60 years of Johnny Depp in 10 iconic roles

Sixty years, 40 years of career and almost 100 films. Johnny Depp celebrates the halfway point as king of the French box office; his Jeanne du Barryafter the preview in Cannes, is at the top of the receipts on the other side of the Alps. A birthday in the sign of revenge for eternity Jack Sparrowconfirmed as testimonial of the fragrance Sauvage by Christian Dior with a record contract from over 20 million dollars: the highest ever for a masculine perfume. Furthermore, he will soon start shooting his second film as director, a biopic on Modigliani. The dark times of the judicial battle against ex-wife Amber Heard seem like a distant memory now.

The Hollywood idol (the same one that boycotted him) will blow up 60 candles dipped in Somerset English countrysideafter breaking his ankle which forced him to cancel the tour with the Hollywood Vampires. Eclectic and controversial, he has leapt to the top of the sexiest rankings on the planet for decades. He came close to the Oscar three timesagain for best leading actor, for The curse of the first moon (2004), Neverland – A dream for life (2005) and for Sweeney Todd – The evil barber of Fleet Street (2008) which earned him a Golden Globes.

John Christopher Depp II was born in Owensboroa small industrial center of the Kentucky. In the 80’s, he was a young penniless guitarist who played in a punk band called The Kids. To make ends meet, she chose to pursue acting debuting at age 21 in the role of Glen Lantz in Nightmare – From the depths of the night: first chapter of the successful horror saga with Freddy Krueger. Subsequently, he replaces Jeff Yagher in the crime series 21 Jump Street in which it becomes very popular (especially among girls). The turning point of his extraordinary career takes place with the meeting of Pygmalion Tim Burton which will generate 8 moviesstarting with the classic Edward scissor hands. We celebrate the cinema icon’s 60 years with 10 unforgettable roles.

Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street (1987-1991)

The young officer who deals with juvenile crimes in the cult crime series. He replaces Jeff Yagher and becomes very popular (especially among girls) so much so that, at the time, the rookie actor received up to 4,000 letters a week from fans.

Edward scissor hands (1990)

The turning point of his extraordinary career comes with the encounter with Pygmalion Tim Burton who will generate 8 films, starting with the gothic fairy tale shot alongside Winona Ryder with whom he will be a couple from 1989 to 1993. To her, the sex symbol actor dedicated the “Winona forever” tattoo on his right bicep and which after the breakup he changed to “Wino Forever” (“Drunk forever”). He was forced to lose 11 kg in order to slip into the suit in straps and studs of the «dummy boy».

Gilbert Grape in Happy Birthday Mr Grape (1993)

For Lasse Hallström, he plays the older brother of a very young Leonardo DiCaprio with autism. Johnny and Leo weren’t exactly best friends; on the set, in fact, Depp was annoyed by his colleague who tormented him by constantly talking about video games.

Ed Wood (1994)

From Tim Burton, the biopic on the “worst director in the history of Hollywood”. To step into the role of the king of B-movies, the actor imagined himself a character halfway between Ronald Reagan and The Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Donnie Brasco (1997)

The true story of FBI agent Joe Pistone who infiltrates the New York mafia, gaining the trust of a boss, with the fictitious name that gives the film its title. It was Al Pacino who wanted Depp alongside him, in the feature film by Mike Newell.

Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

The ex Monty Python Terry Gilliam drags us into the hallucinogenic adventures of Gonzo and Duke (Benicio del Toro) from the cult reportage of the Rolling Stone. Johnny Depp embodies Hunter S. Thompson, the feisty father of so-called gonzo journalism. It was Gozo/Thompson himself who shaved the actor’s skull. They were in the writer’s kitchen, and Depp refused to look in the mirror.

Jack Sparrow ne The saga of the Pirates of the Caribbean (2003-2017)

The geeky Captain Jack Sparrow is iconic: fans of Johnny Depp and the franchise originated from are well aware of it The curse of the first moon by Gore Verbinski who brought the star, for the first time, to the Oscars. To give life to the sexiest pirate on the planet, the actor was inspired by Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. On the exotic set, Depp wore contact lenses that doubled as sunglasses so he never squinted at the camera.

James Matthew Barrie in Neverland (2004)

For director Marc Forster, Depp takes on the role of the legendary «father» of Peter Pan looking for inspiration. On set, the actor was so impressed with little Freddie Highmore’s performance that he cast him in the remake The Chocolate Factory (2005).

Sweeney Todd (2007)

The Evil Barber of Fleet Street marks the sixth collaboration with mentor Tim Burton. The transposition of the musical of the same name by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler earned him a Golden Globe for best actor. On set, Depp was having difficulty handling the razor and begged the design department to build him a mechanical one that opened with a button.

Tarrant Hightop in Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Dance the “delusion” in the Mad Hatter’s patch top hat. On the set, the actor injured himself to perform the manic dance inspired by the novel by Lewis Carroll. To perfect his character’s Glaswegian accent, Depp watched the Scottish sitcom Rab C. Nesbitt (1988).