Johnny Depp II, born on June 9, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky, to Betty Sue Palmer and John Christopher Depp, a civil engineer, was raised in Florida. He dropped out of school at 15 and fronted music-garage bands, including 'The Kids', before marrying Lori A. Depp and working as a ballpoint-pen salesman.
After a visit to Los Angeles with his wife, he met Nicolas Cage, who advised him to pursue acting, leading to his film debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).
In 1987, Depp starred in the popular TV series 21 Jump Street, replacing Jeff Yagher as undercover cop Tommy Hanson. He then appeared in numerous teen-oriented films before collaborating with director Tim Burton in Edward Scissorhands (1990).
Following Edward Scissorhands' success, Depp established himself as a serious, idiosyncratic performer, consistently choosing roles that surprised critics and audiences. He continued to gain critical acclaim and popularity, reuniting with Burton in Ed Wood (1994) and appearing in films such as Donnie Brasco (1997),Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998),and The Astronaut's Wife (1999).
Depp has played many characters, including Insp. Fred Abberline in From Hell (2001),and stole the show in Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003). He starred in the family blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) as Capt. Jack Sparrow, earning an Oscar nomination.
He has appeared in films such as Secret Window (2004),Finding Neverland (2004),and The Libertine (2004),and collaborated with Burton again in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005),Alice in Wonderland (2010),and Dark Shadows (2012).
Off-screen, Depp has dated several celebrities, including Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder, and Kate Moss, and was married to Lori Anne Allison, Vanessa Paradis, and Amber Heard. He has two children with Paradis: Lily-Rose Melody and John Christopher "Jack" III.
