Rebel With a Clue
By Kaya Morgan

Mysterious and somewhat elusive, Johnny Depp exudes a Dean Martin kind of cool. Yet, for People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive,” it’s been a bizarre and bumpy road. Once the perennial rebel, he tried his hand as a rock star, only to see the band split. He moved into serious acting, only to have his credibility destroyed by accidentally becoming a teen pin-up. Then, defying his idol-status, he threw himself into the cinematic underground and slowly, slowly, proved himself to be one of the most adventurous and genuinely bohemian actors of his generation.

Born John Christopher Depp II on June 9th, 1963, in Owensboro, Kentucky — the “barbecue capital of the world”–– his father, John Senior, was a city engineer; his mother, Betty Sue, a waitress and homemaker. But John II was closest to his grandfather, Pawpaw. Nicknamed Deppity Dawg as a child, Johnny recalls spending many happy days picking tobacco together, and it was a terrible shock for him when, at only seven, Pawpaw died. Adding to hs trauma, the Depp’s moved to Florida and the family lived in at least a dozen motels. They constantly shifted from place to place until John Senior finally secured work as director of public works at Miramar. Johnny’s older siblings, sisters Debbie and Christie (now his personal manager), and brother Danny (known as DP, now a screenwriter) tried to shield Johnny from some of the realities of life but Johnny went off the rails. He cut school. Suspended. Mooned a teacher. Smoked. Drank. Did drugs. Committed vandalism. All good character-building material for later in his career.

Always close to his mother, Johnny’s life was again once in upheaval when his parents divorced. Even today, he sports a tattoo of her name on his arm. Betty Sue gave him a guitar and, like millions before him, retired to his room and taught himself to play. A competent garage-rocker, Johnny opted out of high school at age 16, and joined a variety of groups until he eventually earned $25 a night playing the Florida nightclub circuit. When his band changed its name to Kids, they took off, made a sudden impact, and found themselves supporting such luminaries as Talking Heads, B-52’s and Iggy Pop (who often referred to him as the “little turd”).

The band headed for Los Angeles, renaming themselves The Rock City Angels, but found that competition in L.A. was unexpectedly fierce and gigs were sparse. Johnny’s then-wife, Lori Anne Allison, a make-up artist, introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who saw star quality in the young Depp, and introduced him to his own agent.

The upward spiral began.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) was Depp’s film debut, quickly followed by Private Resort (1985), and then ––after graduation from acting classes at LA's Loft Studio–– the Oscar-winning Platoon (1986).

Slow Burn (1986) was his only exposure to the small screen but, later that year, Johnny was persuaded to appear on a short-term, Canadian-filmed, teen-targeted television series called 21 Jump Street to show on the then-new Fox network. Initially refusing the role, Depp eventually remained on the show for three years. Then, at 23, Johnny found himself posted on the wall of every teenage girl and teen magazine cover, and he felt it would limit his acting.

Depp then drew praise for his performances in Donnie Brasco (with Al Pacino), What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and his almost silent tour-de-force, Edward Scissorhands. But he’s also done well in romantic roles, playing Don Juan DeMarco (alongside Marlon Brando) in the film of the same name, and opposite Juliette Binoche in Chocolat. A film chameleon, he’s portrayed a joyous transvestite director in Ed Wood, a boisterous rabble-rouser in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a sleazy CIA agent in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and a swashbuckling pirate in Disney’s monster hit, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

Ultimately, Johnny’s complications and contradictions —both on screen and off — have been the source of his allure. Having had his share of tabloid smears, Depp’s been arrested for trashing a posh New York hotel room, charged with an alleged assault with a plank of wood on swarming paparazzi, and once admitted to People magazine that he regularly cuts his own arms to mark important events in his life.

Depp can be quite sweet and mannerly. He could dress like a dustman and still be devastatingly handsome, and not surprisingly, he’s been involved with a wide variety of leading ladies, having had more ex-fiancées than most men have had girlfriends, including Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder and Kate Moss. To call him a Ladies man would understate the case. He was the Bachelor’s Bachelor.

But, at a dinner party in Paris in 1994, Depp met French actress and singer, Vanessa Paradis. While preparing for hisrole in Roman Polanski's 1998 film, Ninth Gate, they spotted each other again in a restaurant. Their eyes locked from across the room and — just like in the movies — kismet. Now with daughter Lily-Rose and son Jack in tow, they divide time between a medieval-style house in L.A. and a second home on the French Riviera.

Despite the oddball, wacky characters he favors, Depp has chosen his projects with care for artistic merit, zigzagging between the mainstream and the fringes. Without selling out, without becoming slick or packaged or politically correct, Johnny has remained red hot, not to mention one of Hollywood’s most talented and sought-after actors — which explains why just about every movie maker in the business wants to work with Johnny Depp.