In the Book of Exodus, Amram (Hebrew: עַמְרָם, Modern Amram Tiberian ʻAmrām ; Friend of the most high/The people are exalted) Arabic عمران Imran, is the father of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam and the husband of Jochebed.^[1]

In the Bible[link]

In addition to being married to Jochebed, Amram is also described in the Bible as having been related to Jochebed prior to the marriage, although the exact relationship is uncertain; some Greek and Latin manuscripts of the Septuagint state that Jochebed was Amram's father's cousin, and others state that Amram was Jochebed's cousin,^[2] but the Masoretic text states that he was Jochebed's nephew.^[3] Amram's name changes to Imram later in the Bible.

Textual scholars attribute the biblical genealogy to the Book of Generations, a document originating from a similar religiopolitical group and date to the priestly source.^[4] According to biblical scholars, the Torah's genealogy for Levi's descendants, is actually an aetiological myth reflecting the fact that there were four different groups among the levites – the Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites, and Aaronids;^[5] Aaron – the eponymous ancestor of the Aaronids – couldn't be portrayed as a brother to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, as the narrative about the birth of Moses (brother of Aaron), which textual scholars attribute to the earlier Elohist source, mentions only that both his parents were Levites (without identifying their names).^[6] Biblical scholars suspect that the Elohist account offers both matrilinial and patrilinial descent from Levites in order to magnify the religious credentials of Moses.^[5]

In the Qur'an[link]

Amran is arabicized to Imran. In the Qur'an, the name Imran is used for two different people. The first one is Amram the father of Moses and the second one is Joachim the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron, is a revered patriarch of Islam. The Qur'an says:

God did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Amram above all people,-

—Qur'an, sura 3 (The House of Imran), ayah 33^[7]

Although Muslim scholars have often debated over who this verse refers to, most classical commentators and modern translators have taken the opinion that this refers to Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron. Through him would come many other priests and prophets, including Anne, Elizabeth, Mary, John the Baptist and Jesus.

Family tree[link]

According to the Septuagint, Amram's family tree would be as follows:

while according to the Masoretic text, Amram's family tree would be as follows:

In rabbinical literature and apocryphal literature[link]

In the Apocryphal Testament of Levi, it is stated that Amram was born, as a grandson of Levi, when Levi was 64 years old.^[8] The Exodus Rabbah argues that when the Pharaoh instructed midwives to throw male children into the Nile, Amram divorced Jochebed, who was three months pregnant with Moses at the time, arguing that there was no justification for the Israelite men to father children if they were just to be killed;^[9] however, the text goes on to state that Miriam, his daughter, chided him for his lack of care for his wife's feelings, persuading him to recant and marry Jochebed again.^[9] According to the Talmud, Amram promulgated the laws of marriage and divorce amongst the Jews in Egypt^{[citation needed]}; the Talmud also argues that Amram had extreme longevity, which he used to ensure that doctrines were preserved through several generations.^[10]

Despite the legend of his divorce and remarriage, Amram was also held to have been entirely sinless throughout his life, and was rewarded for this by his corpse remaining without any signs of decay.^[11] Prior to his death, according to the Book of Jubilees, Amram was among those who went to Egypt and recovered the bones of the sons of his grandfather and great uncles (excluding those of Joseph which had already been brought to Canaan), so that they could be reburied in the cave of Machpelah.^[12] The text states that this recovery was opportunistically performed when a war broke out between Egypt and Canaan.^[12]

One of the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q535, Manuscript B) is written from Amram's point of view, and hence has been dubbed the Testament of Amram. The document is dated to the 2nd century BC and, in the form of a vision, briefly discusses dualism and the Watchers:

I saw Watchers in my vision, the dream-vision. Two men were fighting over me...holding a great contest over me. I asked them, 'Who are you, that you are thus empowered over me?' They answered, 'We have been empowered and rule over all mankind.' They said to me, 'Which of us do you choose to rule you?' I raised my eyes and looked. One of them was terrifying in his appearance, like a serpent, his cloak, many-colored yet very dark....And I looked again, and in his appearance, his visage like a viper....I replied to him, 'This Watcher, who is he?' He answered, 'This Watcher...his three names are Belial and Prince of Darkness and King of Evil.' I said (to the other Watcher), 'My lord, what dominion (have you?)' He answered, 'You saw (the viper), and he is empowered over all Darkness, while I (am empowered over all Light.)...My three names are Michael, Prince of Light and King of Righteousness.^[13]

