The Ninth Gate is a 1999 thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Roman Polanski. The plot involves a rare book business, wherein rare-book dealer Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is hired by bibliophile Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) to validate a seventeenth-century copy of The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, by Aristide Torchia, and what he encounters en route. The Nine Gates is an imaginary book, but is heavily inspired by the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili.^[1]

The film, based upon Arturo Pérez-Reverte's 1993 novel The Club Dumas, comprises three genres, and was co-written by director Roman Polanski. The premiere showing was at San Sebastián, Spain, on 25 August 1999, a month before the 47th San Sebastian International Film Festival; in North America, it failed critically and commercially, because, reviewers claimed, it was a lesser effort than Rosemary's Baby (1968), his best supernatural-theme film; nonetheless, The Ninth Gate earned a worldwide gross of $58.4 million against a $38 million budget.

Plot[link]

Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) is a New York City rare-book dealer motivated solely by financial gain. Wealthy book collector Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) hires Corso to compare his recently acquired copy of the book The Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows, by seventeenth-century author Aristide Torchia, to the other two known to be in existence. Balkan informs Corso that only one is genuine and is reputedly a version whose author was the devil himself. The book contains nine engravings that, when correctly interpreted and the legends properly spoken, will summon the Devil. Balkan suspects that his book might be a forgery and asks Corso to travel to Europe to determine whether his is genuine and to acquire the others for Balkan - at any cost, or by any means.

Balkan's copy of The Nine Gates had previously belonged to bibliophile Andrew Telfer, who committed suicide soon after selling the book to Balkan. Moreover, Telfer's widow Liana (Lena Olin) wants the book back, as Telfer originally bought the book for her. Liana seduces Corso, but she fails to re-acquire her book. Meanwhile, Corso's business partner and rare-book shop owner, Bernie (James Russo), whom Corso had asked to hide the book, is murdered and his corpse is posed to reflect one of the engravings in The Nine Gates, which, as in the image of The Hanged Man Tarot card, shows a man suspended by one foot upside down.

Corso travels to Toledo, Spain, to talk with the Ceniza brothers, both twins played by José López Rodero, book restorers who point out to him three of the book's engravings signed "LCF", which, with their prompting, Corso understands means that Lucifer himself designed and cut them. Corso next goes by train to Sintra, Portugal, and visits Victor Fargas (Jack Taylor), whose copy of The Nine Gates Corso compares with Balkan's. To his surprise, Corso discovers that the signature "LCF" is found in three different engravings in the Fargas copy, which vary in detail from their counterparts in the Balkan copy. The next morning a mysterious young woman (Emmanuelle Seigner), who has crossed paths with Corso since Balkan summoned him for this assignment, awakens Corso and leads him back to Fargas' house where he finds the old man murdered and the engravings ripped out of his copy of The Nine Gates.

In Paris, Corso visits the Baroness Kessler (Barbara Jefford), owner of the third copy of The Nine Gates. The Baroness initially refuses any contact with Corso once she realizes who his employer is, but Corso returns and intrigues Kessler—a lifelong devotee of the study of the book—with evidence that the engravings differ across the three copies. Having gained access to Kessler's copy, he records three further differences. Later, Kessler is killed and the Girl displays supernatural abilities in rescuing Corso from Liana's bodyguard (Tony Amoni). Now believing that each copy of The Nine Gates is genuine, Corso suspects that the secret is a combination of the "LCF" versions of each of the nine engravings, distributed across all three copies of the book. Liana steals Balkan's copy from Corso's hotel room; he follows her to a mansion and witnesses her using it in leading a Satanist ceremony. Balkan suddenly interrupts the ceremony, kills Liana, takes the engraving pages and his own intact copy, then flees.

