Johnny Depp’s Transformation: See Photos Of The Actor From His Days On ’21 Jump Street’ To Now

Take a look back at Johnny Depp’s incredible transformation over the years from ’21 Jump Street’ to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ to ‘Fantastic Beasts’ and beyond.

During his decades-long career, Johnny Depp, 57, has gone through quite a considerable change. Over the years, the actor morphed from a teen heartthrob, to leading man, and now appears to be keeping a low profile following allegations of abuse between him and his former wife, Amber Heard. Prior to his divisive star power, Johnny was a real teen star.

21 Jump Street & Early Career

Johnny in 21 Jump Street

Johnny initially became widely known to fans during his stint on the series 21 Jump Street from 1987-1990. His big break came the same year the series ended, when he earned the titular role in the Tim Burton film Edward Scissorhands. The creative pair would go on to work with one another for years, collaborating on movies like Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the latter of which Johnny earned his third Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

Johnny Gets Engaged To Winona Ryder 

Johnny & Winona

When it came to his highly-publicized personal life, Johnny was engaged to Edward Scissorhands co-star and fellow Oscar nominee Winona Ryder. He proposed to her in 1990, and got “Winona Forever” tattooed on his right arm, however their romance fizzled out. He went on to date British model Kate Moss from the early 90s until 1997.

Johnny has two kids with Vanessa Paradis

Johnny and Vanessa

In the late 90s, the actor started dating French singer Vanessa Paradis, with whom he had two children — Lily-Rose Depp, 22, and John “Jack” Depp, 19. Johnny later explained that having kids gave him, “real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything. … You cannot plan the kind of deep love that results in children. Fatherhood was not a conscious decision. It was part of the wonderful ride I was on. It was destiny. All the math finally worked.” Nevertheless, he and Vanessa called it quits in 2012.

A starring role in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’

Johnny in Pirates of the Caribbean

By the late 90s, Johnny was a household name and a bonafide star. Beyond his creative partnership with Tim Burton, he went on to star in films such as Finding Neverland, Public Enemies, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and of course, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, in which he’s played Captain Jack Sparrow in five films over ten years. Johnny took on another character in the realm of fantasy, playing Grindewald in the Fantastic Beasts films — prequels to the Harry Potter series and an extension of the popular franchise. Johnny resigned from the franchise, though, in November 2020 after losing a libel suit in the UK against a paper that called him a “wife beater.”

Johnny weds Amber Heard

Johnny & Amber

Johnny went on to marry actress Amber Heard in 2015. The pair first met on the set of the 2011 movie The Rum Diary and were married for just two years, with the Justice League actress filing for divorce in 2017. But that was just the beginning of what would become a years-long legal saga.

Amber obtained a temporary restraining order against her ex in 2016, after alleging he had been physically and verbally abusive during their relationship. After their divorce was finalized, they issued a joint statement saying, their “relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.” In 2019, the actor sued Amber for defamation after she wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post about leaving an abusive relationship. The case will go to trial in 2022.