Born in Kentucky and raised in Florida, Johnny Depp dropped out of school at 16 in hopes of making his way through the world as a musician. He fronted a series of garage bands; the most successful of these, The Kids, was the opening act for Iggy Pop. During slack times in the music business, Depp sold pens by phone. Visiting LA with his former wife, Depp made the acquaintance of actor Nicolas Cage, who encouraged him to give thesping a try. Depp's film debut was in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street; years after attaining stardom, Depp sentimentally played a cameo in the last of the Elm Street series. His climb to fame was accelerated in 1987, when he replaced Jeff Yagher in the role of undercover cop Tommy Hanson in the Canadian-filmed TV series 21 Jump Street. Biding his time in "teen heartthrob" roles, Depp was first given a chance to exhibit his exhausting versatility in the title role of Tim Burton's fantasy Edward Scissorhands (1990).

Depp has made a conscious and successful effort never to repeat himself in his subsequent characterizations. He continues to gain critical acclaim and increasing popularity for his performances, most notably in Benny & Joon (1993) in which he played a troubled young man who fancied himself the reincarnation of Buster Keaton, What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993), Ed Wood (1994), wherein Depp outdid himself with his outrageous but lovable portrayal of the angora-sweater-worshipping World's Worst Film Director, and Don Juan DeMarco (1995), in which he starred with Marlon Brando. Depp has been linked romantically to several female celebs, including Wynona Rider, Sherilyn Fenn and Kate Moss. Johnny Depp was also the owner of the Viper Room, a popular LA nightspot which gained notoriety when actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose on its doorstep.