Posada may refer to:

• Battle of Posada, a 1330 battle, part of the Hungarian-Wallachian Wars
• Posada, Sardinia, Italy
• Posada, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, south-west Poland
• Posada, Łódź Voivodeship, central Poland
• Posada, Masovian Voivodeship, east-central Poland
• Posada, Gmina Kazimierz Biskupi in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland
• Posada, Gmina Stare Miasto in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland
• Posada, Gmina Wierzbinek in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland
• Posada, Słupca County in Greater Poland Voivodeship, west-central Poland
• Posada, a village administered by Comarnic town, Prahova County, Romania
• Posada, Asturias, a parish in Llanes, Asturias, Spain

People with the surname Posada[link]

• José Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913), Mexican engraver and illustrator
• Luis Posada Carriles (born 1928), Cuban-born Venezuelan anti-communist militant
• José Posada (born 1940), Spanish member of the European Parliament
• Jorge Posada (born 1971), Puerto Rican baseball player for the New York Yankees

See also[link]

• La Posada de Albuquerque, a building in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• San Giovanni di Posada, Sardinia, Italy
• Posadas (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Jorge Posada
Catcher
Born: (1971-08-17) August 17, 1971 (age 40) Santurce, Puerto Rico
Batted: Switch	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1995 for the New York Yankees
Last MLB appearance
September 28, 2011 for the New York Yankees
Career statistics
Batting average	.273
Home runs	275
Runs batted in	1,065
Teams
New York Yankees (1995–2011)
Career highlights and awards
5× All-Star (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007) 4× World Series champion (1998, 1999, 2000, 2009) 5× Silver Slugger Award winner (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007)

Jorge Rafael Posada Villeta (born August 17, 1971) is a retired Puerto Rican baseball catcher who played 17 years in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees from 1995 to 2011. Posada produced strong offensive numbers for his position, recording a .273 batting average, 275 home runs, and 1,065 runs batted in (RBIs) during his career. A switch hitter, Posada was a five-time All-Star, won five Silver Slugger Awards, and was on the roster for four World Series championship teams.

Drafted by the Yankees in 1990, Posada was originally an infielder before moving to catcher during his minor league career. He debuted in the major leagues in 1995, but it was not until 1998 that he found regular playing time. A solid-hitting catcher, Posada established himself as a mainstay in the Yankees lineup and as one of the "Core Four" players who contributed to the Yankees' winning seasons. In 2003, he finished third in voting for the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award and became only the second Yankees catcher after Yogi Berra to hit 30 home runs in a season. Posada added one of his best seasons in 2007 at age 35 when he batted .338. Following a stint as designated hitter in 2011, he retired.

Posada is only the fifth MLB catcher with at least 1,500 hits, 350 doubles, 275 home runs, and 1,000 RBIs in a career.^[1] From 2000 to 2011, he compiled more RBIs and home runs than any other catcher in baseball. He is the only MLB catcher to ever bat .330 or better with 40 doubles, 20 home runs, and 90 RBIs in a single season.^[2] Away from baseball, Posada is the founder of the Jorge Posada Foundation, which is involved with research for craniosynostosis, a disease that impacts his son.

Early life and education[link]

Posada was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico. He attended Alejandrino High School in San Juan,^[3] where he participated in basketball, volleyball, track, and baseball. As a baseball player in high school, he was named an All-Star player at shortstop in the 1988–89 season.

He attended Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama in 1991, where he received an Associate's Degree. He was voted best hitter (1990), co-captain (1991), and selected all-conference (1991). He was inducted in the Alabama Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 and Calhoun retired his number (#6).^[4]

Professional career[link]

Draft and minor leagues[link]

Posada was drafted by the Yankees in the 24th round of the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft as an infielder.^[5] He played second base during his first minor league season with the Oneonta Yankees in the Class-A Short Season New York-Penn League. The Yankees moved him to catcher full time in 1992, when he played for the Greensboro Hornets of the Class-A South Atlantic League.^[6] Posada played for the Prince William Cannons of the Class-A Advanced Carolina League and the Albany-Colonie Yankees of the Class-AA Eastern League in 1993, earning Carolina League All-Star honors.