Corso pursues Balkan to a remote castle, which was depicted in one of the engavings, and in a postcard that Corso found in Kessler's copy, and finds Balkan preparing to open the nine gates. After a struggle, Balkan manages to trap Corso in a hole in the floor, thus immobilizing him and allowing Balkan to perform his summoning ritual unmolested—but with Corso as a 'witness'. Balkan recites a series of phrases related to each of the nine engravings, then douses the floor and himself with gasoline and sets it alight, believing himself immune to the flames. Balkan's invocation, however, appears to fail, and Balkan begins screaming in agony as his body starts to burn. Corso frees himself and, with Balkan engulfed in flames, puts Balkan out of his agony with a shot and escapes the fire.

Outside the building, the girl appears to Corso and they consumate their attraction by the light of the flames. She tells him that Balkan failed because the ninth engraving Balkan had used was a forgery. Corso, following her directions, returns to the Ceniza brothers' shop. Upon arriving, he finds the store gone and the last piece of furniture being removed, from the top of which falls the authentic ninth engraving, which includes a likeness of the mystery girl. With the last engraving in hand, Corso returns to the castle it depicts, and crosses the threshold of the Ninth Gate.

Cast[link]

• Johnny Depp as Dean Corso
• Lena Olin as Liana Telfer
• Frank Langella as Boris Balkan
• Emmanuelle Seigner as The Girl
• Barbara Jefford as the Baroness Frida Kessler
• Jack Taylor as Victor Fargas
• José López Rodero as Pablo Ceniza and Pedro Ceniza, and 1st and 2nd workmen
• Tony Amoni as Liana's bodyguard
• James Russo as Bernie

Production[link]

Roman Polanski read the screenplay, an adaptation by Enrique Urbizu, of the Spanish novel El Club Dumas (The Club Dumas, 1993), by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, So impressed with the script, Polanski read the novel, liking it because he "saw so many elements that seemed good for a movie. It was suspenseful, funny, and there were a great number of secondary characters that are tremendously cinematic".^[2] Pérez-Reverte's novel, El Club Dumas features intertwined plots, so Polanski wrote his own adaptation with his usual partner, John Brownjohn (Tess, Pirates and Bitter Moon). They deleted the novel's literary references and a sub-plot about Corso's investigation of an original manuscript of a chapter of The Three Musketeers and concentrated upon Dean Corso's pursuing the authentic copy of The Nine Gates.^[2]

Polanski approached the subject skeptically, saying, "I don't believe in the occult. I don't believe. Period";^[3] yet he enjoyed the genre, "There [are] a great number of clichés of this type in The Ninth Gate, which I tried to turn around a bit. You can make them appear serious on the surface, but you cannot help but laugh at them".^[3] The appeal of the film was that it featured "a mystery in which a book is the leading character" and its engravings "are also essential clues".^[4] In reading El Club Dumas, Polanski pictured Johnny Depp as "Dean Corso", who joined the production as early as 1997, when he met Polanski at the Cannes Film Festival, while promoting The Brave, his directorial début, then in festival competition.^[5]

Initially, he did not think Depp right as "Corso", because the character was forty years old (Depp at the time was only 34). He considered an older actor, but Depp persisted; he wanted to work with Roman Polanski.^[6]

The film press reported creative friction between Depp and Polanski, reported around the time of the North American release of The Ninth Gate. Depp said, "It's the director's job to push, to provoke things out of an actor".^[6] Polanski said of Depp, "He decided to play it rather flat, which wasn't how I envisioned it; and I didn't tell him it wasn't how I saw it". Visually, in the neo-noir genre style, rare-book dealer Dean Corso's disheveled grooming derives from Philip Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's quintessential literary private investigator.^[3]

Polanski cast Frank Langella as Boris Balkan based upon his performance as Clare Quilty in Lolita (1997), directed by Adrian Lyne. Barbara Jefford, as the Baroness Frida Kessler was a last-minute replacement for the cast German actress who fell sick with pneumonia, and after a second actress proved unable to learn the character's dialogue; with only days' notice, Barbara Jefford learned her part, spoken with a German accent.^[2] The Ninth Gate was photographed in France, Portugal, and Spain in summer of 1998. Johnny Depp met his long-time partner Vanessa Paradis during the shooting.

