Television roles
Depp starred in a lead role on the Fox television series, 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1989 Depp accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Depp's long-time friend Sal Jenco joined the cast as a semi-co-star as the janitor named Blowfish. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s.Despite this success, Depp felt "forced into the role of product."Depp subsequently decided to appear only in films that he felt were right for him.Depp and his co-stars, Peter DeLuise and Holly Robinson, briefly reprised their roles in cameo appearances in the series' 2012 feature film adaptation, which featured a much more comedic tone than the series.
Film roles Depp's first major role was in the 1984 classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, playing the boyfriend of the heroine, Nancy Thompson (played byHeather Langenkamp) and one of Freddy Krueger's victims. Depp was the first choice and was cast to star in the 1986 American skater drama filmThrashin', chosen and cast by the director but ultimately rejected by the film's producer. In 1986, he appeared in a secondary role as aVietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. In 1990, he undertook the quirky title role of the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. The film's success began his long association with Burton. Depp, a fan and long-time friend of writer Hunter S. Thompson, played a version of Thompson (named Raoul Duke) in 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on the writer's pseudobiographical novel of the same name. Depp accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours. In 2006, Depp contributed a foreword to Gonzo: Photographs by Hunter S. Thompson, a posthumous biography published by ammobooks.com. In 2008, he narrated the documentary film Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Depp paid for most of Thompson's memorial event, complete with fireworks and the shooting of Thompson's ashes by a cannon, in Aspen, Colorado, where Thompson lived. He returned to Thompson's work with a film adaptation of the novel The Rum Diary, released in 2011. Critics have described Depp's roles as characters who are "iconic loners." Depp has noted this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison,"but he thought the studios never understood the films and did not do a good job of marketing. Depp has chosen roles which he found interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office. |
The 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a major success, in which Depp's performance as the suave but shambling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. Studio bosses were more ambivalent at first, but the character became popular with the movie-going public. According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp was a major draw for audiences. The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's character closely resembles the actor's personality, but Depp said he modeled the character after The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. Depp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.
In 2004, he was again nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance as Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. Depp next starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a major success at the box office and earning him a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. Depp reprised the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), and On Stranger Tides(2011), which were each also major box office successes. Depp has said that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me," and he even voiced the character in the video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow. His swashbuckling sword talents, as developed for the character of Sparrow, were highlighted in the documentary film Reclaiming the Blade. Within the film, swordmaster Bob Anderson shared his experiences working with Depp on the choreography for The Curse of the Black Pearl. Anderson described Depp's ability as an actor to pick up the sword to be "about as good as you can get." Depp and Gore Verbinski were executive producers of the album Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. Depp played the title role ofSweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Depp thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and praised Tim Burton for his "unwavering trust and support." Depp played the former Heath Ledger character in the 2009 film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell. All three actors gave their salaries from the film to Ledger's daughter, Matilda. He portrayed the Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and the protagonist of Rango. In 2007, Depp accepted Warner Bros.' proposal to make a film of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, a series that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. He had been a fan as a child. Depp andGraham King produced the movie with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions inc. until Curtis died in 2006. Depp starred as Tonto in 2013's The Lone Ranger, opposite Armie Hammeras the title character http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Depp |
Filmography
- The Lone Ranger (2013) Tonto
- Dark Shadows (2012)- Barnabas Collins
- 21 Jump Street (2012)- Tom Hanson
- The Rum Diary (2011)- Paul Kemp
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)- Jack Sparrow
- Rango (2011)- Rango / Lars
- The Tourist (2010)- Frank Tupelo
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)- The Mad Hatter
- Public Enemies (2009)- John Dillinger
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)- Imaginarium Tony #1
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)- Sweeney Todd
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)- Jack Sparrow
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)- Jack Sparrow
- Corpse Bride (2005)- Victor Van Dort (voice)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)- Willy Wonka
- The Libertine (2004)- Rochester
- Finding Neverland (2004)- Sir James Matthew Barrie
- And They Lived Happily Ever After (2004)- L’inconnu. The DVD title is ‘Happily Ever After’.
- Secret Window (2004)- Mort Rainey
- Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003)- Sands
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)- Jack Sparrow
- From Hell (2001)- Inspector Frederick Abberline
- Blow (2001)- George Jung
- Chocolat (2000)- Roux
- Before Night Falls (2000)- Bon Bon / Lieutenant Victor
- The Man Who Cried (2000)- Cesar
- Sleepy Hollow (1999)- Ichabod Crane
- The Astronaut’s Wife (1999)- Commander Spencer Armacost
- The Ninth Gate (1999)- Dean Corso
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)- Raoul Duke
- The Brave (1997)- Raphael. Depp also directed this film.
- Donnie Brasco (1997)- Donnie Brasco / Joseph D. ‘Joe’ Pistone
- Nick of Time (1995)- Gene Watson
- Dead Man (1995)- William Blake
- Don Juan DeMarco (1994)- Don Juan
- Ed Wood (1994)- Ed Wood
- What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)- Gilbert Grape
- Benny & Joon (1993)- Sam
- Arizona Dream (1993)- Axel Blackmar. The film is also known as ‘The Arrowtooth Waltz’.
- Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare- Guy on TV
- Edward Scissorhands (1990)- Edward Scissorhands
- Cry-Baby (1990)- Cry-Baby
- Platoon (1986)- Lerner
- Slow Burn (1986- television movie)- Donnie Fleischer
- Private Resort (1985)- Jack
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)- Glen Lantz