Johnny Depp – Biography
Johnny Depp is an actor, whose name has become synonymous with eccentric and unconventional roles. Making his debut in the horror film "A Nightmare on Elm Street," he never planned on becoming a professional actor – but fate had other plans. Today, Johnny Depp stands as one of Hollywood's most original and recognizable actors. Approximately net worth: $150 million.
Childhood and Family
John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II's father, who shared his son's name, was a civil engineer. The actor's mother, Betty Sue Palmer, had worked as a waitress for 14 years. Before she met Johnny's father, she'd already been married and had two children, Debbie and Daniel. Johnny Depp has one sister named Christy.

It is difficult to name Johnny Depp's childhood happy. His mother was a tough woman. She worked long hours at a roadside cafe to feed the kids. "Mom swore like a sailor, played cards, and smoked," Johnny recalled. His father drank a lot in his spare time. When drunk, he regularly beat his wife and children. To make matters worse, Grandpa Jim died when Johnny was just 9. Losing his beloved grandfather finally pushed the boy over the edge. He started fighting with his parents. At 12, he started smoking and drinking. At 13, he became sexually active.

Youth: Musician Career and the First Movie Roles
At 12, Johnny got his hands on a cheap $25 electric guitar. It was a gift from his mom. He mastered the instrument on his own. When his parents divorced, he moved into his friend Sal's car in protest. He also started performing with garage band Young and Modern. He made his living from nightclub gigs. Over the next four years, he went through 14 different bands. The future star also worked construction jobs.
This put Johnny Depp on the local music map. Soon he got involved with 25-year-old makeup artist Lori Anne Allison. It was she, who introduced the future celebrity to Nicolas Cage. He was three years younger than Depp. However, he'd already appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's "Rumble Fish" and other films. So he had the experience to spot acting potential in the rebellious, rowdy Johnny.


Released in 1984, «A Nightmare on Elm Street» was a breakthrough, and Johnny Depp drew the attention of other Hollywood figures. He immediately accepted an offer for the teen comedy "Private Resort." This film required his first nude scene.
This gesture may have landed him a role in Oliver Stone's war drama "Platoon." He desperately wanted the lead role, but the director felt the newcomer wasn't ready for that kind of responsibility. He gave this role to Charlie Sheen. Depp had to settle for a supporting role as Private Lerner. Alas, almost all scenes with his participation were cut during the final editing. By Murphy's law, "Platoon" earned eight Oscar nominations in 1987, winning exactly half of them.




Career Peak
After the premiere of «Edward Scissorhands,» Johnny Depp's star power skyrocketed. He was no longer just a soap opera heartthrob. Top-tier directors started pursuing him, including even Emir Kusturica. Kusturica cast Johnny in the lead role of his new film «Arizona Dream.»

«Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas»
This image instantly comes to mind for most fans when discussing Johnny Depp's truly iconic roles. The screen adaptation of infamous writer Hunter S. Thompson's novel didn't achieve commercial success, but it secured its place in cinema history forever.

For several months, Johnny Depp lived in Hunter's home to understand the role. During this time, their collaboration on the project blossomed into a strong friendship. It was so strong that after the writer's death, Johnny Depp paid for an expensive funeral of a friend (Hunter wanted his ashes shot from a giant cannon), paid all his debts, and became the producer of the film «The Rum Diary» based on Thompson's novel of the same name, in which he also played the lead role.


Captain Jack Sparrow
By the early 2000s, Johnny Depp starred in more than thirty films. None of them were panned by critics. However, the actor was unofficially dubbed Hollywood's «iconic loner». The major studios were frustrated that Depp ignored commercial expectations, choosing only the roles he liked. Independent projects were what mostly caught the actor's interest.

In 2006, the sequel's second installment rolled out the red carpet, grossing over a billion dollars. A year later, viewers saw the third and the final episode. However, in 2011, screens showed «Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides» without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. These actors said that they grew out of these characters. However, Johnny Depp has agreed to shoot even before the script was written.
Between «Pirates» films, Depp kept busy with other projects. First was Terry Gilliam's fantasy film «The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus», Heath Ledger's final acting role. Johnny Depp gave his fee for shooting to the daughter of the late actor.