Soundtrack[link]

The main theme of The Ninth Gate is based upon Havanaise, for violin and orchestra, by Camille Saint-Saëns;^{[citation needed]} some of the score is a vocalise by Korean soprano Sumi Jo.^[7]

1. Vocalise: "Theme from the Ninth Gate" – 3:56
2. "Opening Titles" – 3:31
3. "Corso" – 3:24
4. "Bernie is Dead" – 4:31
5. "Liana" – 3:03
6. "Plane to Spain" – 4:48
7. "The Motorbike" – 1:18
8. "Missing Books

1. "Blood on His Face" – 1:13
2. "Chateau Saint Martin" – 4:05
3. "Liana's Death" – 2:38
4. "Boo! / The Chase" – 4:29
5. "Balkan's Death" – 3:52
6. "The Ninth Gate" – 1:13
7. "Corso and the Girl" – 3:20
8. Vocalise: Theme from the Ninth Gate (Reprise)

Reception[link]

The premiere screening of The Ninth Gate was in San Sebastián, Spain, on 25 August 1999; in North America, it appeared in 1,586 cinemas during the March 10th, 2000 weekend, earning a gross income of $6.6 million, and $18.6 million in total. Worldwide, it earned $58.4 million against a $38 million production budget.^[8]

The majority of reviews for the film were mixed to negative, with objections to the film citing a slow pace, trivial subject matter, and an uneven tone. Most movie reviewers said that the suspense in The Ninth Gate was less than that of Rosemary's Baby (1968), director Polanski's famous supernatural-themed film. The Ninth Gate holds a 40% rating at Rotten Tomatoes (26% among "Cream of the Crop" critics) and a metascore of 44 on Metacritic. Roger Ebert said the ending was lackluster, "while at the end, I didn't yearn for spectacular special effects, I did wish for spectacular information — something awesome, not just a fade-to-white".^[9] In his review for The New York Times, Elvis Mitchell said the movie was "about as scary as a sock-puppet re-enactment of The Blair Witch Project, and not nearly as funny".^[10] Entertainment Weekly rated the film "D+", and Lisa Schwarzbaum said it had an "aroma of middle-brow, art-house Euro-rot, a whiff of decay and hauteur in a film not even a star as foxed, and foxy, as Johnny Depp, himself, could save".^[11] In the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan said the film was "too laid-back, and unconcerned about the pacing of its story to be satisfying", because "a thriller that's not high-powered, is an intriguing concept, in reality it can hold our attention for only so long".^[12] In the Village Voice, J. Hoberman said the film was "barely releasable hokum, stuffed with cheesy blah-blah".^[13]

In Sight and Sound magazine, Phillip Strick said it was "not particularly liked at first outing — partly because Johnny Depp, in fake grey temples, personifies the odious Corso of the book a little too accurately — the film is intricately well-made, deserves a second chance, despite its disintegrations, and, in time, will undoubtedly acquire its own coven of heretical fans".^[14]

In Time magazine, Richard Corliss said that The Ninth Gate was Polanski's most accessible effort "since fleeing the U.S. soon after Chinatown".^[15]

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Graham said that "Depp is the best reason to see Polanski's satanic thriller" and "Polanski's sly sense of film-noir conventions pokes fun at the genre, while, at the same time, honoring it".^[16]

On his website Groucho Reviews, web critic Peter Canavese called the film "an insinuating trip into devilish darkness" and a "sorely underrated occult mystery".^[17]

After the release of The Ninth Gate, Artisan sued Polanski for taking more than $1 million from the budget, refunds of France's value-added tax that he did not give to the completion bond company guaranteeing Artisan Entertainment a completed film.^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Ninth Gate at the Internet Movie Database
• The Ninth Gate at AllRovi
• The Ninth Gate at Box Office Mojo
• The Ninth Gate at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Ninth Gate at Metacritic
• Texts, engravings and formatting of the book
• "Satanic Verses" article from American Cinematographer magazine

