Johnny Depp

Depp formed a bond with his mother's second husband, singer Robert Palmer, whom he cited as an inspirational person in his life.

In December of 1983, he married the sister of one of the band members of ‘Rock City Angels’, Lori Anne Allison. He supported himself financially by working as a telemarketer while his wife worked as a makeup artist. But the marriage culminated in a divorce two years later.

In 1986, he became engaged to, but never married, a then aspiring actress named Sherilyn Fenn but the relationship ended in the later '80s.

Johnny Depp was born on June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky. The youngest of the four children of John Christopher Depp and Elizabeth "Betty" Sue Wells, Depp's early aspirations were rooted in a deep appreciation of rock music.

The actor’s early years were also influenced by frequent moves throughout his childhood since his father was civil engineer. By 1970, Johnny and his family called Miramar, Florida home.

At the age of 12, he received a guitar as a gift from his mother, which would soon inspire him to play in local garage bands.

Depp's parents divorced when he was fifteen. He dropped out of high school to pursue his love of rock music. The aspiring musician made his way to Los Angeles where he was part of ‘Six Gun Method’, a band that broke up before being signed to label. He did, however, get signed to ‘Geffen Records’ as a member of the band ‘Rock City Angels’.

In the early 1980s, Johnny's wife, Lori, introduced her husband to a young actor by the name of Nicholas Cage, who encouraged him to pursue a career in acting.

Johnny Depp's first acting role was as a boyfriend of the lead character, Nancy, in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' in 1984. While Depp's character met an early demise, his acting career continued to thrive as he earned a small role in Oliver Stone's 'Platoon', playing a Vietnamese-speaking private.

In early 1987, he made his television debut in what would become his breakthrough role as Tom Hanson, an undercover cop posing as a high school student on the hit television series '21 Jump Street'.

His next movie role was in 'Cry Baby' in 1990. While not a big hit at the box office, the campy movie has since become a cult classic. Later that year, he starred as the title character in 'Edward Scissorhands', the first of many collaborations with director Tim Burton.

Depp followed up the success of 'Edward Scissorhands' with 'Benny & Joon' and 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape' in 1993, both considered sleeper hits. He displayed his diversity as an actor in 'Arizona Dream', also released in the same year.

Proving that he’s more interested in the characters he plays rather than box office potential, the skilled actor teamed with Burton to play the title role in 'Ed Wood,' a 1994 tribute to the notoriously inept director.

Johnny Depp emerged as a star worth paying attention to with his performance in 'Edward Scissorhands'. The dark romantic fantasy cast a spell on audiences due to its tragic love story plot. Released on December 7, 1990 in the United States, the movie went on to bring in nearly $90 million at the box office.

'Donnie Brasco' once again shows his ability to reflect the characteristics and mannerisms of his character. What's unique about his performance in this movie is that he comes across as entirely believable, further displaying his versatility as an actor, as an FBI agent working undercover to capture dangerous mobsters. The movie was both a critical and financial success, raking in nearly $125 million at the box office.

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' film series has proven to be one of the most significant works from Depp. It's considered among the star's major career achievements due to the universal appeal of the film series and his charismatic interpretation of Captain Jack Sparrow character.