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John Christopher Depp,
II was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro,
Kentucky. His parents
were John
Christopher Depp, Sr. and Betty Sue
Palmer. Johnny has two sisters,
Christie
and Debby; and one brother, Danny.
Johnny's father was a city engineer and
his mother a
waitress. Johnny was very
close to his mother, but maybe even closer
to his grandfather,
who he knew as
Pawpaw. Johnny recalls happy times
with his grandfather, and it was a
real
shock to him when his grandfather passed away; Johnny was
only seven years old.
Soon after, Johnny's family moved to Florida, which
proved to be rough on the children,
especially Johnny.
By his early teens, Johnny found himself getting into quite a bit of
mischief,
including drinking and drugs. Back in Kentucky, Johnny had discovered his love
for music in
his Uncle's church. Now a teenager,
his mother bought him a guitar, which
Johnny
learned to play on his own. With
hopes of becoming a rock musician, Johnny
soon
found himself in a series of garage
bands, including one called The Kids.
They opened for
several big bands, but
they soon found that they weren't making it.
Having dropped out
of school at 17, Johnny
began to search for fame. So, after
his parents' divorce, he
moved with the band to Los Angeles.
There he met make-up artist, Lori Allison,
and at age
20, Johnny was married.
Soon the band was struggling to find
work, and Lori suggested
that Johnny try
acting . She introduced him to her
friend, Nicolas Cage, who insisted that
Johnny talk to
his agent., Ilene Feldman. Ilene got
Johnny an audition for an upcoming
movie by
Wes Craven. Liking what he saw, Craven gave
Johnny his first movie role in
"Nightmare On Elm Street". Johnny Depp was on his
way to stardom, and he didn't even
know it.
Music was still Johnny's first love, but it
just wasn't happening for him and his
band.
So, after his divorce from Lori, Johnny
pursued his career in acting.. In
1986, he
won a part in Oliver Stone's
"Platoon", but it would be his last role for a time. He
guest-
starred on several TV series, and in
the movie "Slow Burn" with Eric Roberts and
Beverly
D'Angelo. Finally Johnny was
approached by Fox for a new TV series called
"21
Jumpstreet", but Johnny turned down the
role. He felt it wasn't the right part for a
serious actor. But the producers of
the show knew that no one else was right for
the part,
so they came to Johnny again, and this time he accepted the role.
So...Johnny became
Officer Tom Hanson on 21 Jumpstreet, a role that he felt might last one
season. But he
was very wrong;
21 Jumpstreet was a hit,, and Tom Hanson was
the most popular
character! The show ran from
1987 - 1990. Johnny became a teen
idol, much to his
dislike. So,
when the infamous John Waters offered him a role in his
movie, "Crybaby" in
1989, Johnny jumped at
the chance to shed his "pretty-boy" image.
To further set himself
apart from this
image, Johnny took the role of a
pasty-faced, horribly scarred character
in
Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" in 1990.
Expressing himself with only his eyes
and
movements, Johnny was outstanding!
Johnny has now made numerous movies; most of
which he could have been the traditional leading man, but instead, he has chosen the
unusual and odd roles. He has proven to be
a dedicated actor, and one that has never
been
eager to trade on his good looks, but
has instead turned down many a famous
role, such as
Lestat in "Interview With A
Vampire", a role taken by Tom Cruise;
"Speed", which made
Keanu Reeves a star; and
Brad Pitt's part in "Legends Of The Fall";
to name just a few.
After his movie,
"From Hell", in 2001, Johnny lay
quiet for a short time, that is until he
splashed back onto
the big screen in 2003 in "Pirates of the
Caribbean", where he played
the adventurous
Captain John Sparrow. The movie was
based on Disney's theme park ride,
and it
was a smash hit! Johnny has since then starred
in "Once Upon A Time In Mexico" in
2003, and
"Secret Window" in 2004.
Johnny also starred in "Finding Neverland",
which is
based upon the life of playwright, J.M. Barrie.
And...in 2005, he brought Willy Wonka back
to life
in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".
He then followed that up with "The Corpse
Bride",
where he lent his voice to his character in
2005. Then in 2006, Johnny starred in
"The
Libertine", and he brought one of our
favorite characters back to life when
Pirates of
the
Caribbean 2 - Dead Man's Chest sailed back
into theatres. Aside from his acting career,
Johnny is now the proud father of two
children by his wife, French
actress/singer, Vanessa
Paradis. Their
daughter, Lily-Rose Melody Depp, was born in 1999,
and their son, Jack, was
born in 2002.
Although Johnny still has a home in the United States, he currently resides
in France
with his family. Johnny Depp has
become one of the great actors of our time,
and
although he has a star in Hollywood, and he's
been nominated twice for an Oscar and for a
Golden Globe, he has yet to be honored as he
more than deserves!
But...for those of us who
truly realize who
this man is, he has won every award in our
book! |