Sumi Jo
Sumi Jo, 2010
Korean name
Hangul	조수미
Hanja	曺秀美
Revised Romanization	Jo Sumi
McCune–Reischauer	Cho Sumi
Birth name
Hangul	조수경
Revised Romanization	Jo Sugyeong
McCune–Reischauer	Cho Sukyong

Sumi Jo (born (1962-11-22) November 22, 1962 (age 49)) is a Grammy Award winning South Korean lyric coloratura soprano known for her interpretations of the bel canto repertoire.^[1][2]

Early life and education[link]

Jo was born Jo Su-gyeong in Seoul, South Korea. Her mother was an amateur singer and pianist who had been unable to pursue her own professional music studies due to the political situation in Korea during the 1950s. Determined to provide her daughter with opportunities she never had, Jo's mother enrolled her in piano lessons at the age of 4 and later voice lessons at the age of 6. As a child, Jo would often spend up to eight hours a day studying music.^[3] In 1976, Jo entered the Sun Hwa Arts School from which she graduated in 1980 with diplomas in voice and piano.^[4] She continued her music studies at Seoul National University from 1981–1983. While studying at SNU, Jo made her professional recital debut, appeared in several concerts with the Korean Broadcasting System, and made her professional operatic debut as Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro with Seoul Opera.^[1] In 1983 Jo decided to leave SNU in order to study music in Italy at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome. Among her teachers there were Carlo Bergonzi and Giannella Borelli. While Jo studied in Italy, she was frequently heard in concert in Italian cities and also on national radio broadcasts and telecasts. It was during this time when Jo decided to use 'Sumi' as her stage name in order to make her name more friendly to European language speakers who often found it difficult to pronounce Su-gyeong. She graduated in 1985 with a concentration in keyboard as well as voice. Following graduation, Jo began to study voice with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf^[3] and won several international competitions in Seoul, Naples, Enna, Barcelona, and Pretoria. In August 1986, she was unanimously awarded first prize in the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition in Verona, one of the world's most important contests, open only to first-prize winners of other major competitions.^[5]

Career[link]

Sumi Jo, 1998

In 1986, Jo made her European operatic debut as Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto at the Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste. This debut performance attracted the attention of Herbert von Karajan, who proceeded to cast her as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera opposite Plácido Domingo at the Salzburg Festival in 1989.^[6] Due to the death of Karajan during the rehearsals of this planned performance, Jo actually never had the opportunity to sing on stage under the baton of Karajan (Georg Solti conducted the performance) though early that year she had sung in the studio recording of the work for Deutsche Grammophon^[7] In 1988, Jo made her La Scala debut as Thetis in Jommelli's Fetonte.^[8] That same year she also made her debut with the Bavarian State Opera and sang Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro at the Salzburg Festival. In 1989, Jo made her debut with the Vienna State Opera and returned to the Salzburg Festival to sing Oscar in Verdi's Un ballo in maschera. That same year, she made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera, once again portraying Gilda in Rigoletto. Jo would later reprise this role numerous times with the Met over the next fifteen years.^[9]

In 1990, Jo made her debut with the Chicago Lyric Opera as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute.^[10] The following year, she returned to the Metropolitan Opera for another performance as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera and made her Royal Opera at Covent Garden debut as Olympia in The Tales of Hoffmann.^[9] She returned to Covent Garden the next year to sing both Adina in L'elisir d'amore and Elvira in I puritani.

In 1993, Jo appeared in the title role of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor with the Metropolitan Opera and sang the role of the Queen of the Night at both the Salzburg Festival and Covent Garden.^[9] The following year she made her debut with Los Angeles Opera as Sophie in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier.^[6] In 1995 she sang the role of Countess Adèle in Le comte Ory at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

Over the next decade Jo maintained a busy schedule, singing Lucia in Strasbourg, Barcelona, Berlin, and Paris; La sonnambula in Brussels and Santiago, Chile; I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Minnesota Opera; Olympia in New York; Rosina in New York; the Queen of the Night in Los Angeles; Gilda in Bilbao, Oviedo, Bologna, Trieste, and Detroit among others; Il turco in Italia in Spain; L'enfant et les sortilèges in Boston and Pittsburgh; Le comte Ory in Rome; and Dinorah in New York. She also appeared in performances at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Opéra National de Paris, Washington Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Opera Australia, and the Teatro Colón.

