Johnny Depp

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky, to Betty Sue Palmer (née Wells), a waitress, and John Christopher Depp, a civil engineer. He was raised in Florida. He dropped out of school when he was 15, and fronted a series of music-garage bands, including one named 'The Kids'. When he married Lori A. Depp, he took a job as 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 actor Nicolas Cage, who advised him to turn to acting, which culminated in Depp's film debut in the low-budget horror film, Koszmar z ulicy Wiązów (1984), where he played a teenager who falls prey to dream-stalking demon Freddy Krueger.In 1987 he shot to stardom when he replaced Jeff Yagher in 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 director Tim Burton came about when Depp played the title role in Edward Nożycoręki (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 of Ed Wood (1994). In 1997 he played an undercover FBI agent in the fact-based film Donnie Brasco (1997), opposite Al Pacino; in 1998 he appeared in Las Vegas Parano (1998), directed by Terry Gilliam; and then, in 1999, he appeared in the sci-fi/horror film Żona astronauty (1999). The same year he teamed up again with... Burton in Jeździec bez głowy (1999), brilliantly portraying Ichabod Crane.Depp has played many characters in his career, including another fact-based one, Insp. Fred Abberline in Z piekła rodem (2001). He stole the show from screen greats such as Antonio Banderas in the finale to Robert Rodriguez's "mariachi" trilogy, Pewnego razu w Meksyku: Desperado 2 (2003). In that same year he starred in the marvelous family blockbuster Piraci z Karaibów: Klątwa ''Czarnej Perły'' (2003), playing a character that only the likes of Depp could pull off: the charming, conniving and roguish Capt. Jack Sparrow. The film's enormous success has opened several doors for his career and included an Oscar nomination. He appeared as the central character in the Stephen King-based movie, Sekretne okno (2004); as the kind-hearted novelist James Barrie in the factually-based Marzyciel (2004), where he co-starred with Kate Winslet; and Rochester in the British film, Rozpustnik (2004). Depp collaborated again with Burton in a screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel, Charlie i fabryka czekolady (2005), and later in Alicja w Krainie Czarów (2010) and Mroczne cienie (2012).Off-screen, Depp has dated several female celebrities, and has been engaged to Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder and Kate Moss. He was married to Lori Anne Allison in 1983, but divorced her in 1985. Depp has two children with his former long-time partner, French singer/actress Vanessa Paradis: Lily-Rose Melody, born in 1999 and John Christopher "Jack" III, born in 2002. He married actress/producer Amber Heard in 2015, divorcing a few years later.show more