While playing for the Columbus Clippers of the Class-AAA International League in 1994, Posada suffered a home plate collision in which he broke his left leg and dislocated his left ankle. Posada played for the Clippers for the majority of the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

New York Yankees[link]

Posada (left) greets Mariano Rivera at the end of a game.

Posada was on the postseason roster for four World Series championship teams (1998, 1999, 2000, 2009)^[7] and six American League championship teams (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2009). Posada is a five-time All-Star (2000–03, 2007) and a five-time winner of the Silver Slugger Award in those same years.

1995–1999[link]

Posada made his MLB debut with the Yankees in 1995, replacing Jim Leyritz in the ninth inning of a game on September 4.^[8] Despite his appearing in only one game during the regular season, the Yankees included Posada on their postseason roster, and he appeared in Game 2 of the 1995 American League Division Series as a pinch runner, scoring a run.^[8]

Posada began the 1996 season with Columbus, but was promoted to the Yankees late in the season. He appeared in eight games, making his first start on September 25,^[8] but he was not added to the postseason roster. Posada replaced Leyritz in 1997 as the backup catcher to Joe Girardi, with the expectation that he would appear in approximately 40 games:^[9] he started in 52.^[10] Going into the 1998 season, Posada pushed for more playing time.^[10] Posada caught David Wells' perfect game on May 17, 1998.^[11] Overall, Posada batted .268 with 17 homers and 63 runs batted in over 111 games in the 1998 season.^[12] The Yankees renewed Posada's contract for $350,000 for the 1999 season, less than the $650,000 he asked for.^[12] In 1999, Posada batted .245 and committed 17 passed balls.^[13]

Girardi helped mentor Posada when they were teammates.^[14] The two catchers split time for the Yankees through 1999, with Posada receiving "roughly 60 percent of the playing time behind the plate to Girardi's 40 percent."^[15] During the 1999 season, Posada played in 112 games with 379 at-bats, while Girardi played in 65 games with 209 at-bats.^[16] While Girardi began the 1999 postseason as the regular catcher,^[16] Posada saw increased playing time.^[17]

2000–2007[link]

Posada had one of his best seasons in 2007.

Girardi left the Yankees as a free agent after the 1999 season to become a full-time catcher with the Chicago Cubs, which allowed Posada to become the Yankees' full-time catcher.^[18] With Girardi gone, the Yankees entrusted Posada with the everyday catching job.^[19]

Posada won a Silver Slugger Award for catcher every year from 2000 to 2003. He started the All-Star game at catcher in 2002 and 2003.^[20] In 2003, he hit 30 home runs (one every 16.0 at bats, ninth best in the league) and drove in 101 runs, both career highs. He batted .281 and was also fifth in the league in OBP (.405), and sixth in the league in walks (93; walking 17.5% of the time, a career high). He tied Yogi Berra’s record for most home runs by a Yankee catcher and finished third in the MVP voting.

In 2006, Posada posted his highest batting average and home run total since 2003. He also led the major leagues with 20 pinch hits.^[21] In addition, work with new first base coach Tony Peña, a former catcher, helped him improve his percentage of runners thrown out stealing second almost 60 points above his career average. He batted (.277) and had 23 home runs with 93 RBIs. On May 16, Posada led the Yankees to a victory despite falling behind by nine runs, matching the largest deficit the Yankees overcame for a victory in franchise history.^[22] He registered a +0.93 win probability added in that game, the highest of his career.^[23]

Posada batted .338, with 20 home runs, 90 RBIs, and career highs in hits (171) and doubles (42) in 2007. He joined Iván Rodríguez as the only two catchers in MLB history to record at least 40 doubles in two separate seasons.^[24] He was 3rd in the AL in on-base percentage (.426), 4th in batting average, 6th in on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) (.970), and 8th in doubles and slugging percentage (.543). Posada batted .395 in September, and became the first Yankee catcher since Thurman Munson, in 1978, to finish among the top 10 AL batting leaders. His longest hitless streak was only 11 at-bats. Posada is the first catcher to hit .330 or better with a slugging percentage of at least .540 and an on-base percentage of at least .420 since Mike Piazza in 1996–97. On the final day of the 2007 regular season, Yankees manager Joe Torre allowed Posada to act as the manager for the game,^[25] an honor that Torre traditionally bestowed upon a veteran player if the final game does not matter in the standings. The Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles 10–4 to give Posada an unofficial win in his 'managerial debut'.

