Johnny Depp | Biography, Net Worth, Films, & Facts

John Christopher Depp II, best known as Johnny Depp, (born June 9, 1963, Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.), American actor and musician who was known for his eclectic and unconventional film choices. He achieved perhaps his greatest success as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Johnny Depp Quick Profile

Who Is Johnny Depp?

Actor Johnny Depp is a three-time Academy Award nominee known for his starring role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as well as parts in films such as Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and Alice in Wonderland.

Depp landed his first movie role in the 1984 horror film Nightmare on Elm Street and rose to prominence a few years later when he began playing Tommy Hanson on the TV show 21 Jump Street. One of the most bankable actors in cinema, his once steady career stalled in the late 2010s after ex-wife Amber Heard alleged the actor physically and verbally abused her. Their subsequent defamation trial in 2022 garnered widespread attention.

Early life and career

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). He divorced Allison the following year.

Becoming an Actor: “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “21 Jump Street”

In 1983, at the age of 20, Depp met and married 25-year-old makeup artist Lori Allison. That same year, the couple moved to Los Angeles with Depp’s band in the hopes of striking it big. Still living on a shoestring budget, Depp and his bandmates supported themselves by selling pens for a telemarketing firm.

A year later, Depp fell into acting when his wife introduced him to her ex-boyfriend, actor Nicolas Cage. Cage saw potential in Depp and introduced the hopeful musician to a Hollywood agent. After several small roles as an extra, Depp landed his first legitimate movie role in the horror film Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

By 1985, the Kids had broken up—and so had Depp’s marriage. After his split with Allison, Depp struck up a relationship with actor Sherilyn Fenn, whom he met on the set of the short film Dummies (1985). They were briefly engaged but split before marrying. After their break-up, Depp then met and proposed to actor Jennifer Grey; their romance was also short-lived.

Johnny Depp Past Relationships:

• Lori Anne Allison, Make-up Artist (1983-1985)
• Sherilyn Fenn, Actress (1986-1988)
• Jennifer Grey, Actress (1989)
• Winona Ryder, Actress (1989-1993)
• Juliette Lewis, Actress (1993)
• Peggy Trentini, Actress (1993)
• Tatjana Patitz, Model and Actress (1993)
• Kate Moss, Model (1994-1998)
• Vanessa Paradis, French Singer (1998-2011)
• Kiley Evans (2011)
• Amber Heard

Relationship with Vanessa Paradis and Kids

While filming the sci-fi drama The Ninth Gate (1999) in France, Johnny met French actor, singer, and model Vanessa Paradis. Paradis became pregnant with the couple’s first child later that year. In May 1999, the couple welcomed daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp. Depp and Paradis had their second child, son John Christopher “Jack” Depp III, three years later.

Lily-Rose Depp became a model for Chanel at age 15 and, like her father, jumped into acting. She made her first film appearance in the 2014 horror-comedy Tusk, which also featured Johnny, and also had parts in Planetarium (2016), The King (2019), Voyagers (2021), and Crisis (2021). She received a starring role in the HBO series The Idol, debuting in June 2023.

Johnny Depp’s Net Worth

As of May 2023, Celebrity Net Worth estimates Depp has a net worth around $150 million. According to film revenue database The Numbers, movies featuring Depp as a leading actor have collectively grossed just shy of $8.3 billion at the domestic and international box offices. Factor in his roles as part of a leading ensemble, and Depp ranks No. 12 among the most bankable actors ever at the worldwide box office.

Related: Jenna Ortega – Biography, Dating, Facts, TV Series & Movies

Music and personal life

Maintaining his early interest in music, Depp played acoustic guitar in the film Chocolat (2000) and on the soundtrack to Once upon a Time in Mexico (2003). His work as a guitarist also appeared on albums by the Pogues and Oasis. While working on The Ninth Gate, he met French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis, with whom he had a long-term relationship (1998–2012) and two children.

In 2015 Depp wed the actress Amber Heard, and their tumultuous marriage became tabloid fodder. Heard notably accused him of physically assaulting her and alleged that he had substance abuse issues. They divorced in 2016, and two years later Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post claiming that she was a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Also in 2018 The Sun, a British newspaper, referred to Depp as a “wife beater.” He sued the paper for libel, and the trial ended in 2020 with the judge ruling against Depp, stating, “I accept that Mr. Depp put [Heard] in fear of her life.” During this time Depp also sued Heard, for defamation over her article in the Post.