See also[link]

• Aale Imran, 7

References[link]

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David Amram (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, musician, conductor, and writer. As a classical composer and performer, his integration of jazz (including being one of the first noted as an improvising jazz French hornist^[1]), ethnic and folk music has led him to work with the likes of Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Willie Nelson, Langston Hughes, Charles Mingus, Pepper Adams, Leonard Bernstein, Sir James Galway, Tito Puente, Mary Lou Williams, Joseph Papp, Arthur Miller, Miles Davis, Arturo Sandoval, Stan Getz, Pete Seeger, Elia Kazan, Odetta, Lord Buckley, Dustin Hoffman, Steve Allen, Machito, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Allen Ginsberg, Nina Simone, Gregory Corso, Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, Hunter Thompson, Johnny Depp and Jack Kerouac throughout the course of his career.

Biography[link]

David Amram has composed more than 100 orchestral and chamber music works, written many scores for Broadway theater and film, including the scores for the films Splendor in the Grass and The Manchurian Candidate; two operas, including the Holocaust opera, The Final Ingredient, a comic opera Twelfth Night with a libretto by Joseph Papp; and the score for the 1959 film Pull My Daisy, narrated by novelist Jack Kerouac. He is also the author of three books, Vibrations, an autobiography, Offbeat: Collaborating With Kerouac, a memoir, and Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat, all published by Paradigm Publishers.

A player of jazz French horn, he also plays piano, numerous flutes and whistles, percussion, and dozens of folkloric instruments from 25 countries, as well as being an improvisational lyricist. He has collaborated with Leonard Bernstein, (who chose him as The New York Philharmonic's first composer-in-residence in 1966^[1]), Dizzy Gillespie, Langston Hughes, Dustin Hoffman, Sir James Galway, Willie Nelson, Thelonious Monk, Odetta, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, Charles Mingus, Steve Martin, Lionel Hampton, Johnny Depp, Pete Seeger, and Tito Puente.

Amram's most recent orchestral works include Giants of the Night, (commissioned and premiered by flutist Sir James Galway in 2002); Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie,^[2] (commissioned by the Woody Guthrie Foundation in 2007); and Three Songs: A Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (written for and premiered by pianist Jon Nakamatsu in 2009).^[3] He was also chosen as the 2008 Democratic National Convention's Composer In Residence For Public Events. Currently Amram is working on a new orchestral piece, a new chamber work and a new book. He is also the subject of Lawrence Kraman's new documentary feature film David Amram: The First 80 Years.

On November 16, 2011, the eve of his 81st birthday, Amram was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and was recipient of their Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award. Three days later he was awarded the 1st Annual Bruce Ricker Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to him by Clint Eastwood's editor Joel Cox. under the auspices of The Paso Digital Film Festival. He is also the recipient of six honorary Doctorates.

Today, as he has for over 50 years, Amram continues to compose music while traveling the world as a conductor, soloist, bandleader, visiting scholar, and narrator in five languages.

All of his concert music is published by C.F. Peters Corporation. Douglas A. Yeager Productions, Ltd represents Amram for all of his live appearances and residencies.

Discography[link]

As leader[link]

As sideman[link]

