Johnny Depp started smoking at 12, and played guitar in a rock band called The Flame. He lost his virginity to a groupie at 13, in the band's van. His parents divorced when Depp was in high school, and Depp soon dropped out to pursue music full-time. Rechristened The Kids and later Six Gun Method, the band moved to Los Angeles, and had their biggest moment as an opening act for Iggy Pop. Depp struggled to get by, but eventually met Nicolas Cage, who suggested he try auditioning for film and TV work. His first major role was in A Nightmare on Elm Street, as a young boy plagued by bad dreams. Depp sprang to fame in the lead role on the upstart Fox network's first show, 21 Jump Street, playing a baby-faced cop recruited to infiltrate high schools and young criminals' gangs. At the time, 21 Jump Street was Fox's biggest (and only) hit, but Depp abhorred being a "teen heartthrob" and left after three seasons.
[1] Slightly more than 1/8th Cherokee mostly via his maternal great-grandmother, Minnie, the remainder being various European ethnicities. In a 25 August 2002 interview on France5 TV, he described himself as "Pu-pu platter... combination of weird things. Indian, Irish, German and god knows what. Just a mutt, really."
Father: John Christopher Depp, Sr. (public engineer)
Mother: Betty Sue Wells (waitress)
Brother: Daniel P. Depp
Sister: Christie Dembrowski (b. 1961, Depp's personal manager)
Sister: Debbie
Wife: Lori Anne Allison (makeup artist, m. 1983, div. 1985)
Girlfriend: Sherilyn Fenn (together late 1980s, broken engagement)
Girlfriend: Winona Ryder (together 1990-93, broken engagement)
Girlfriend: Jennifer Grey (together mid-1990s, broken engagement)
Girlfriend: Kate Moss (together 1995-97, broken engagement)
Girlfriend: Vanessa Paradis (singer, cohabited 1998-2012, one daughter, one son)
Daughter: Lily-Rose Melody Depp (b. 27-May-1999)
Son: John Christopher "Jack" Depp III (b. 9-Apr-2002)
Wife: Amber Heard (together since 2012, m. 3-Feb-2015)
High School: Miramar High School, Miramar, FL
Hollywood Walk of Fame 16-Nov-1999 at 7020 Hollywood Blvd. (motion pictures)
Kentucky Colonel 1996
Criminal Mischief New York City 1994
Funeral: Hunter S. Thompson (2005)
Visited Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl premiere (28-Jun-2003)
Visited Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End premiere (19-May-2007)
Visited Disneyland as the Mad Hatter (11-May-2016)
Risk Factors: Smoking
TELEVISION
21 Jump Street Officer Tom Hanson (#2, 1987-90)
FILMOGRAPHY AS DIRECTOR
The Brave (10-May-1997)
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
City of Lies (8-Dec-2018)
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (8-Nov-2018)
The Professor (5-Oct-2018)
Murder on the Orient Express (3-Nov-2017)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (11-May-2017)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (8-Nov-2016)
Alice Through the Looking Glass (10-May-2016)
Yoga Hosers (24-Jan-2016)
Black Mass (4-Sep-2015)
Mortdecai (21-Jan-2015)
Into the Woods (8-Dec-2014)
Tusk (6-Sep-2014)
Transcendence (10-Apr-2014)
Lucky Them (6-Sep-2013)
The Lone Ranger (22-Jun-2013)
For No Good Reason (12-Oct-2012) · Himself
Dark Shadows (9-May-2012) · Barnabas Collins
Sunset Strip (16-Mar-2012) · Himself
The Rum Diary (13-Oct-2011) · Kemp
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (11-May-2011) · Jack Sparrow
Rango (3-Mar-2011) · Lars [VOICE]
The Tourist (8-Dec-2010) · Frank Tupelo
Alice in Wonderland (3-Mar-2010) · Mad Hatter
Public Enemies (18-Jun-2009) · John Dillinger
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (22-May-2009) · Imaginarium Tony #1
When You're Strange: A Film About The Doors (17-Jan-2009) · Narrator [VOICE]
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (20-Jan-2008) · Himself
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (21-Dec-2007)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (19-May-2007)
Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (20-Jan-2007) · Himself
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (25-Jun-2006)
Gypsy Caravan: When the Road Bends (1-May-2006) · Himself
Deep Sea (3-Mar-2006) [VOICE]
Corpse Bride (8-Sep-2005) [VOICE]
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (13-Jul-2005)
The Libertine (16-Sep-2004)
Finding Neverland (4-Sep-2004)
And They Lived Happily Ever After (14-May-2004)
Secret Window (12-Mar-2004) · Mort Rainey
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (11-Sep-2003) · Himself
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (27-Aug-2003) · Sands
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (28-Jun-2003) · Jack Sparrow
From Hell (8-Sep-2001)
Blow (29-Mar-2001)
Chocolat (15-Dec-2000) · Roux
Before Night Falls (3-Sep-2000)
The Man Who Cried (2-Sep-2000) · Cesar
Sleepy Hollow (17-Nov-1999)
The Astronaut's Wife (27-Aug-1999)
The Ninth Gate (25-Aug-1999) · Dean Corso
The Source (23-Jan-1999)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (22-May-1998) · Raoul Duke
The Brave (10-May-1997)
Donnie Brasco (28-Feb-1997) · Donnie
Cannes Man (1996) · Himself
Nick of Time (22-Nov-1995) · Gene Watson
Dead Man (26-May-1995) · William Blake
Don Juan DeMarco (7-Apr-1995) · Don Juan DeMarco
Ed Wood (28-Sep-1994) · Ed Wood
What's Eating Gilbert Grape (17-Dec-1993)
Benny & Joon (16-Apr-1993) · Sam
Arizona Dream (6-Jan-1993) · Axel
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (5-Sep-1991) · Teen on TV
Edward Scissorhands (7-Dec-1990) · Edward Scissorhands
Cry-Baby (6-Apr-1990) · Cry-Baby
Platoon (19-Dec-1986) · Lerner
Private Resort (3-May-1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (9-Nov-1984)
AKA John Christopher Depp, Jr.