Johnny Depp Biography
Fast Facts
John Christopher Depp II
Height: 5'10"
He was very close to his mother, Betty Sue, and even closer to his grandfather whom he called "Pawpaw". (Depp was known as "Depp" or "Deppity Dog")
As a child he was interested in Evel Knievel and WWII.
He didn't like school and even went so far as to get himself suspended one time for mooning a gym teacher.
He was married to Lori Anderson from 1983-1985.
Depp has found romantic happiness with Vanessa Paradis. He lives with her and their two children, Lily-Rose Melody (born in 1999) and Jack (born in 2002), in the South of France.
Purchase A&E's Johnny Depp Biography DVD and see how he transcended his early image to become one of the most successful actors of his generation.
Johnny Depp
Biography
"I'm not Blockbuster Boy"
Johnny Depp is an extremely talented person full of surprises. He enjoys expressing himself creatively and anything that would put him in a creative "rut" means death to him. He is an artist first, an actor second. His first ambition was to be a musician. He actually taught himself to play the guitar his mother bought him when he was growing into his teenage years...later he would enjoy some success as a "garage rocker".
He joined a band called "The Flame" and started working in nightclubs with them even though he wasn't yet old enough to do so legally...he would sneak in and out through the back door of these establishments. Eventually, the band changed their name to "The Kids" and began to take off opening for such acts as The Talking Heads, The B-52's, and Iggy Pop.
The band decided to re-locate to Los Angeles and soon thereafter Johnny married Lori Anne Allison who was 5 years his senior. He was supporting himself between gigs by selling ballpoint pens by phone. Lori suggested he try acting and introduced him to Nicholas Cage...he then obtained an audition with Wes Craven. Because Wes Craven asked his young daughter for advice on who to cast for the part in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984), and she had been enamoured by Johnny...so he landed the role of a boyfriend who gets swallowed up by a bed.
In 1987, he took a leap into stardom playing the role
of undercover policeman Tommy Hanson in the popular Canadian-filmed TV
series 21 Jump Street. But he became distressed over the fact that now he
had become a teen idol and was quickly getting into the rut of being
typecast for his looks. In 1990, after numerous roles in teen films, Depp
received an opportunity to exhibit his exhausting versatility in the title
role of Tim Burton's fantasy Edward Scissorhands.
He jumped on the chance to change his image in Edward Scissorhands and his
decision paid off. The movie going public saw another side to Johnny they
hadn't been exposed to before.
After the film's triumph, Depp carved a niche for himself as a
grave,
fairly dark, distinctive performer, unfailingly selecting roles that
surprise critics and audiences alike. He continued to build-up critical
praise
and increasing popularity for his performance, most notably in Benny & Joon
(1993) and in the title role of What's Eating Gilbert Grape(1993), which cast him
as a young man unhappy with the restrictions of his small-town life. In
1994, he re-united with Burton in the lead role of Ed Wood.
Other credits include Donnie Brasco (1997), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), The Astronaut's Wife (1999), Sleepy Hollow (1999...he played Ichabod Crane), Chocolat, Blow (2001), From Hell (2001), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2002).
In 2004, the actor was nominated for an Academy Award for his excellent work in the Disney adventure Pirates of the Caribbean.
Future projects include an adaptation of Stephen King's Two Past Midnight: Secret Window, Secret Garden.
I would like to acknowledge A&E's Biography website for the information gathered above.
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Plunge into the wild world of George Jung, drug smuggler extraordinaire and the
inspiration for the Johnny Depp film Blow.