• Kenny Dorham (1953). "The Art of the Ballad". Prestige Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r352318. 
• Lionel Hampton (1955). "Crazy Rhythm". EmArcy. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r140108. 
• The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra (1956). "Deep Passion". Impulse!. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r205940. 
• The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra (1956). "The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi Fi". Paramount Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r145594. 
• Curtis Fuller; Hampton Hawes (1957). "Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes with French Horns". New Jazz. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r154087. 
• Kenny Dorham; Cannonball Adderley (1959). "Blue Spring". Riverside Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r137825. 
• David Bromberg (1971). "David Bromberg". Columbia Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r105657. 
• Loudon Wainwright III (1972). "Album III". Columbia/Legacy. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r97213. 
• Hannibal Marvin Peterson (1974). "Children of the Fire". Sunrise Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r152424. 
• Mary Lou Williams (1975). "Mary Lou's Mass". Smithsonian Folkways. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r130139. 
• Betty Carter (1976). "Compact Jazz". Verve Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r158202. 
• Steve Goodman (1976). "Words We Can Dance To". Red Pajamas Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r106602. 
• Jerry Jeff Walker (1979). "Too Old To Change". Elektra Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r94494. 
• Betty Carter (1982). "Whatever Happened to Love?". Verve Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r136440. 
• Steve Goodman (1983). "Artistic Hair". Red Pajamas Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r96254. 
• London Pops Orchestra (1989). "From London to Broadway". Pickwick Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r84432. 
• Tom Chapin (1992). "Billy the Squid". Sony Kids' Music. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r110943. 
• Allen Ginsberg (1994). "Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Poems & Songs". Rhino Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r206395. 
• Joanne Shenandoah (1994). "Once in a Red Moon". Canyon Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r219016. 
• Randy Crofton (1996). "Duologue". Lyrichord. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r248643. 
• Steve Goodman (1996). "The Easter Tapes". Red Pajamas Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r267755. 
• T.S. Monk (1997). "Monk On Monk". N2K. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r308238. 
• Pete Seeger (1998). "If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope & Struggle". Smithsonian Folkways. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r352002. 
• Jerry Jeff Walker (1998). "Lone Wolf: The Best of Jerry Jeff Walker". Warner Archives. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r342768. 
• Thunder Bird Sisters (1998). "Still Singin'". Thunder Bird Sisters. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r563261. 
• Jack Kerouac (1999). "Reads on the Road". Rykodisc. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r430612. 
• Tom Chapin (2001). "Great Big Fun for the Very Little One". Rhino Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r555738. 
• Pat Humphries (2001). "Hands". Appleseed. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r512277. 
• Lionel Hampton (2001). "Jazz in Paris: Lionel Hampton & His French New Sound". Barclay. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r537793. 
• Suzzy & Maggie Roche (2004). "Why the Long Face". Red House. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r710203. 
• Morley (2005). "Days Like These". Morley. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r750872. 
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti (2005). "Pictures of the Gone World". Synergy. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r729126. 
• Nenad Bach (2005). "A Thousand Years of Peace". Orchard Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r789489. 
• Allen Ginsberg (2006). "First Blues". Water. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r819573. 
• Steve Goodman (2006). "Live at the Earl of Old Town". Red Pajamas Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r853847. 
• Alana Amram & The Rough Gems (2007). "Alana Amram & The Rough Gems". Zealous Records. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1270888. 
• Norman Savitt (2009). "Norman Savitt and Friends". Balkan Samba Records. http://balkansamba.com/normansavittcd.php. 
• Amram was featured in Raffi's hit song "Peanut Butter Sandwich Made With Jam: One for Me and One for David Amram,".

Bibliography[link]

• 2001: Vibrations: The Adventures and Musical Times of David Amram (Thunder's Mouth Press) ISBN 1-56025-308-8
• 2003: Offbeat: Collaborating with Kerouac (Paradigm) ISBN 1-56025-460-2
• 2007: Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat (Paradigm) ISBN 1-59451-544-6
• Douglas Brinkley wrote in the introduction to Vibrations: The Adventures and Musical Times of David Amram and Audrey Sprenger wrote the Afterwards (Paradigm, 2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

• David Amram's home page
• David Amram's upcoming appearances and performances
• David Amram Videos and Quotes
• David Amram oral history
• David Amram at the Internet Movie Database

Chano Pozo (January 7, 1915 – December 2, 1948) was a percussionist, singer, dancer and composer who played a major role in the founding of Latin jazz. Though he died young of unnatural causes, no discussion of Latin jazz is complete without mentioning his name and no discussion of the trumpet giant Dizzy Gillespie, the godfather of Latin jazz in the U.S., can begin without the name of Pozo, who was the first in a long line of Latin percussionists in Dizzy's various bands. Dizzy's dozens of Latin-flavored compositions, including the hit song "Manteca" and "Tin Tin Deo" (both co-written by Pozo), "Fiesta Mojo" and others - have Afro-Cuban drumming derived from the ritual rhythms of West Africa as their rhythmic backbones. Despite a short stint in Dizzy's band abbreviated by Chano's early death, Pozo's influence could be felt in Dizzy's playing and compositions for decades, which Dizzy acknowledged without hesitation.

