Despite being one of the most idolized actors in Hollywood, going from a teen heartthrob, to being voted the sexiest man alive by People magazine at the age of 40, Johnny Depp’s career was not always smooth sailing. Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. His father was a city engineer, and his mother a waitress. But Johnny’s closest ties were with his grandfather, whom he referred to as “Pawpaw.” When Depp was seven, his grandfather passed away. Shortly after, the Depp family moved to Florida. Depp, upset over the move and his loss, began smoking, drinking and using drugs.
While attending church with his uncle back home, Depp began to grow a love for music. After convincing his mother to buy him a guitar for 25 bucks, Depp taught himself how to play. By the age of 16, he had dropped out of school to focus on a music career. He moved to Los Angeles with his first rock and roll band, “The Kids.” But after experiencing the overwhelming competition for stardom, Depp took a day job selling advertisements over the phone, just to pay the rent.
While Depp’s dream of becoming a rock star were spiraling down, his love life was in a different path. Depp married make-up artist Lori Anderson at the age of 20. Even though their marriage did not last long, it lasted long enough for Anderson to introduce Depp to a good friend, Nicholas Cage. Cage went on to introduce Depp to his agent. Thanks to Cage’s agent, Depp made his first debut in “Nightmare On Elm Street.” This began the career of the 1980’s teen idol.
Depp’s career did not exactly take off in the beginning. He played minor roles in several films and television movies. But that was about to change. Fox TV first approached Depp about doing a television series about a couple of policemen who worked undercover in schools to fight crime. Depp turned the offer down. But Fox did not give up. They approached him a second time, and Depp accepted. The television series, “21 Jump Street,” became an overnight success. Depp instantly became a teen heartthrob, worshipped by girls from all over.
After Depp’s career began to expand, so did his image in the media. Despite dating model Kate Moss and being engaged to actresses Jennifer Grey of “Dirty Dancing” and Sherilyn Fenn of “Twin Peaks,” Depp’s relationship with actress Winona Ryder attracted the most attention, though after the couple’s breakup in 1993, Depp had his tattoo, which said “Winona Forever” changed to “Wino Forever.” Depp stated that constantly being in the eye of the press, especially in a relationship, was becoming very damaging to his career goals. Depp’s life off the screen also took a turn for the worst when actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose outside of Depp’s nightclub, The Viper Room.
Depp tried to keep his head high. He focused on his career, which eventually earned him the respect of Hollywood’s finest.
Johnny Depp has been nominated for many awards including; an Oscar for his performance in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Golden Globe’s for “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Edward Scissorhands,” and “Benny and Joon.” He has also been nominated for other categories including Best Actor, Best Male Performance, Best Comedic Performance, Best Supporting actor, and Most Outstanding Performance by the cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture. Despite his many nominations, Depp has only actually won two awards; the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for favorite actor in a horror film, “Sleepy Hollow,” and the ALFS Award for Actor of the Year for the movie Ed Wood in 1994.
Some of Johnny Depps performances include: 2003’s “Pirates of the Caribbean,” 2001’s “Blow,” 1999’s “The Ninth Gate” and “The Astronauts Wife,” 1998’s “Fear and Loathing Las Vegas,” 1997’s “Donnie Brasco,” 1994’s “Ed Wood,” 1993’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” 1991’s “Freddy’s Dead; The Final Nightmare,” 1990’s “Cry-Baby” and “Edward Scissorhands,” 1987’s “21 Jump Street,” and 1984’s “A Nightmare On Elm Street.”
After naming Johnny Depp the sexiest man alive, People magazine stated “because he arrived at his new, happy place without selling out, without becoming slick or packaged or politically incorrect, he is a hero to his fans and an idol to his young co-stars.” The magazine also stated, “But he is finally coming to terms with his own charisma.”
Depp currently lives in France with wife and mother of his two children, Vanessa Paradis, a French singer.