Johnny Depp in SECRET WINDOW

Johnny Depp (1963 - )

Johnny Depp was born John Christopher Depp II on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. Johnny goes by the nicknames "Mr. Stench" (self-chosen) and "Colonel", given to him by Hunter Thompson.

Johnny dropped out of school at age 15 in hopes of becoming a rock musician. He has maintained a love for music ever since, his musical career consisting of a series of garage bands, including a band named "The Kids" who once opened for Iggy Pop. Depp currently plays in a band called "P.". He was featured on a rock album from British band, Oasis, where he plays lead slide-guitar on the track "Fade In-Out." Johnny also appeared in Tom Petty's 1991 music video, "Into The Great Wide Open." Recently Depp wrote his own theme music for the soundtrack CD of ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (2003); Sands (#9).

Before his superstar status, Depp worked as a ballpoint pen salesman to support himself and his first wife, Lori Anne Allison. For many years now, however, Johnny has been invovled with model Vanessa Paradisthe. They currently have two children whom Johnny named after the main characters of the 1985 film LEGEND, Lily and Jack, born 1999 and 2002.

In 1984 Johnny Depp made his film debut with the film classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. By 1987 however, Depp was a household name with his performances in the 1987 TV series "21 Jump Street".

After the filming of 1999's SLEEPY HOLLOW, Johnny Depp adopted the horse, Goldeneye, that starred as Ichabod Crane's steed, so as to save him from the ill-fated glue factory.

Johnny Depp has starred in several of Tim Burton movies including EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990) in which Depp starred as a tragic anti-hero. His performance as such penned Depp as a somewhat gothically idiosyncratic performer and has since then been apporpriately cast in a multitude of unconventional roles.

His other three Burton collaborations include 1994's ED WOOD, 1999's SLEEPY HOLLOW, and the recent blockbuster, 2005's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY. He is currently working on his next Burton film, THE CORPSE BRIDE due for release sometime in 2005. It seems Depp and Burton have developed a close friendship over many years of collaborating efforts. In return, Depp wrote the foreword to Mark Salisbury's biography of Tim Burton, 'Burton on Burton'. In fact, Depp credits Burton's belief in the actor as the force that rescued Depp from becoming "a loser, an outcast, just another piece of expendable Hollywood meat".

To date, Depp has starred in six films where the film title parallels the name of the character he plays; EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990), CRY-BABY (1990), WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE (1993), ED WOOD (1994), DON JUAN DeMARCO (1995), and 1997's DONNIE BRASCO.

Depp received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 19,1999.

Depp owns the L.A. nightclub, The Viper Room, which is located at 8852 Sunset Boulevard. Before Depp turned it into The Viper Room however, the building was owned by famous gangster Bugsy Siegel. Several years back Depp lost his good friend River Phoenix in the Viper Room after Phoenix died from a drug overdose.

Depp is a very proud father who dons a tattoo of his son's name's, Jack, on his arm, and sports a beaded bracelet made by his daughter, Lily Rose.

When Johnny was engaged to Winona Ryder, he had "Winona forever" tattooed on his arm. After the break up however, he had the last two letters of her name surgically removed so that the tattoo currently reads, "Wino forever".

Depp was chosen by Empire magazine as the #1 sexiest star in "100 Sexiest Stars in Film History" (1995). That same year Johnny was voted Empire's (UK) "Sexiest Male Movie Star of All Time". Two years later in October,1997, Depp appeared again in the rankings for Empire; this time he was ranked #67 in the "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All-Time" list. Moreover, Depp has been chosen by People (USA) Magazine as one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 1996 and 2001. In 2003 he was People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive". Recently, Johnny was ranked #4 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 25 Greatest Teen Idols" in the January,2005 issue. Depp was also ranked #5 on VH1's "100 Hottest Hotties."

But the accolades don't stop there. It seems Johnny Depp's gothic allure has penned him as sexy as he is talented. Johnny was recognized for the former by E! for their "Top 20 Entertainers of 2001". His sex appeal was later recognized by E! in 2003 when they ranked him #2 on their "25 Sexiest Entertainers" and as E!'s #1 "Entertainer of the Year" that same year, (2003).

Johnny Depp's other notable credits include...