Biography[link]

Luciano "Chano" Pozo Gonzales was born in Havana to Cecelio Gonzales and Carnación Pozo. Chano's family (three sisters and a brother, as well as his older half brother, Felix Chapottin who became one of the great Cuban soneros) struggled with poverty throughout his youth. His mother Carnación, to whom his father was married, died when Chano was eleven, and Cecelio took his family to live with his long-time mistress, Natalia, who was Felix's mother.

Chano showed an early interest in playing drums, and performed ably in Afro-Cuban religious ceremonies in which drumming was a key element. The family lived for many years at El Africa solar (Africa Basement), a former slave quarters, by all accounts a foul and dangerous place, where it was said even the police were afraid to venture. In this environment criminal activities flourished, and Chano learned the ways of the street as means of survival. He dropped out of school after the third grade and earned a solid reputation as a rowdy tough guy, big for his age and exceptionally fit. He spent his days playing drums, fighting, drinking, and engaging in petty criminal activities, the latter of which would land him a sentence in a youth reformatory. There are no official records documenting the crime for which he was sentenced, though at least one account has him causing the accidental death of a foreign tourist, adding to a record of thievery, assault, and truancy. At the age of 13, Chano was sent to the reformatory in Guanajay, where he learned reading and writing, auto body repair, and honed his already exceptional skills playing a variety of drums.

Santería[link]

During this time he became a devotee of Santería. Also known as "La Regla de Lukumi", this is an Afro-Caribbean religion derived from traditional beliefs of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Developed among Afro-Cuban slaves, the religion began as a blending of these West African spiritual beliefs and Catholic doctrine. Yoruba deities were identified with Catholic saints to fool the slave owners, as the Spanish colonialists had forbidden the practice of African religions. Chano pledged allegiance to the Catholic Saint Barbara, identified widely with Shango, the Yoruba god of fire and thunder, and took him as his personal protector. Both Shango and St. Barbara had associations with the color red, and for the rest of his life Chano would often carry a red scarf signifying his allegiance.

Upon his release from Guanajay, Chano returned to his father's house in Havana. Cecelio persuaded his son to practice his trade of bootblack, but Chano's temperament was not suited for this occupation and he quit after less than a year. In 1929 he took a job selling newspapers for El Pais, Havana's most influential publication, hawking papers on a number of street corners. His forceful nature and success in selling brought him to the attention of newspaper owner and influential businessman Alfredo Suarez, who hired Chano as his personal driver and bodyguard. He was rumored to have performed duties as debt collector or "leg breaker" for Suarez. Chano spent his free time dancing, singing, fighting, chasing women and playing his drums. He also began to compose music.

Carnival[link]

Chano's reputation grew among the people each year, not only because of his physical prowess as a dancer, drummer, and success with women, but for the compositions he wrote for Carnival, during the nightly celebrations of which neighborhoods formed highly competitive comparsas, or street troupes. They consisted of singers, dancers, musicians, and the ever-present rumberos. Mostly young, street-toughened drummers, rumberos were integral to each comparsa (something like a 'jam club'), since rumberos provided throbbing, sensuous rhythms regarded as the base for all Afro-Cuban music. In a few short years Pozo was the most well-known and sought after rumbero in Cuba, with the most talented comparsas (local groups) vying for his services, and was regularly winning top cash prizes for his compositions. Chano elevated the status and reputation of rumbero to near mythic proportions with his swaggering attitude as he led his own comparsa through the streets and with increasing successes became a hero to Havana's poor people. Pozo and some of his fellow musicians wrote a conga music composition that earned them first prize in the city of Santiago de Cuba's carnival of 1940: "La Comparsa de los Dandys," a composition that is considered by some to be the unofficial theme song of Santiago de Cuba, and a familiar standard played at many Latin American carnivals.

Tourism[link]

Cuba was by this time a popular tourist destination, with the biggest hotels, The Sevilla Biltmore, the Nacional, and El Presidente catering to rich Americans and Europeans, and Chano was determined to break the color barrier which restricted employment for those of dark skin. He began to court musicians and others who might help him by auditioning in unusual places, most notedly in front of the Cuban-owned radio station Azul, which broadcast popular recordings as well as live Cuban folk music. Chano befriended many of the musicians who worked there, playing his drum on the street to catch their attention as they arrived for work. Although admired for his prodigious talent, dark skinned blacks were prohibited from working most venues outside of the slums, and Chano searched for opportunities. He would find that opportunity in the person of Armando Trinidad, owner of the radio station. Armando persuaded Chano to work for him, albeit only as the bouncer for Azul, where his imposing size and reputation kept rowdy crowds in check.

