In the DVD Reviews section, Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty gave the film an A minus, stating, "Depp's soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he's been hiding... Watching Depp's barber wield his razors... it's hard not to be reminded of Edward Scissorhands frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago... and all of the twisted beauty we would've missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met."
In his introduction to Burton on Burton, a book of interviews with the director, Depp called Burton "...a brother, a friend,...and [a] brave soul". The next Depp-Burton collaboration was Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp played the Mad Hatter alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman.
Personal life
In 1994, Depp was arrested and questioned by police for allegedly causing serious damage to a New York City hotel suite. Since 1998, following a relationship with British supermodel Kate Moss, Depp has had a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate. He was arrested again in 1999 for brawling with paparazzi outside a restaurant while dining in London with Paradis.
The couple have two children. Daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp was born May 27, 1999, and son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III was born April 9, 2002. In 2007, his daughter recovered from a serious illness, an E. coli infection that began to cause her kidneys to shut down and resulted in an extended hospital stay. To thank Great Ormond Street Hospital, Depp visited the hospital in November 2007 dressed in his Captain Jack Sparrow outfit and spent 4 hours reading stories to the children. He later donated £1 million (about $2 million) to the hospital in early 2008.
Although Depp has not remarried, he has stated that having children has given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything." "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 divides its time between their home in Meudon, located in the suburbs of Paris, Los Angeles, an island he bought in The Bahamas, and their villa in Le Plan-de-la-Tour, a small town 20 km from Saint-Tropez, in the south of France. Depp also acquired a vineyard estate in the Plan-de-la-Tour area in 2007.
Depp has 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life. They include a Native American in profile and a ribbon reading "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever", altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, "Lily-Rose" (his daughter's name) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" (his son's name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean) on his right forearm.
In 2003, Depp's comments about the United States appeared in Germany's Stern magazine: "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth — that can bite and hurt you, aggressive." Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and the quotation was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview. CNN 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" quotation, verbatim, in 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", saying that he just likes the anonymity of living in France and his simpler life there.
On October 8, 2010, Depp made an unannounced appearance at a London Primary School near where he was filming scenes for the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. He turned up dressed as his character Jack Sparrow after receiving a letter from a pupil asking for his help with a class mutiny.
Other interests
Music
As a guitar player, Depp has recorded a solo album, played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from Be Here Now, 1997), as well as on "Fade Away (Warchild Version)" (b-side of the " Don't Go Away" single). He also played acoustic guitar in the movie Chocolat and on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He is a friend of The Pogues' Shane MacGowan, and performed on MacGowan's first solo album. He was also a member of P, a group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. He has appeared in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' music video " Into the Great Wide Open".
Winemaker and restaurateur
Depp and Paradis grow grapes and have wine making facilities in their vineyard in Plan-de-la-Tour north of Saint-Tropez. He is known for a fondness of French wines: among Depp's favorites are the Bordeaux wines Château Calon-Ségur, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Pétrus, and the Burgundy wine Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Interviewed in Madame Figaro, he stated, "With those wines, you reach nirvana". Along with Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall, Depp co-owned the Parisian restaurant-bar Man Ray, located near the Champs-Élysées.