2008–2010[link]

Posada turned down a five year contract offer from the New York Mets^[26] to sign a 4-year, $52 million contract to remain with the Yankees.^[27]

On July 21, 2008, Posada was placed on the disabled list (DL),^[28] the first time he was placed on the DL in his career.^[29] Posada intended to recover from this injury in order to perform as designated hitter or first baseman. However, the team decided to acquire Xavier Nady, in order to allow him enough time to operate.^[30] On July 28, 2008, Yankees officially announced that Posada would undergo surgery to repair a glenoid labrum in his right shoulder and was placed on the injured reserve list for the 2008 season.^[31] The 2008 season was the first and only time the Yankees did not clinch a postseason berth when Posada was with the team. Posada did not participate until 2009 spring training.

On April 16, 2009, in the bottom of the 5th inning, he hit the first regular season home run in the new Yankee Stadium against Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians.^[32] On September 15, 2009, during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, a pitch was thrown behind Posada by Jesse Carlson. Posada eventually walked and scored after a base hit by Brett Gardner. Upon crossing home plate, Posada bumped into Carlson and was ejected. Posada continued having words with Carlson and triggered a bench-clearing brawl. In an interleague series against the Houston Astros in June 2010, Posada became the first Yankee since Bill Dickey in 1937 to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games.^[33] On July 23, 2010, Posada got his 1,000th career RBI against the Kansas City Royals.^[34]

2011[link]

Following the 2010 season, Posada had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.^[35] Posada was shifted to designated hitter for the 2011 season due to his declining defensive performance, while Russell Martin became the everyday catcher.^{[35][36][37][38]}

Posada during an at-bat in 2011, his final season

After starting the 2011 season in a slump, Posada was moved to ninth in the batting order for a May 14 game against the Boston Red Sox. Posada asked to be removed from the lineup. Posada told reporters that he needed time to "clear [his] head" and also mentioned some "stiffness" in his back as the reasons for his request. Manager Joe Girardi claimed he did not know about the "stiffness" but agreed to give Posada a day off because he thought he needed it "mentally".^[39] Posada apologized to Girardi and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman the next day saying he "just had a bad day" and a "very frustrating season so far". The team management declined to discipline him and considered the matter closed.^[40] Posada hit .382 in June,^[41] but was removed from the everyday lineup due to his .230 season batting average.^[42] On August 13, 2011, his first start since the benching, in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Posada went 3 for 5 with a grand slam and six RBIs. His grand slam was the tenth of his career, moving him past Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle for sixth place on the Yankees' all-time list.^[43] On August 25, 2011, he played second base for the first time in his Major League career during the ninth inning of the Yankees' 3-grand slam 22 to 9 victory over the Oakland Athletics; Posada recorded the final out by fielding a grounder.^[44]

On September 10, 2011, Posada played catcher for the first time all season against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after Russell Martin was injured by a foul tip, as Francisco Cervelli was unavailable to play and Jesus Montero was the DH for the game. Martin was taken out at the start of the 3rd inning and replaced by Posada. Posada went 1 for 2 with a single and threw out the only baserunner who tried to steal against him.^[45] On September 21, 2011, Posada hit a pinch hit, go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the 8th inning, giving the Yankees the lead; the Yankees won the game to clinch the AL East division title.^[46] Posada finished the regular season with a .235 batting average, 14 home runs, and 44 RBI.

