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Mini Biography

Born John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, Johnny Depp was raised in Florida. He dropped out of school at age 15 in the hopes of becoming a rock musician. He fronted a series of garage bands including The Kids, which once opened forIggy Pop. Depp got into acting after a visit to Los Angeles, California, with his former wife, Lori Anne Allison (Lori A. Depp), who introduced him to actorNicolas Cage. He made his filmdebutinA Nightmare on Elm Street(1984). In 1987 he shot to stardom when he replacedJeff Yagherin the role of undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the popular TV series"21 Jump Street"(1987).

In 1990, after numerous roles in teen-oriented films, his first of a handful of great collaborations with directorTim Burtoncame about when Depp played the title role inEdward Scissorhands(1990). Following the film's success, Depp carved a niche for himself as a serious, somewhat dark, idiosyncratic performer, consistently selecting roles that surprised critics and audiences alike. He continued to gain critical acclaim and increasing popularity by appearing in many features before re-joining with Burton in the lead role ofEd Wood(1994). In 1997 he played an undercover FBI agent in the fact-based filmDonnie Brasco(1997), oppositeAl Pacino; in 1998 he appeared inFear and Loathing in Las Vegas(1998), directed byTerry Gilliam; and then, in 1999, he appeared in the sci-fi/horror filmThe Astronaut's Wife(1999). The same year he teamed up again with Burton inSleepy Hollow(1999), brilliantly portraying Ichabod Crane.

Depp has played many characters in his career, including another fact-based one, Insp. Fred Abberline inFrom Hell(2001). He stole the show from screen greats such asAntonio Banderasin the finale toRobert Rodriguez's "mariachi" trilogy,Once Upon a Time in Mexico(2003). In that same year he starred in the marvelous family blockbusterPirates 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 Capt. Jack Sparrow. Now Depp is collaborating again with Burton in a screen adaptation ofRoald Dahl's novel,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005).

Off-screen, Depp has dated several female celebrities, and has been engaged toSherilyn Fenn,Jennifer Grey,Winona RyderandKate Moss. He was married to Lori Anne Allison in 1983 but they divorced her in 1985. Depp is living with French singer-actressVanessa Paradis, with whom he has two children: Lily-Rose Melody, born in 1999 and Jack, born in 2002.

Mini Biography

Johnny Depp is perhaps one of the most versatile actors of his day and age in Hollywood, who has recuperated his image greatly since his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow in the acclaimedPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2003), with a supporting cast ofOrlando Bloom,Keira Knightley, andGeoffrey Rush.

Though highly successful now, Depp's early life, strangely, was as a rebel, and he took to vandalism and narcotics. He dropped out of school when he was 15, and he fronted a series of music-garage bands, including one named The Kids. However, it was when he married Lori Anne Allison (Lori A. Depp) that he took up the job of being a ballpoint-pen salesman to support himself and his wife. A visit to Los Angeles, California, with his wife, however, happened to be a blessing in disguise, when he met up with actorNicolas Cage, who advised him to turn to acting, which culminated in Depp's filmdebutin the low-budget horror film,A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984), where he played a teenager who falls prey to dream-stalking demon Freddy Krueger. Three years later, Depp achieved fame as police cop Tom Hanson in the series"21 Jump Street"(1987) (1987-90), and in 1990, he was firmly established as a leading Hollywood actor with theTim BurtonmovieEdward Scissorhands(1990), where he played a sad-faced, tragic hero who has scissors for hands.

From then on, Depp was selective of his choice of roles in movies, and he more often than not played dark, sinister characters on-screen. He played an undercover FBI agent inDonnie Brasco(1997), in which he co-starred withAl Pacino; a druggie inFear and Loathing in Las Vegas(1998); and in two moreTim Burtonventures,Ed Wood(1994) andSleepy Hollow(1999), withChristina RicciandCasper Van Dien. He filmed a fifthTim Burtonfilm,Corpse Bride(2005), as well as being committed for anotherTim Burtonproduction, where he plays Willy Wonka in the upcomingCharlie and the Chocolate Factory(2005), based on the classic children's novel byRoald Dahl.

During his career, Depp has, unfortunately, gotten himself under bad public scrutiny. He was accused of sellingdrugsat his own club, The Viper Room, in regard to the legendary celebrity,River Phoenix, who died outside the club due to drug overdose in 1993. The following year, Depp wasarrestedfor smashing and trashing a New York suite. And, in 1999, he wasarrestedin London for being in a fight with paparazzi outside a restaurant.

Although he gained popularity since the success ofEdward Scissorhands(1990), Depp wasn't hugely famous for many years until his portrayal of the suave, charming Captain Jack Sparrow inPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl(2003) in 2003. With the film's enormous success, it has opened several doors for his career and even included an Oscar nomination. He appeared as the central character in theStephen King-based movie,Secret Window(2004); as the kind-hearted novelist James Barrie in the factually-basedFinding Neverland(2004), where he co-starred withKate Winslet; and most recently as Rochester in the British film,The Libertine(2004).