Awards and nominations
Some of the awards that Depp has won include honours from the London Film Critics Circle (1996), Russian Guild of Film Critics (1998), Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004) and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. At the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, he won the award for "Best Villain" for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd and "Best Comedic Performance" for Jack Sparrow. Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards, in 2004 for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, in 2005 for Finding Neverland, and in 2008 for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp won his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in 2008.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Glen Lantz | |
| 1985 | Private Resort | Jack Marshall | |
| 1986 | Platoon | Specialist Gator Lerner | |
| 1990 | Cry-Baby | Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker | |
| Edward Scissorhands | Edward Scissorhands | Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| 1991 | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | Teen on TV | Cameo (as Oprah Noodlemantra) |
| 1993 | What's Eating Gilbert Grape | Gilbert Grape | |
| Benny & Joon | Sam | Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| Arizona Dream | Axel Blackmar | ||
| 1994 | Ed Wood | Edward D. Wood, Jr. | London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Don Juan DeMarco Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1995 | Nick of Time | Gene Watson | |
| Dead Man | William Blake | ||
| Don Juan DeMarco | Don Juan/John R. DeMarco | London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor (also for Ed Wood) | |
| 1996 | Cannes Man | Himself | |
| 1997 | Donnie Brasco | Donnie Brasco / Joseph D. Pistone | Nominated— Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor |
| The Brave | Raphael | Nominated— Best Actor Award (Cannes Film Festival) | |
| 1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Raoul Duke | playing Hunter S. Thompson |
| L.A. Without a Map | Himself / William Blake | Cameo | |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Ichabod Crane | Nominated— Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated— Saturn Award for Best Actor |
| The Astronaut's Wife | Spencer Armacost | ||
| The Ninth Gate | Dean Corso | ||
| 2000 | Chocolat | Roux | Nominated— Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| Before Night Falls | Lt. Victor, Bon Bon | ||
| 2001 | From Hell | Frederick Abberline | Nominated— Saturn Award for Best Actor |
| The Man Who Cried | Cesar | (Limited release) | |
| Blow | George Jung | ||
| 2003 | Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Sheldon Sands | Nominated— Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Captain Jack Sparrow | Empire Award for Best Actor Irish Film Award for Best International Actor Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated— Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated— BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated— Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated— Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated— Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated— Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor Nominated— Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated— Saturn Award for Best Actor Nominated— Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor |
|
| 2004 | Happily Ever After | L'inconnu | Cameo |
| Finding Neverland | J. M. Barrie | Nominated— Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated— BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated— Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated— Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated— London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated— Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Nominated— Saturn Award for Best Actor Nominated— Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Nominated— Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
|
| Secret Window | Mort Rainey | ||
| 2005 | The Libertine | John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester | Nominated— British Independent Film Award for Best Actor |
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Willy Wonka | Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated— Irish Film Award for Best International Actor Nominated— London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor |
|
| Corpse Bride | Victor Van Dort | voice role | |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | Captain Jack Sparrow | Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated— National Movie Award for Performance – Male |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Captain Jack Sparrow | |
| Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd / Benjamin Barker | Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy National Movie Award for Performance – Male Nominated— Academy Award for Best Actor Nominated— Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor Nominated— Saturn Award for Best Actor |
|
| 2009 | Public Enemies | John Dillinger | Nominated— Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama |
| The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Tony (1st transformation) | ||
| 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Mad Hatter | Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated— MTV Movie Award for Global Superstar Nominated— National Movie Award for Best Performance Nominated— Teen Choice Award for Best Fantasy Actor |
| The Tourist | Frank Tupelo | Nominated— Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| 2011 | The Rum Diary | Paul Kemp | post-production |
| Rango | Rango | voice role post-production |
|
| Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Captain Jack Sparrow | post production |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Stuff | short film |
| 1997 | The Brave |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Source | Jack Kerouac | |
| 2002 | Lost in La Mancha | Himself | Uncredited role |
| 2008 | Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson | Narrator | |
| 2010 | When You're Strange | Narrator |
| Year | Title | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Chocolat | "Minor Swing", "They're Red Hot", "Caravan" |
| 2003 | Once Upon a Time in Mexico | "Sands' Theme" |
| 2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | "No Place Like London", "My Friends", "Pirelli's Miracle Elixir", "Pretty Women", "Epiphany", "A Little Priest", "Johanna (Act II)", "By The Sea", "The Judge's Return", "Final Scene (Part 1)", "Final Scene (Part 2)" |
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Rum Diary | post-production |
| 2011 | Hugo Cabret | filming |
| Year | Production | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Lady Blue | Lionel Viland | Episode: "Beasts of Prey" |
| 1986 | Slow Burn | Donnie Fleischer | TV film |
| 1987–1991 | 21 Jump Street | Officer Thomas "Tom" Hanson, Jr. | TV series (57 episodes) |
| 1987 | Hotel | Rob Cameron | Episode: "Unfinished Business" |
| 1999 | The Vicar of Dibley | Himself | Episode: "Celebrity Party" |
| 2000 | The Fast Show | Himself | Episode: "The Last Ever Fast Show" |
| 2004 | King of the Hill | Yogi Victor (voice) | Episode: " Hank's Back" |
| 2009 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Jack Kahuna Laguna (voice) | Episode: " SpongeBob vs. The Big One" |
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1997 | The Brave |
Bilbliography
- Burton, Tim; Salisbury, Mark (2006). Burton on Burton (Second Revised ed.). Faber. ISBN 0571229263. http://books.google.com/?id=-GY9R1c_kKgC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
