Johnny Depp has transform himself numerous times on-screen and off through the years.
From his early roles in A Nightmare on Elm Street and Cry-Baby to his latest blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean and Alice in Wonderland.
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As we reach the midway point of Depp’s third decade in the acting business, it’s time to take a look back at how a young, bright-eyed actor transformed into the enigmatic actor/rock star we know today.
Scroll through to see Depp’s most dramatic looks over the years.
Early Days
Depp made his acting debut in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street where he played one of Freddy Kruger’s victims. Prior to that Depp was a high school dropout who played in a number of rock bands and even moved to Los Angeles in the hopes of earning a deal.
‘Cry-Baby’
By 1990 Depp had established himself as a Hollywood heartthrob, starring in several films as well as the Fox television series 21 Jump Street. He kicked off the 1990s by starring in the cult classic musical Cry-Baby.
‘Ed Wood’
In 1994, Depp began to establish himself as a character actor, a role he’d become famous for in later years. His first big performance was a legendarily inept director Ed Wood in the Tim Burton biopic Ed Wood.
Grizzled Look
As Depp grew older he began to shed his boyish charm for a more grizzled look, complete with longer hair and well-kept facial hair. The look would carry over into movies such as the 2004 film Secret Window.
Captain Jack Sparrow
In 2003, Depp introduced the world to his most enigmatic character, Captain Jack Sparrow, in the pirate action film Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. He’d go on to portray the character in four sequels.
Willy Wonka
Depp continued his full-body transformations with certain roles in the 2005 film adaptation Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where he looked nearly unrecognizable compared to Jack Sparrow.
Older Years
Depp managed to age gracefully in the early 2010s, keeping his hair long and his facial hair in a number different of styles.
‘Fantastic Beasts’
Depp made a surprise appearance in the Harry Potter spin-off, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2016 as Gellert Grindelwald, complete with white hair and shaved eyebrows. He’ll continue to play the villainous role in the sequel, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, which hits theaters in late 2018.
Short Hair
Following his divorce from Amber Heard Depp debuted yet another off-screen look, this time with short, slicked-back hair and a shaved chin.
Hollywood Vampires
Depp gave fans a scare in early June when photos of him while on tour with his band, Hollywood Vampires, showed him looking frail and almost ill as he posed for pictures with fans.
The actor never officially addressed the fans’ concerns, though sources did say his appearance was actually intentional.
One source told Hollywood Life Depp considered it his “rock star look.”
“Everything he does is a role and again he is stressing to friends and band mates that this is how he wants to look for the band. It’s his rock star look. It’s also his homage to one of his idols Keith Richards,” the source claimed. “So friends and band mates are monitoring it for sure and they are also going as far as to poke fun at him as well.”