In the 2011 American League Division Series, Posada got six hits (including a triple), four runs, and four walks in 14 at-bats as the starting DH for a .429 batting average and a .579 on-base percentage. The Yankees eventually lost the ALDS to the Detroit Tigers in 5 games.^[47]

Retirement[link]

When asked by reporters after the 2011 ALDS if he had considered the fact he might have played for the final time with the Yankees, Posada said, "I don't want to look at it like that. We lost, and we'll see what happens in the off-season." As the interview session went on, he eventually became emotional and left the clubhouse area to compose himself.^[47] Girardi said, "This guy, when you look at what he did in this series, he was awesome. He's had a tremendous career, and I'm sure he's going to continue to play, and I don't know what's going to happen." Girardi added, "But you talk about being proud of players — what he went through this year and what he gave us in the postseason, I don't think there's a prouder moment that I've had of Jorge."^[47] Posada announced his retirement from baseball on January 24, 2012.^[48]

Personal life[link]

Posada's father, Jorge Posada, Sr., is Cuban, but fled to Puerto Rico to escape Fidel Castro's regime.^[5][49] Posada, Sr. worked as a scout for the Colorado Rockies. His uncle, Leo Posada, played for the Kansas City Athletics.^[50]

On January 21, 2000, Jorge married Laura (née Mendez)^[51], an attorney and former model and actress from Puerto Rico. They have two children, Jorge Luis and Paulina.

Posada's son, Jorge Luis, suffers from craniosynostosis, which he was diagnosed with 10 days after he was born.^[5] Jorge Luis has endured numerous surgeries to correct the condition. Posada established the Jorge Posada Foundation to help find a cure for the disease and support families with children affected by the condition. Jorge released a charity wine in 2008 called Jorge Cabernet to raise funds for his foundation.^[52] In June 2011, his son underwent what Posada hoped would be the final surgery for the condition.^[53]

Posada is close personal friends with teammate Derek Jeter, who served as best man at Posada's wedding.^[54]

Posada wrote a children's book entitled Play Ball! that was published in 2006.^[55] He and his wife cowrote Fit Home Team, a family health manual, and an autobiography titled The Beauty of Love: A Memoir of Miracles, Hope, and Healing, which describes their personal ordeals and how they dealt with them after learning of their son's birth condition in 1999.^[56]

Awards[link]

Posada receiving his 2009 World Series championship ring.

Publications[link]

• Posada, Jorge; Colon, Raul; Burleigh, Robert (2006). Play Ball!. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books. ISBN 978-1-4169-0687-2. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416906878. Retrieved September 12, 2010. 
• Posada, Jorge; Posada, Laura; Williams, Bernie (2009). Fit Home Team: The Posada Family Guide to Health, Exercise, and Nutrition the Inexpensive and Simple Way. Simon and Schuster. http://books.google.com/books?id=sUWE5uFBImMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=fit+home+team&hl=en&sa=X&ei=OqwNT8OdMKmGiQK-kvmoBA&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=fit%20home%20team&f=false. Retrieved January 11, 2012. 
• Posada, Jorge; Posada, Laura; Haim, Monica; Torre, Joe (2010). The Beauty of Love: A Memoir of Miracles, Hope, and Healing. Simon and Shuster. ISBN 1-4391-0308-9. http://books.google.com/books?id=Jcqz9UdCDeEC&dq=the+beauty+of+love&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved January 11, 2012. 

See also[link]

	Puerto Rico portal
	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
• List of Major League Baseball players with 1,000 runs batted in
• New York Yankees award winners and league leaders
• List of New York Yankees Opening Day starting lineups

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jorge Posada

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• The Jorge Posada Foundation