Once Pozo became famous he also became renowned by his sense of fashion: his all-white top hat and tuxedo look predated that of Flavor Flav by at least 45 years.

New York[link]

Chano Pozo is one of a handful of Cuban percussionists who came to the United States in the 1940s and 50s. Other notable congueros who came to the U.S. during that time include Mongo Santamaria, Armando Peraza, Francisco Aguabella, Julito Collazo, Carlos Vidal Bolado, Desi Arnaz and Modesto Duran. Pozo moved to New York City in early 1947 with the encouragement of Miguelito Valdés, and participated in a recording session with Valdés, the legendary band leader Arsenio Rodríguez, Carlos Vidal Bolado and José Mangual.^[1] In September 1947, after Mario Bauzá introduced the two, he was featured in Dizzy Gillespie's Big Band at Carnegie Hall and subsequently on a European tour.^[1] Their notable material includes "Cubana Be, Cubana Bop" (written by George Russell), and "Tin Tin Deo" and Manteca,^[2] both co-written by Pozo.

Death[link]

The hot-tempered Chano Pozo was killed in a fight at a bar in Harlem, New York, at the age of 33, allegedly over an argument regarding the quality of a bag of marijuana he had bought from his assassin. His death was represented in 2010 animation film Chico_and_Rita.

He is buried in the Colon Cemetery, Havana.

His grandson Joaquín Pozo, who was living in Cuba as of 2006, is also a famous conguero.

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Cuba portal

• List of famous Cuban-Americans
• List of Cubans

References[link]

External links[link]

• Chano Pozo biodata
• El Veraz - San Juan, Puerto Rico: Chano Pozo o la revolucion del Jazz
• "Chano Pozo". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8542085. Retrieved August 10, 2010. 

Johnny Depp
Depp in October 2011
Born	John Christopher Depp II (1963-06-09) June 9, 1963 (age 49) Owensboro, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, screenwriter, director, producer, musician
Years active	1984–present
Spouse	Lori Anne Allison (1983–1985)
Partner	Sherilyn Fenn (1985–1988) Winona Ryder (1989–1993) Kate Moss (1994–1998) Vanessa Paradis (1998–present)
Children	2[1]

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor, producer and musician. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor. Depp rose to prominence on the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street, becoming a teen idol. Dissatisfied with that status, Depp turned to film for more challenging roles; he played the title character of Edward Scissorhands (1990) and later found box office success in films such as Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Rango (2011) and the Pirates of the Caribbean film series (2003–present). He has collaborated with director and friend Tim Burton in eight films, most recently with Dark Shadows (2012).

Depp has gained acclaim for his portrayals of people such as Ed Wood, in Ed Wood, Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco, Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, George Jung in Blow, and the bank robber John Dillinger in Michael Mann's Public Enemies. Films featuring Depp have grossed over $3.1 billion at the United States box office and over $7.6 billion worldwide.^[2] He has been nominated for top awards many times, winning the Best Actor Awards from the Golden Globes for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and from the Screen Actors Guild for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He also has garnered a sex symbol status in American cinema, being twice named as the "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine^[3] in 2003 and 2009. He has been listed in the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records as the highest paid actor, with $75 million.^[4]

Early life[link]

1960s–1970s[link]

Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, the son of John Christopher Depp, Sr., a civil engineer, and his wife, the former Betty Sue Wells, a waitress.^[5] He has one brother and two sisters. His brother Daniel is a novelist and his sister Christie works as his manager. Depp is descended from a French Huguenot immigrant, Pierre Deppe or Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700,^[6] part of a refugee colony situated above the falls on the James River. Depp has surmised that he is part Native American, saying in 2011, "I guess I have some Native American [in me] somewhere down the line. My great-grandmother was quite a bit of Native American, she grew up Cherokee or maybe Creek Indian. Makes sense in terms of coming from Kentucky, which is rife with Cherokee and Creek."^[7][8]

