Johnny Depp Biography
Early Life
On June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, Johnny Depp was born to civil engineer John Christopher Depp and waitress Betty Sue (Wells). When Johnny was a little child, his parents separated. Robert Palmer, who Johnny has referred to as “an inspiration to me,” married to his mother.
Family
Johnny Depp’s great-grandmother, Maryperone Dombrowski, was born about November 1866, in Pennsylvania of Kashubian, German, and Polish descent. Depp’s grandfather, John Christopher Depp Sr., who was of mostly English ancestry, managed a Printing plant for the La Crosse Tribune and was a member of the Wisconsin National Guard. Depp’s mother is of mostly Irish ancestry. His father claimed to be part Cherokee and had an extensive record dating back to when he was drafted into the United States Army during World War II.
Childhood
Johnny Depp was raised in a Catholic household, he and his siblings were a total of 12 among which he was the youngest one. He has eight sisters and three brothers. Johnny’s parents got divorced when Johnny was just 15. To support his family financially, he took up various jobs like selling pens door-to-door and working as a telemarketer. When he was 12 years old, he wanted to become a rock musician and formed a band named ‘The Kids’ with his friend Sal Jenco. The band became quite popular in his hometown.
Acting Career
Early Roles
In the 1984 horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street, when he portrayed the teenage lead, Glen Lantz, Depp made his acting debut. The director, Wes Craven, was impressed with Depp’s willingness to play such an unglamorous role. Craven offered him several parts in his forthcoming Nightmare on Elm Street sequel dream child, including that of a boy who becomes part-moth, but Depp turned them all down.
Breakthrough Role
In 1990, Depp landed his breakthrough role in Tim Burton’s dark fantasy comedy “Edward Scissorhands”. This film earned critical acclaim and was a commercial success, grossing over $86 million worldwide. Depp’s portrayal of the title character, a gentle but misunderstood man with scissors for hands, earned him widespread praise from critics and audiences alike.
Recent Roles
Over the past few years, Depp has taken on some interesting roles. In 2015, he starred in the crime drama Black Mass as notorious gangster Whitey Bulger. The following year, he had a small role in the comedy Yoga Hosers, which also featured his daughter Lily-Rose Depp. His next project was the fantasy thriller Mortdecai, in which he played an art dealer who’s trying to recover a stolen painting. Depp played Captain Jack Sparrow once more in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales in 2016. In the animated movie Fantastic Beasts as well as Where to Find Them, Johnny also provided the voice for the main character.
Personal Life
Relationships
Johnny Depp has been in some high-profile relationships throughout his career. He was married to Lori Anne Allison from 1983 to 1985 and then to Amber Heard from 2015 to 2017. Depp has also been romantically linked to Winona Ryder, Vanessa Paradis, and Kate Moss.
Drug Use
Although Depp has been open about his past drug use, he has stated that he no longer uses drugs. In a 2003 interview, Depp said “once you reach a certain age and you’ve made certain amount of money, there’s nothing attractive about being downstairs at four o’clock in the morning, with your nose open.”
Legal Troubles
In July 2012, Depp’s wife Amber Heard filed for divorce after two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple had no children. The divorce was finalized in January 2017.
On May 23, 2016, Depp was sued by his former managers Joel and Rob Mandel of The Mandel Company for allegedly failing to pay them the 10% commission they claim they are owed for their work on Depp’s career. The Mandels sought $560,000 in damages. On November 2, a judge ruled that the case could proceed to trial. In May 2018, a jury ruled in favor of the Mandels, ordering Depp to pay them $4.2 million plus interest and costs.
In January 2018, it was revealed that Depp had agreed to settle two lawsuits brought against him by vibrations expert David Anderle and his company David Anderle Group LLC for $ Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). And in November 2019 a Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied a request by Depp’s attorneys to appeal the decision, stating that they had waited too long to file their appeal.
Depp has also been embroiled in various lawsuits involving his personal life, including a defamation suit filed against him by ex-wife Amber Heard and a libel suit filed against him by ex-girlfriend T Rolling Stone journalist Stephen Rodrick.