In addition, she appeared with numerous symphony orchestras in concert, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra,^[11] the Cincinnati Pops, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra,^[12] the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra among others. Her work led her to sing under such conductors as Sir Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, James Levine, Kent Nagano, and Richard Bonynge. She also gave recitals throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia.^[13]

In 2007, Jo performed her first Violetta in La traviata with the Toulon Opera and in the 2008/2009 season she was scheduled to perform the role of Zerline in Fra Diavolo at both the Opera Comique and Opéra Royal de Wallonie.^[1]

In 2011 Sumi Jo provided the voice of 'Veda Pierce' in the HBO miniseries 'Mildred Pierce'.

Recordings[link]

This section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: formatting, laundry list. Please help improve this section if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (April 2012)

Sumi Jo currently has 50 recordings to her credit, including ten solo albums for Erato, French division of Warner Classic. These recordings include complete operas, oratorio, operetta, orchestral works and Broadway standards. Notable recordings include Grammy Award winning Die Frau ohne Schatten with Sir Georg Solti for the London/Decca label and Un ballo in maschera for Deutsche Grammophon under Herbert von Karajan.^[11]

She provided a vocalise for the soundtrack of the 1999 film The Ninth Gate, composed by Wojciech Kilar. The main theme of this film is based on a piece by Camille Saint-Saëns.

Sumi Jo recorded a cover version of the title song of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2010 musical Love Never Dies.

Several of Sumi Jo's recordings were used as the character Veda's singing voice in the 2011 HBO miniseries version of Mildred Pierce. She also recorded new tracks specifically for the film, including the "Bridal Chorus" from Wagner's Lohengrin and the popular standard "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows."^[14]

Her recording of R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos, Etc. Virgin Classics (1997) is the first recording of 1912 original version of R. Strauss. Sumi hit the F#6 of Zerbinetta^[15][16]

<International Albums>

• Sumi Jo The Erato Recitals (10 CDs) Erato (January 31, 2012)
• Libera Decca (2011)
• Ich Liebe Dich Decca (August 17, 2010)
• Missing You Decca (August 10, 2010)
• The Sumi Jo Collection Warner Bros UK (January 18, 2010)
• Best Of Sumi Jo Decca (February 4, 2009)
• Baroque Journey Erato (November 13, 2007)
• The Christmas Album Erato (September 18, 2001)
• Prayers Erato (March 20, 2001)
• Only Love Erato (April 11, 2000)
• A Tribute to Johann Strauss ~ Echoes from Vienna Erato (November 9, 1999)
• Les Bijoux / French Arias Erato (August 3, 1999)
• La Promessa: Italian Songs Erato (September 15, 1998)
• Art of Sumi Jo Decca (August 11, 1998)
• Adam - Le Toréador Decca (March 17, 1998)
• Bel Canto Erato (September 16, 1997)
• Sumi Jo Sings Mozart (October 1, 1996)
• Auber - Le Domino Noir (2 CDs) Decca (April 9, 1996)
• Virtuoso Arias Erato (February 7, 1995)
• Carnaval! French Coloratura Arias Decca (November 15, 1994)

<Albums of Various Artists>

• Kenny G 'Rhythm & Romance'

Featuring with Sumi Jo - Mirame Bailar 

• MBC epic drama "Ju-mong" O.S.T.(2006)

Sumi Jo - A Memory of Love

• The #1 Soprano Album (2 CDs)Decca (April 9, 2002)

Sumi Jo - Die Zauberflöte / Act 2 - "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen"

• KBS drama "The Lost Empire" O.S.T. (2CDs) Doremi, Korea (2001.12.03)

Sumi Jo - If I Leave

• DIVA: 30 Great Prima Donnas (2 CDs) Teldec (2001)