The family moved frequently during Depp's childhood, and he and his siblings lived in more than 20 different locations, settling in Miramar,^[9] Florida, in 1970. In 1978, Depp's parents divorced.^[9] His mother married, as her second husband, Robert Palmer (died 2000), whom Depp called "an inspiration to me".^[10] Depp engaged in self-harm when he was young, due to the stress of dealing with family problems, which resulted in several self-inflicted scars. In a 1993 interview, he reflected on his self-injury by saying "My body is a journal in a way. It's like what sailors used to do, where every tattoo meant something, a specific time in your life when you make a mark on yourself, whether you do it yourself with a knife or with a professional tattoo artist".^[11]

1980s[link]

With the gift of a guitar from his mother when he was twelve, Depp began playing in various garage bands.^[9] A year after his parents' divorce, Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician.^[9] He attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician.^[9] He played with The Kids, a band that enjoyed modest local success. The Kids set out together for Los Angeles in pursuit of a record deal, changing their name to Six Gun Method, but the group split up before signing a record deal. Depp subsequently collaborated with the band Rock City Angels^[12] and co-wrote their song "Mary", which appeared on Rock City Angels' debut for Geffen Records titled Young Man's Blues.

On December 24, 1983, Depp married Lori Anne Allison, the sister of his band's bass player and singer. During Depp's marriage, his wife worked as a makeup artist, while he worked a variety of odd jobs, including a telemarketer for pens. His wife introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised Depp to pursue an acting career.^[9] Depp and his wife divorced in 1985. Depp later dated and was engaged to actress Sherilyn Fenn (whom he met on the set of the 1985 short film Dummies). Both Fenn and Depp auditioned for the 1986 film Thrashin' and they were both cast, with Depp being chosen by the film's director to star as the lead, which would have been Depp's second major role. Depp was later turned down by the film's producer, who rejected the director's decision.^[13][14]

Acting career[link]

Johnny Depp at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival

Television[link]

Depp starred in a lead role on the Fox television series, 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987.^[9] Depp accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Depp's long time friend Sal Jenco joined the cast as a semi-co-star as the janitor named Blowfish. The series' success turned Depp into a popular teen idol during the late 1980s.^[9] Despite this success, Depp felt "forced into the role of product."^[15] Depp subsequently decided to appear only in films that he felt were right for him.^[15] Depp and his co-stars, Peter DeLuise and Holly Robinson, briefly reprised their roles in cameo appearances in the series' 2012 feature film adaptation, which featured a much more comedic tone than the series.

Film roles[link]

Depp's first major role was in the 1984 classic horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, playing the boyfriend of the heroine, Nancy Thompson (played by Heather Langenkamp) and one of Freddy Krueger's victims.^[9] Depp was the first choice and was cast to star in the 1986 American skater drama film Thrashin', chosen and cast by the director but ultimately rejected by the film's producer.^[13][14] In 1986, he appeared in a secondary role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's Platoon. In 1990, he undertook the quirky title role of the Tim Burton film, Edward Scissorhands. The film's success began his long association with Burton.^[9]

Depp, a fan and long-time friend of writer Hunter S. Thompson, played a version of Thompson (named Raoul Duke) in 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, based on the writer's pseudobiographical novel of the same name. Depp accompanied Thompson as his road manager on one of the author's last book tours.^[16] In 2006, Depp contributed a foreword to Gonzo: Photographs by Hunter S. Thompson, a posthumous biography published by ammobooks.com. In 2008, he narrated the documentary film Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Depp paid for most of Thompson's memorial event, complete with fireworks and the shooting of Thompson's ashes by a cannon, in Aspen, Colorado, where Thompson lived.^[17] He returned to Thompson's work with a film adaptation of the novel The Rum Diary, released in 2011.

Critics have described Depp's roles as characters who are "iconic loners."^[18] Depp has noted this period of his career was full of "studio defined failures" and films that were "box office poison,"^[19] but he thought the studios never understood the films and did not do a good job of marketing.^[18] Depp has chosen roles which he found interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.^[18]

Depp wearing a mustache and goatee similar to the style used in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

The 2003 Walt Disney Pictures film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a major success,^[18] in which Depp's performance as the suave but shambling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow was highly praised. Studio bosses were more ambivalent at first,^[20] but the character became popular with the movie-going public.^[18] According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp was a major draw for audiences.^[21] The film's director, Gore Verbinski, has said that Depp's character closely resembles the actor's personality, but Depp said he modeled the character after The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.^[22] Depp was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for the role.

