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, A Nightmare on Elm Street (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
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 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
Family
|
Spouse |
Amber Heard (3 February 2015 - 13
January 2017) (divorced) |
|
Children |
Jack Depp |
|
Parents |
Betty Sue (Wells) |