Further Career
In 2011, Gore Verbinski, who directed the first three «Pirates of the Caribbean» films, delivered the animated feature «Rango». Johnny Depp voiced the main character, a pet chameleon, who finds himself stranded in the desert.

Critics argued that post-«Pirates», Depp had lost some of his unique spark. This theory seemed confirmed with the release of «Mortdecai», where he played a scheming art dealer opposite his wife, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The film earned Depp two more Razzie nominations: Worst Actor and Worst Screen Combo ("Johnny Depp and his ridiculous mustache").
In 2016, Johnny Depp appeared in Kevin Smith's comedy «Yoga Hosers», which starred his daughter in the lead role.

Johnny Depp – Private Life
Legends surround the number of women in Johnny Depp's romantic history. Over the years, his charisma and striking looks attracted dozens of women, but none of them committed to a life with the actor.Johnny Depp first got married at age 20. His choice was a make-up artist Lori Anne Allison, who was 5 years older than him. They lived together for two years until breaking up in 1985.

In 1989, the actor was dating 16-year-old Winona Ryder, who captivated the actor with her soft, doll-like features. Their relationship was cloudless, Depp even had a tattoo on his forearm «Winona forever». The peace was shattered by tabloid journalists who constantly wrote about alleged affairs involving both Depp and Ryder. The young actress couldn't ignore the dirty gossip that's all too familiar to Hollywood residents. In May 1993, the couple split, and Depp's tattoo transformed into «Wine forever».

Johnny Depp and Kate Moss's relationship was a goldmine for paparazzi and tabloids. Both stars were known for their volatile temperaments, love of wild antics, and struggles with alcohol and drugs. Their passionate temperaments found each other. The shocking couple was constantly caught in the lenses of photographers and looked very happy.

In 1998, Kate and Johnny split for good. The official cause of the rupture was not named. However, Depp has repeatedly said that he was grateful to the girl for four years together.
That same year, Depp met French actress Vanessa Paradis on the set of «The Ninth Gate». The actor moved to an apartment in the Paris suburbs, bought a mansion in Saint-Tropez, and got his act together for her. Depp seemed to transform into a devoted family man, focusing all his energy on raising his children, the firstborn Lilly Rose Melody and son Jack. Depp's daughter has followed in her parents' footsteps. She inherited her mother's beauty and her father's acting talent. She made her debut in the Kevin Smith picture «Tusk» and starred together with Johnny in another picture «Yoga Hosers».




Johnny Depp Now
In recent years, Johnny Depp has devoted more time to his music supergroup "The Hollywood Vampires," where Alice Cooper and Joe Perry also play. The last album "Rise" was released in 2019.
When it came to the trial with his ex-wife, public sympathy was firmly on Johnny's side. He presented evidence in court that she was the aggressor in their relationship. For example, an audio recording in which the actor asks why Amber beat him, to which she replies that she did not beat him, but "
just gave a good slap in the face" and "you're okay, no one beat you, I just hit you."
The beginning of 2022 was dominated by the actor's libel trial with Amber Heard, which eventually came to an end. The actress was caught lying multiple times. For example, she claimed that Depp was a cocaine addict and presented a picture showing a table with perfectly arranged lines of powder as evidence. Previously, Amber had claimed that Depp was a heavy smoker, so the judge found it suspicious that there was only one unlit cigarette in the ashtray, which suggested the photo was staged. And there were many similar inconsistencies.
In May 2023, Depp received a seven-minute standing ovation at the premiere of the French film "Jeanne du Barry," in which he portrayed King Louis XV. This marks his first significant role following the scandal incited by his divorce proceedings. In the meantime, he has announced that he has no plans to return for the sixth installment of "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Johnny Depp: latest news and articles

Orlando Bloom admits he wants to return to the role of Will Turner — it's just a matter of the script
11 Jun 2025
Johnny Depp`s ex-wife Amber Heard has become a mother twice. She gave birth to twins
12 May 2025