In 2004, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, for playing Scottish author J. M. Barrie in the film Finding Neverland. Depp next starred as Willy Wonka in the 2005 film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a major success at the box office and earning him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy.^[22][23]

Depp returned to the role of Jack Sparrow for the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which opened on July 7, 2006 and grossed $135.5 million in the first three days of its U.S. release, breaking a box office record of the highest weekend tally.^[24] The next sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End, was released May 24, 2007. Depp has said that Sparrow is "definitely a big part of me", and he wants to play the role in further sequels.^[25] Depp voiced Sparrow in the video game, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow.^[26] Johnny Depp's swashbuckling sword talents as developed for the character of Jack Sparrow, were highlighted in the documentary film Reclaiming the Blade. Within the film, Swordmaster Bob Anderson shared his experiences working with Depp on the choreography for The Curse of the Black Pearl. Anderson described in the film Depp's ability as an actor to pick up the sword to be "about as good as you can get."^[27]

Depp and Gore Verbinski were executive producers of the album Rogues Gallery, Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs and Chanteys. Depp played the title role of Sweeney Todd in Tim Burton's film adaptation of the musical, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Depp thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and praised Tim Burton for his "unwavering trust and support."^[28]

Depp played the former Heath Ledger character in the 2009 film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus along with Jude Law and Colin Farrell. All three actors gave their salaries from the film to Ledger's daughter, Matilda.^[29] He portrayed the Mad Hatter in Burton's Alice in Wonderland, and the titular character in Rango.

In 2007, Depp accepted Warner Bros.' proposal to make a film of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, a series that aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971. He had been a fan as a child. Depp and Graham King produced the movie with David Kennedy, who ran Dan Curtis Productions inc. until Curtis died in 2006.^[30]

Future roles[link]

Depp will film a documentary about Keith Richards. Depp will star in and produce an adaptation of the comic book Rex Mundi.^[31][32] Depp will collaborate with Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides director Rob Marshall again to create a remake of The Thin Man.^[33] Depp also showed interest in starring in the next Sin City films, with Robert Rodriguez wanting him to star as Wallace.^[34] Depp was going to star as Tonto in an upcoming Lone Ranger film, but the project had been shelved due to budgetary concerns as well as a lacklustre response to a recently-released Western-genre film (Cowboys & Aliens).^[35] The project was revived and the film will be released on May 31, 2013.^[36] Depp plans to star as Carl Kolchak in the project Night Stalker,^[37] and has bought rights to the comic book The Vault^{[disambiguation needed ]}.^[38]

Collaborations with Tim Burton[link]

Depp has collaborated with director and close friend Tim Burton in eight films, beginning with Edward Scissorhands (1990), opposite Winona Ryder and Vincent Price. His next role with Burton was in the 1994 film, Ed Wood.^[9] Depp later said that "within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed."^[39] At the time, the actor was depressed about films and filmmaking. This part gave him a "chance to stretch out and have some fun"; he said working with Landau "rejuvenated my love for acting".^[39]

Producer Scott Rudin once said, "Basically Johnny Depp is playing Tim Burton in all his movies,"^[40] although Burton personally disapproved of the comment. Depp, however agrees with Rudin's statement. According to Depp, Edward Scissorhands represented Burton's inability to communicate as a teenager. Ed Wood reflected Burton's relationship with Vincent Price (very similar with Edward D. Wood, Jr. and Béla Lugosi).

Depp's Hollywood Walk of Fame star received on November 19, 1999

Depp's next venture with Burton was the role of Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999), opposite Christina Ricci. Sleepy Hollow reflected Burton's battle with the Hollywood studio system.^[41] For his performance, Depp took inspiration from Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall and Basil Rathbone.^[40] Depp stated, "I always thought of Ichabod as a very delicate, fragile person who was maybe a little too in touch with his feminine side, like a frightened little girl."^[42]

Depp did not work with Burton again until 2005 in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which he played Willy Wonka. Depp modeled the character's hair on Anna Wintour.^[43] The film was a box office success and received positive critical reception.^[44][45] Gene Wilder, who played Willy Wonka in the 1971 film, initially criticized this version.^[46] Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was released in July, followed by Corpse Bride, for which Depp voiced the character Victor Van Dort, in September.