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.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) followed, bringing Depp his second major award win, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy as well as his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Burton first gave him an original cast recording of the 1979 stage musical in 2000. Although not a fan of the musical genre, Depp grew to like the tale's treatment. He cited Peter Lorre in Mad Love (1935) as his main influence for the role, and practiced the songs his character would perform while filming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.^[47] Although he had performed in musical groups, Depp was initially unsure that he would be able to sustain Stephen Sondheim's lyrics. Depp recorded demos and worked with Bruce Witkin to shape his vocals without a qualified voice coach. In the DVD Reviews section, Entertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty gave the film an A minus, stating, "Depp's soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he's been hiding... Watching Depp's barber wield his razors... it's hard not to be reminded of Edward Scissorhands frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago... and all of the twisted beauty we would've missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met."^[48] In his introduction to Burton on Burton, a book of interviews with the director, Depp called Burton "...a brother, a friend,...and [a] brave soul".^[49] The next Depp-Burton collaboration was Alice in Wonderland (2010). Depp played the Mad Hatter alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman. In 2012, he starred in the Burton-directed Dark Shadows, a film based on the 1966-1971 gothic soap opera of the same name, alongside fellow Tim Burton regular Helena Bonham Carter, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer and Eva Green.

Production company[link]

In 2004, Depp formed his production company Infinitum Nihil to develop projects where he will serve as actor and/or producer. Depp is the founder and CEO, while his sister, Christi Dembrowski, serves as president.^[50] The company's first production came in 2011 with The Rum Diary, adapted from the novel of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. The film is written and directed by Bruce Robinson. Also in 2011, Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese, was released. Dark Shadows, directed by Tim Burton, was released in 2012.

Other interests[link]

During the Paris premiere of Public Enemies in July 2009

Music[link]

As a guitar player, Depp has played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from Be Here Now, 1997), as well as on "Fade Away (Warchild Version)" (b-side of the "Don't Go Away" single). He also played acoustic guitar in the movie Chocolat and on the soundtrack to Once Upon a Time in Mexico. He is a friend of The Pogues' Shane MacGowan, and performed on MacGowan's first solo album. He was also a member of P, a group featuring Butthole Surfers singer Gibby Haynes, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones. He has appeared in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' music video "Into the Great Wide Open" and The Lemonheads "It's a Shame About Ray" music video. He made a cameo as the Mad Hatter in the music video for Avril Lavigne's "Alice" in 2010. He performed lead guitar and drums for a cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", which appeared as a bonus track on some editions of Marilyn Manson's 2012 album Born Villain.^[51][52], also performing live with Marilyn Manson in the Revolver Golden Gods Awards 2012, performing various songs of Marilyn Manson.^[53] He also appeared in the music video of "My Valentine" from the album Kisses on the Bottom by Paul McCartney released in February 2012, along with Natalie Portman.^[54]

Winemaker and restaurateur[link]

Depp and Paradis grow grapes and have wine making facilities in their vineyard in Plan-de-la-Tour north of Saint-Tropez.^[55][56][57] He is known for a fondness of French wines: among Depp's favorites are the Bordeaux wines Château Calon-Ségur, Château Cheval Blanc and Château Pétrus, and the Burgundy wine Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Interviewed in Madame Figaro, he stated, "With those wines, you reach nirvana".^[58] Along with Sean Penn, John Malkovich and Mick Hucknall, Depp co-owned the French restaurant-bar Man Ray, located near the Champs-Élysées.^[59]

Personal life[link]

Family and relationships[link]

Depp in April 2011

Depp was married to Lori Anne Allison from 1983 to 1985. He became involved with Sherilyn Fenn in 1985; this relationship also lasted 3 years. Depp met Winona Ryder at the Great Balls of Fire! premier in July 1989, and became engaged to her for three years beginning in July 1990.^[60] The relationship was highly publicized and received much scrutiny by the media and tabloid press.

