Johnny Depp Career
His first major acting role was in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street. He played Glen, the boyfriend of the lead character. His time on screen was shortlived as he became one of Freddy's early victims. Other roles quickly followed including Beasts of Prey, Lady Blue and Slow Burn.
In 1986 he got what he calls his first proper acting role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. This was his first serious part that would show his acting talents to Hollywood executives and film studios.
Depp's career exploded in 1987 with a lead role on the hit FOX TV series, 21 Jump Street. The show was a huge success and turned him into a big star and popular teen idol. He felt uncomfortable being a teen idol and said from then on he would only accept roles that he felt were right for him.
In 1990 Depp decidedly tried to move away from his teen idol image by playing the eccentric oddball title character in Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands. The film's success led Depp to star in several of Burton's films, including Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005) and Sweeney Todd (2007).
His film character choices have been interesting if unusual and in 1998 he played Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The film is based on Hunter S Thompson's pseudobiographical novel of the same name.
Depp's career reached new heights with the success of the 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. His portrayal of pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, described as one of the most popular performances of recent times, was highly praised and he was nominated for an Academy Award for the role. Depp said that he modelled the character after Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.
In 2004 he played a different type of character, Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. His acting was again highly praised, resulting in an other Academy Award nomination.
He went back to working with Tim Burton in 2005 for the film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He starred as Willy Wonka and the film was a success at the box office.
Next was the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in 2006. The film was a huge box office success, grossing $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release.
In 2007 Depp again returned to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow for the third Pirates of the Caribbean installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. He has expressed his deep attachment to the character, stating Captain Jack Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me."
Johnny Depp Fan Site
