Originally, I was going to take the main star from
Fish Tank, Katie Jarvis, as my actor to study. However, she has only been in one film, and so there wasn't much to write. Instead, I took one of my favourite actors, whom I already know quite a bit about, Johnny Depp.
In 1983, after being in various rock bands, Depp married Lori Allison, a make up artist. It was Lori who got him into acting - she introduced him to Nicholas Cage, who encouraged him to persue an acting career. Depp's first job was on the television show 12 Jump Street, in which he played the main character. The show ran from 1987, and this became his launch into film. However, his first film role was in the still popular
Nightmare on Elm Street, in which he played Krueger's first victim, the boyfriend of a main character. After these two castings, Depp decided to break away from the 'teenage heartthrob' image he'd been typecasted as, and starred in
Edward Scissorhands, with a director who soon became a close friend in both his work and life, Tim Burton. He's starred in many of Burton's films, including the remake of
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and
Alice in Wonderland, all in which he played eccentric characters far from his original typecast. However, Depp does a large amount of serious acting, including his role in
Public Enemies as the famous gangster John Dillinger.
Perhaps Depp's most famous starring role is as Jack Sparrow in the Pirate of the Caribbean series. Depp claims he took the part so he could star in a film his children would enjoy.
I think it's fair to say Johnny Depp is one of the most versatile, exciting and all round brilliant actors in Hollywood today (although he lives in France). He's completely managed to avoid typecasting, and has a massive following.
