John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three Academy Awards and two BAFTA awards. His films, in which he has often played eccentric characters, have grossed over $8 billion worldwide, making him one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars.
Depp began his career as a musician performing in several amateur rock bands before transitioning into film. He made his feature film debut in the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and appeared in Platoon (1986), before rising to prominence as a teen idol on the television series 21 Jump Street (1987–1990). He acted in independent films with auteur directors including Cry-Baby (1990), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Benny and Joon (1993), Dead Man (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), and The Ninth Gate (1999). He made his directorial debut in 1997 with the independent neo-western The Brave. Depp has frequently collaborated with the director Tim Burton, including in Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), and Alice in Wonderland (2010).
Depp gained worldwide stardom for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the swashbuckler film series Pirates of the Caribbean (2003–2017). He also gained acclaim for starring in Chocolat (2000), and Finding Neverland (2004). Other films he has starred in include From Hell (2001), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), Secret Window (2004), Public Enemies (2009), The Tourist (2010), The Lone Ranger (2013), Into the Woods (2014), Black Mass (2015), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017). He portrayed Gellert Grindelwald in the Wizarding World films Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018). His voice acting work includes Corpse Bride (2005), Rango (2011), and Sherlock Gnomes (2018).
Depp received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999.[5] He was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive twice in 2003 and in 2009.[6] During the 2010s, Depp began producing films through his company Infinitum Nihil. He also formed the rock supergroup Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. Between 1998 and 2012, Depp was in a relationship with the French singer Vanessa Paradis, with whom he had two children, including the actress Lily-Rose Depp. From 2015 to 2017, Depp was married to the actress Amber Heard. Their divorce drew media attention, as both alleged abuse against each other and engaged in two highly publicized defamation cases: the Depp v. NGN and the Depp v. Heard trials.
Early life
Depp was born on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, the youngest of four children of waitress Betty Sue Depp (née Wells; later Palmer) and civil engineer John Christopher Depp. Depp’s family moved frequently during his childhood, eventually settling in Miramar, Florida, in 1970. His parents divorced in 1978 when he was 15, and his mother later married Robert Palmer, whom Depp has called “an inspiration”.
Depp’s mother gave him a guitar when he was 12, and he began playing in various bands. He dropped out of Miramar High School at 16 in 1979 to become a rock musician. He attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. In 1980, Depp began playing in a band called The Kids.
After modest local success in Florida, the band moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing its name to Six Gun Method. In addition to the band, Depp worked a variety of odd jobs, such as in telemarketing. In December 1983, Depp married makeup artist Lori Anne Allison, the sister of his band’s bassist and singer. The Kids split up before signing a record deal in 1984, and Depp began collaborating with the band Rock City Angels. He co-wrote their song “Mary”, which appeared on their debut Geffen Records album Young Man’s Blues. Depp and Allison divorced in 1985.
Depp is of primarily English descent, with some French, German, Irish and African American ancestry. Elizabeth Key Grinstead, one of the first African Americans in the North American colonies to sue for her freedom and win, is an eighth great-grandmother. His surname comes from a French Huguenot immigrant, Pierre Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700. In interviews in 2002 and 2011, Depp claimed to have Native American ancestry, “I guess I have some Native American somewhere down the line. My great-grandmother was quite a bit of Native American. She grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek Indian”.
Depp’s claims came under scrutiny when Indian Country Today wrote that Depp had never inquired about his heritage or been recognized as a member of the Cherokee Nation. This led to criticism of Deep, from the Native American community, as Depp has no documented Native ancestry, and Native community leaders consider him “a non-Indian” and a pretendian. Depp’s choice to portray Tonto, a Native American character, in The Lone Ranger was criticized, along with his choice to name his rock band “Tonto’s Giant Nuts”. During the promotion for The Lone Ranger, Depp was formally adopted as an honorary son by LaDonna Harris, a member of the Comanche Nation, making him an honorary member of her family but not a member of any tribe.
Music
Depp performing with the Hollywood Vampires at Wembley Arena in 2018
Prior to his acting career, Depp was a guitarist, and has later featured on songs by Oasis, Shane MacGowan, Iggy Pop, Vanessa Paradis, Aerosmith, Marilyn Manson, and The New Basement Tapes, among others. He also performed with Manson at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in 2012. Depp played guitar on the soundtrack of his films Chocolat and Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and has appeared in music videos for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Lemonheads, Avril Lavigne and Paul McCartney. In the 1990s, he was also a member of P, a musical group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.
In 2014, Depp joined Aerosmith on stage at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield.
In 2015, Depp formed the supergroup Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry; the band also includes Bruce Witkin, his friend from his 1980s band, The Kids. Hollywood Vampires released their self-titled debut studio album in September 2015. It featured eleven classic rock covers, as well as three original songs (all co-written by Depp). The band made their live debut at The Roxy in Los Angeles in September 2015, and has since done three world tours in 2016, and 2023. Their second studio album, Rise, was released in June 2019 and consists mostly of original material, including songs written by Depp. The album also features a cover version of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, sung by Depp.
In 2020, Depp released a cover of John Lennon’s “Isolation” with guitarist Jeff Beck, and stated that they would be releasing more music together in the future. Beginning in May 2022, Depp joined Beck onstage for a number of concerts in the United Kingdom, where Beck announced they had recorded an album together. Their joint record, titled 18, was released on July 15, 2022. Depp also accompanied Beck on his last European and American tours, which began in June and ended in November. In May 2023, Depp performed at the Jeff Beck tribute concerts held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, sharing the stage with Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood and Kirk Hammett among others.