Johnny Depp is arguably the most versatile actor working in the Hollywood film industry today. His first film role was in Nightmare on Elm Street and he’s since gone on to feature in dozens of major films, from the Pirates of the Caribbean series and Alice in Wonderland and its sequel, to Edward Scissorhands, The Tourist, Into the Woods, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow, Rango and many, many more. Here are 11 fascinating facts about the actor known for his eccentric and often iconic roles.
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He was named the most overpaid actor in both 2015 and 2016, returning $2.80 for every $1 he was paid in 2016 and a measly $1.20 for every $1 he was paid in 2015
2. When he was a child his family moved around a lot; he lived in more than 20 different places before the family settled in Miramar, Florida
3. He always credits Nicolas Cage with giving his acting career the kickstart it needed; when Cage fell into debt, Depp paid off his debt as a way of thanking him for helping to start his acting career
4. He takes his Jack Sparrow costume with him whenever he travels because he loves visiting kids in hospital and putting on improvised shows for them
5. He’s amassed a collection of over 20 tattoos and had one saying ‘Winona Forever’ when he became engaged to Winona Ryder; however after they split, he had it changed to read ‘Wino Forever’
6. He’s been engaged a total of five times and has been married and divorced twice
7. He once nearly got mugged, but when the mugger realised who he was, he stopped and said ‘I ain’t stealing from Captain Jack’
8. After finishing Sleepy Hollow, he heard that the horse was going to be put down so he adopted it to give it a bit longer to live
9. He’s been nominated for the Best Actor award at The Oscars three times but has never won; the three films are: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Finding Neverland (2004) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
10. His initial dream was to become a rock star and for a while he tried to become a professional rock star before gradually switching over to acting
11. His mother gave him a guitar when he was 12 and after performing with a number of garage bands, he eventually went to Los Angeles with his band The Kids to sign a record contract