She in turn countersued, alleging that Depp defamed her when one of his lawyers called her abuse claims a hoax. The televised trial began in April 2022, and it became something of a media circus; the trial was especially popular on social media. After six weeks of testimony—which included both sides accusing each other of domestic abuse—a jury ruled for Depp in his lawsuit, finding that Heard had acted with “actual malice.”

Depp was awarded $15 million in compensatory and punitive damages, though the judge lowered the amount to $10.35 million. The jury also found that Heard had been defamed by Depp’s attorney, but she did not prevail on two other counts. She was given $2 million in compensatory damages.

Lesser Known Facts About Johnny Depp

• Does Johnny Depp smoke?: Yes
• Does Johnny Depp drink alcohol?: Yes
• He declared in an interview that when he was a kid, he used to do weird things like repeatedly turning off light switches, making out odd noises etc.
• In his childhood, he along with his siblings lived in more than 20 different places.
• His mother was a waitress.
• When he was 12, his mother gifted him a guitar which he carries even today.
• He collaborated with a rock band named Rock City Angels and co-wrote their songs.
• During his struggle days he did many odd jobs including a telemarketer for pens.
• The year 1990 was the turning point of his film career by doing roles in two big classics – “Cry Baby” and “Edward Scissorhands” which established him as an A-list actor.
• In 1994, he was nominated for Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in the film “Ed Wood”.
• His most popular character is that of “Captain jack Sparrow” in “Pirates of the Caribbean” series and he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as “Captain Jack Sparrow” in the first film of this series i.e. “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” in 2003.
• In 2004, he was again nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film “Finding Neverland”.
• In 2004, he formed his own production company “Infinitum Nihil” which means “Nothing is Forever”.
• In 2012, Guinness Book of World Records listed him as the world’s highest paid actor ($75 million) for the year 2011.
• Despite being nominated several times, he never get an Oscar.
• People magazine named him “Sexist Man Alive” twice in 2003 and 2009.
• He has a fear of dancing and has never danced in his real life.

Amber Heard Trial and Other Legal Woes

Depp met another future love interest on the set of a film while still publicly involved with Paradis. While filming The Rum Diary (2011), he met co-star Amber Heard. The couple was seen publicly together for the first time in 2012, not long after Depp’s split with Paradis. Depp and Heard got engaged on Christmas Eve in 2013 and tied the knot in February 2015.

Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, and shortly afterward, she also filed a restraining order, alleging that Depp had been verbally and physically abusive. The two reached a settlement that August, and the divorce was finalized in January 2017. However, their legal entanglements were far from over.

After Heard penned an opinion article in December 2018 that described her experiences with domestic violence, Depp filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife a few months later. Heard subsequently countersued Depp for defamation after one of his lawyers called the allegations a “hoax.”

Their trial began on April 11, 2022, and garnered national attention. During testimony, Heard described instances of alleged abuse by Depp, including a “cavity search” he performed on her while looking for cocaine. Depp claimed Heard instigated arguments and escalated their feuds. He called the most severe accusations “all false.”

On June 1, 2022, a jury ruled in favor of Depp in the defamation lawsuit, requiring Heard to pay $15 million in punitive damages, which a judge capped at $10.35 million based on legal limits. The jury also ruled in favor of Heard’s counterclaim that she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer, requiring Depp to pay $2 million in damages.

Both sides appealed aspects of the jury’s decision and announced in December 2022 they had decided to settle the respective defamation suits for $1 million. Multiple outlets reported in June 2023 that Depp plans to donate the money to five charities.

Depp faced other legal troubles in the late 2010s, too. In October 2017, he filed a $25 million lawsuit against his former business managers, claiming they mismanaged $650 million of his earnings from the previous two decades. The following April, Depp was on the other end of a lawsuit, with two former personal security guards suing him for unpaid wages and their exposure to dangerous work conditions.

In July 2018, it was reported that Depp was being sued for allegedly hitting a location manager on the set of his upcoming film City of Lies, about the murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G. According to the suit, the movie star grew irate when told that production was finished for the day, at which point he twice “forcefully punched” the location manager in the lower left side of his rib cage and unleashed a verbal tirade until being dragged away by his bodyguards. As a result, the movie was pulled from distribution a month before its scheduled September 7 release date. Depp settled the suit in July 2022 before it went to trial.