Since 1998, following a four year relationship with British supermodel Kate Moss, Depp has been in a relationship with Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer whom he met while filming The Ninth Gate.^[61]

The couple have two children. Daughter Lily-Rose Melody Depp was born May 27, 1999, and son John "Jack" Christopher Depp III was born April 9, 2002.^[1] In 2007, his daughter recovered from a serious illness, an E. coli infection that began to cause her kidneys to shut down and resulted in an extended hospital stay.^[62] To thank Great Ormond Street Hospital, Depp visited the hospital in November 2007 dressed in his Captain Jack Sparrow outfit and spent 4 hours reading stories to the children. In 2008 he donated £1 million (about $2 million) to the hospital.^[63]

Although Depp has not remarried, he has stated that having children has given him "real foundation, a real strong place to stand in life, in work, in everything."^[25] "You can't 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; kismet. All the math finally worked." The family divides its time between their home in Meudon, located in the suburbs of Paris, 2 homes in Los Angeles^[64], an island he bought in The Bahamas, and their villa in Le Plan-de-la-Tour, a small town 20 km from Saint-Tropez, in the south of France.^[65][66] Depp also acquired a vineyard estate in the Plan-de-la-Tour area in 2007.^[55] Several reports indicated Depp bought Burnham Westgate Hall in Norfolk, England, a 13-bedroom Georgian country house, in June 2011.^[67][68][69]

Legal issues[link]

In 1994, Depp was arrested and questioned by police for allegedly causing serious damage to a New York City hotel suite.^[70]

He was arrested again in 1999 for brawling with paparazzi outside a restaurant while dining in London with Paradis.^[71]

Tattoos[link]

Depp has around 13 tattoos, many of them signifying important persons or events in his life. They include a Native American in profile and a ribbon reading "Wino Forever" (originally "Winona Forever", altered after his breakup with Winona Ryder) on his right biceps, "Lily-Rose" (his daughter's name) over his heart, "Betty Sue" (his mother's name) on his left biceps, and a sparrow flying over water with the word "Jack" (his son's name; the sparrow is flying towards him rather than away from him as it is in Pirates of the Caribbean) on his right forearm.

Controversy[link]

Comments on U.S.[link]

In 2003, Depp's comments about the United States appeared in Germany's Stern magazine: "America is dumb, is something like a dumb puppy that has big teeth — that can bite and hurt you, aggressive."^[72] Although he later asserted that the magazine misquoted him and the quotation was taken out of context, Stern stood by its story, as did CNN.com in its coverage of the interview. CNN added his remark that he would like his children "to see America as a toy, a broken toy. Investigate it a little, check it out, get this feeling and then get out."^[73] The July 17, 2006 edition of Newsweek reprinted the "dumb puppy" quotation, verbatim, in the context of a Letter to the Magazine. Depp has also disagreed with subsequent media reports that perceived him as a "European wannabe", saying that he likes the anonymity of living in France and his simpler life there.^[72]

In 2011, Depp became a U.S. resident again, because France wanted him to become a permanent resident, which he said would require him to pay income tax in both countries.^[74]

Comanche Adoption[link]

Depp was adopted as an honorary son by LaDonna Harris, a member of the Comanche Nation, on May 22, 2012; this makes him an honorary member of Harris's family, but not an enrolled member of the Nation.^[75] Harris, president of Americans for Indian Opportunity, invited him to join her family after hearing he would be reprising the role of Tonto as a Comanche in the movie version of The Lone Ranger. The ceremony took place at Harris’s home; Comanche Nation Tribal Administrator Johnny Wauqua was in attendance. Depp was presented with gifts by the family, which he then presented to the attendees, as per tradition.^[75] This adoption, and Depp's portrayal of a Native American character, has not been without controversy.^[75] Depp was not raised in any Native American community, nor has any ancestry from these communities been confirmed, but has said he "guesses" he may have some distant Cherokee or Creek ancestry.^[7] In the original Radio Broadcast, Tonto was identified as being from the Potawatomi Tribe.

Awards and nominations[link]

Some of the awards that Depp has won include honors from the London Film Critics Circle (1996), Russian Guild of Film Critics (1998), Screen Actors Guild Awards (2004) and a Golden Globe for Best Actor. At the 2008 MTV Movie Awards, he won the award for "Best Villain" for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd and "Best Comedic Performance" for Jack Sparrow. Depp has been nominated for three Academy Awards, in 2004 for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, in 2005 for Finding Neverland, and in 2008 for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Depp won his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in 2008.

Filmography[link]

References[link]