One of the most versatile actors of all time is the well known actor, Johnny Depp. Depp started out his acting career in the 1980s on the popular show, 21 Jump Street and than rose to prominence when he began starring in films that featured him in increasingly different and challenging roles each time. Well known for collaborating with director, Tim Burton, Depp has starred in some of his most iconic and dark roles in the director’s films.
Depp has won the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild award for best actor but has yet to win an Academy Award. Some argue that the actor is so diverse and versatile in the way that he acts, that it is a shame he hasn’t won an Oscar yet for his ability to play any character.
10 years ago during this exact week, the film, The Secret Window, based on a novella by Stephen King, came out starring Depp. Although that was not one of his most well known movies, here is a list of some of Depp’s best films.
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10. Depp and Burton paired up again for this 2007 film adaptation of the Tony Award winning, horror musical, Sweeney Todd. The story is about a murderous and vengeful demon barber, who slits the throat of any man that sits in his barber chair. The film also starred Burton’s wife, the famous British actress Helena Bonham Carter, who has starred in several other movies with Depp including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Corpse Bride. Although Depp has never had any professional vocal training, his emotion he was able to bring to the violent character of Sweeney was only something he could do. Plus, being in a band in his younger years, Depp had the edgy raw power to his voice that is needed for such a dark musical.

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9. Depp had his experience with musicals long before Sweeney Todd. In his 1990 teen musical film, Cry-Baby, Depp starred as Wade ‘Cry-Baby’ Walker, the leader of a gang called the ‘Drapes.’ Although he didn’t sing in this musical, his acting talent once again took center stage. The film takes place in the early 1950s and has a very similar feel that the film, Grease does, with its slick haired greasers, fighting gangs and cheesy romance. Although the film did poorly when it first came out, it is now considered by many to be a cult classic and is fun to watch because it is one of Depp’s earlier works when he was just starting out.

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8. The heartwarming film Finding Neverland, is another one of Depp’s films that turns 10 years old this year. Starring Depp and British actress, Kate Winslet, Finding Neverland is the semi-true story about the author that wrote the classic tale of Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie and how he became inspired by the Llewelyn Davies family. The film causes viewers to smile and cry all at the same time and it is one of Depp’s best performances. He was nominated for Best Actor that year at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of Barrie but unfortunately did not win the award; although the film did win an Oscar for best musical score.

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7. In the 2001 film,Blow Depp plays the role of George Jung, a real life man who was involved in the cocaine drug cartel. The film follows the life of Jung from a very young boy to an old man dying alone in prison. Although the film is quite the dramatic downer, Depp was the shining star of the movie despite being surrounded by many other well known actors such as Penelope Cruz. Since the film received horrible critiques, one aspect of the film remained constant in all of the reviews, and that was of Depp’s stellar performance. It just goes to show how one actor can save a whole movie.

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6. In the 1999 Tim Burton film, Sleepy Hollow, Depp stars in yet another one of Burton’s movies. Depp plays the investigator, Ichabod Crane. Burton’s version of Sleepy Hollow is extremely dark and gory and Depp is perfect for the role as well as Miranda Richardson is for her role as the evil Lady Van Tassel. Christina Ricci stars along side Depp in the film and the two both fit the eerie and scary feel of the film. Not only was Depp on point for the film, but the film’s cinematography and art was well received by critiques and it even won Best Art Direction at the Academy Awards of that year.

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5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is another one of Depp’s films that failed in the box offices and then turned into a popular cult classic over time. Probably well known mainly for the iconic movie poster, the film is about the events of two men (Depp and Benicio Del Toro) in Las Vegas on all types drugs and the mayhem that they cause from being out of their minds high. For people that get easily motion sick, this film may not be the best to watch because of its crazy filming and camera angles. To make one feel as if they are feeling the side effects of the drugs that Depp’s character is on, the film feels very psychoactive and trippy. The movie really showcases Depp’s ability to portray any character and also his ability to go over the top for any role.

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4.Probably one of Depp’s most well known roles of all time is his role as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Jack Sparrow was first introduced in the 2003 movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and it was then that Depp created one of the most iconic characters in all of film. Depp said he based the character on Rolling Stone’s guitarist Keith Richards and cartoon character Pepe Le Pew. Depp’s portrayal of the character became so iconic, that in 2006, Disneyland refurbished the Pirates of the Caribbean ride so that it included three animatronic Jack Sparrows throughout the ride. Depp won a Screen Actors Guild award for his role as Jack Sparrow and was even nominated for the Oscar, which was surprising considering the film wasn’t really something many would consider the Academy to recognize.

[new page=What’s Eating Gilbert Grape]
3. In the heart wrenching film, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape Depp’s outstanding performance as Gilbert is one to remember. Starring along side a young Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Gilbert’s younger mentally handicapped brother, Arnie, the two actors show some of their greatest talent in these roles. The movie follows the two brothers and their trials as Gilbert tries to take care of Arnie along with his morbidly obese mother and two sisters. Gilbert is a character of loyalty and compassion and although the movie is extremely sad at times, it also is very heart warming to see the bonds of the family dynamic in the movie.

[new page=Ed Wood]
2. In Tim Burton’s film, Ed Wood, Depp plays the famous cult filmmaker Ed Wood. Shot in all black and white, Burton and Depp capture the mood of the 1950s perfectly in which the biopic takes place. The movie focuses on Wood’s best work and also his relationship with the actor Bela Lugosi (played by Martin Landau). The film won multiple awards including a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award, both for Landau’s role in the film. Although Depp was nominated he didn’t win, however he is constantly praised for his acting in this role as Wood because he seemed to capture the eccentricity extremely well.

[new page=Edward Scissorhands]
1. Out of all of Depp’s films, Edward Scissorhands has to be his greatest work. In one of his first prominent roles in film, Depp plays the shy yet kind hearted man who has scissors for hands who finds his way into a suburban neighborhood and struggles to fit in with the cookie-cutter lifestyle. The whole film itself is a masterpiece. From Depp’s tear jerking performance, to Danny Elfman’s iconic music, to Vincent Prince as the inventor, the whole film is a memorable fantasy that will last through the generations. This film is really where Burton and Depp began their long time bond in filmmaking and Edward Scissorhands is truly Depp’s greatest work.