John Christopher Depp II, widely known as Johnny Depp (born June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky), is an American actor.
Early life
He was born to John Christopher Depp, Sr. and Betty Sue Palmer
in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963 and was raised in Miramar,
Florida where his family moved in 1970. His family were of mostly
British, German and Cherokee descent, although the Depp family
descend from French Huguenots. The family moved from place to
place, over 20 times in total. His mother bought him a guitar
around the age of 13 and Depp began playing in garage bands.
His parents divorced in 1978, when he was 15, and it was
a year later that he decided to drop out of school to become
a rock musician. He played with a band named "The Kids,"
who had modest local success. The band set out for Los Angeles,
California to try to get a record deal, changing their name
to "Six Gun Method." He also married Lori Anne Allison,
the sister of the drummer of the band, on December 28, 1983.
This caused a ruckus between the band members and they split.
He has 1 brother and two sisters. They are all very active
in his career.
When a deal never materialized, he worked many odd jobs to
support himself, such as a telemarketer for pens and his wife
became a make-up artist. Later, he got into acting when his
wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp
to turn to acting to support himself and his wife.
His life
Depp is the father of two children, Lily-Rose and Jack, with
his partner, French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis. He and
his family divide their time between Los Angeles and a villa
in the South of France.
He is known for his choice of off-beat, diverse roles in
a number of genres, from Captain Jack Sparrow in the comedy
Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl, a man
who infiltrates the Mob in the drama (Donnie Brasco), corrupt
FBI Agent Sands in the action movie (Once Upon a Time in Mexico),
and opium addicted Inspector Abberline in the atmospheric
thrillers (From Hell).
Depp is also noted for his regular appearances in the films
of director Tim Burton; they have made five films together
to date: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride.
Depp, also a keen musician, can be found playing slide guitar
on the Oasis' "Fade In/Out", (from Be Here Now,
1997), on Shane MacGowan's first solo album, and as a member
of P, a group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes.
He also took part in The Fast Show, a British comic sketch
show after declaring his admiration for it.
Depp reportedly has several tattoos, including the Jolly
Roger emblem on his ankle and "Wino Forever". "Wino
Forever" was originally "Winona Forever" referring
to his relationship with Winona Ryder, but after their break-up,
Depp had the tattoo altered.
Depp played the role of Hunter S. Thompson in the film based
on the novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Johnny Depp
is a longtime fan of Thompson's work and funded the construction
of a giant cannon in the shape of a Gonzo fist that was used
to deploy Thompson's ashes. Depp also owns the gun and ammunition
Thompson used to kill himself.
Video game and movie fans await for confirmed information
as to if Johnny Depp will lend his voice to the upcoming sequel
of 2002's video game hit Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2,
where his character from Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Jack
Sparrow will appear with Depp's image and likeness.
Depp also directed and starred in The Brave, demonstrating
his sympathy for the plight of Native Americans. Depp is one
quarter Cherokee.
During Depp's career, he has gotten into some trouble. His
first arrest was in Vancouver for a late night altercation
in a hotel lobby. He was accused of selling drugs at his club
The Viper Room, after actor River Phoenix died in front of
the club from a drug overdose in 1993. In 1994, Depp was arrested
for allegedly causing serious damage to a New York hotel suite.
He was later arrested in 1999 for getting into a fight with
paparazzi outside a restaurant while dining in London with
his girlfriend, Vanessa Paradis.
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