Sumi Jo - Faust, Act II: L'air Des Bijoux 

• Jewel Song: 20 Great Soprano Arias (2 CDs) Decca (2000)

Sumi Jo - Die Zauberflöte / Act 2 - "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen"

• MBC drama "Hu-jun" O.S.T.(1999)

Sumi Jo - Elegy of Separation (Bulinbeolgok)

• R. Strauss: Ariadne Auf Naxos, Etc. Virgin Classics (1997)

Sumi Jo - Zerbinetta[15]
       

<Albums in Korea>

• Sumi Jo the 25th Debut Anniversary Memorial Album (10 CDs) Erato (2011) (It is same as The Erato Recitals 10 CDs) [16]
• the 21st Debut Anniversary Memorial Album

 Sumi Jo 101: Favorite Crossover and Classics (6CDs) Warner Music (2007)

• the 20th Anniversary Special Edition

 With Love: Best 20 Songs of Sumi Jo (2 CDs) Warner Music Korea (2006)

• DVD "Sumi Jo in Paris - For my Father" (2006)^[17]
• My Story (2 CDs) Erato/Warner Music Korea (2002)

This album included a vocal version of "Love is just a Dream," whose non-vocal verson was in MBC drama "Hotelier" O.S.T. (2001).

Awards and honors[link]

• 2008 – Sumi Jo received the international Puccini Award
• 2008 – Sumi Jo sang at the International Olympic Games in Beijing^[18]
• 2006 Winner of the Proud Korean Award for Culture and Art
• 2005 7th Winner of KwanAk Award by Alumni Association of Seoul National University
• 2003 – Sumi Jo was elected as an "Artist for Peace" of UNESCO^[12]
• 2002 – Sumi Jo sang at the World Cup in Seoul, Korea^[19]
• 2002 18th Woman of the Year by Korea Women Committee
• 1997 Best Vocal Album by French Cultural Critics
• 1997 Winner of 5th KBS Overseas Korean Award
• 1996 Winner of 1st Korean-Chinese Youth Academic Award
• 1996 The Best Selling Album of the Year award by British Classic
• 1995 Decorated with the Order of Culture Merit, South Korea
• 1995 Grand prize winner of Women Dong-a by Dong-a Daily News, Seoul, South Korea
• 1994 Winner of Best Soprano, Chile
• 1994 Winner of Kim SuGeun Award for Performing Art, Seoul, South Korea
• 1993 Winner of La Siola d'Oro, Forli, Italy
• 1993 Winner of Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording (conducted by sir. Solti, Deca label)
• 1992 Winner of Hong Nanpa Memorial Award
• August 1986 First prize in the Carlo Alberto Cappelli International Competition at Verona
• October 1986 Graduated with honors from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory
• 1986 Winner of Pretoria International Music Competitions, South Africa
• 1986 Winner of 'Francisco Viñas' International Singing Competition,Barcelona, Spain
• 1985 Winner of Viotti International Music Competition (Concorso Internazionale di Musica Viotti), Italy
• 1985 Winner of Sicily Enna International Musical Competition, Italy
• 1985 Winner of Napoli Zonta International Competition, Italy
• 1985 Winner of Viotti International Music Competition, Trieste, Italy (Concorso Internazionale di Musica Viotti)

Personal life[link]

Sumi Jo is the first cousin once removed of Korean actor Yoo Gun (also spelled Yoo Geon). Yoo Gun is the son of one of Sumi's first cousins.^[20]

Sumi Jo is an advocate for animal rights and one of only five Asian celebrities to make People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia-Pacific's (PETA) first-ever Best-Dressed 2008 list.^[21]

Her father had died just before she performed Ave Maria at Chatelet, Paris. When she learned that her father died, she wanted to pack up and attend her father's funeral. Her mother reminded her of the promise with her audiences, and said that it was best for her father that she performed and dedicated it to her father.Her performance was dedicated to her father and released as a DVD titled "Sumi Jo in Paris - For my Father"^[22]

Her grandma had a superstition if Sumi knocks something, any bad fortune would go away. Although Sumi's family lived in a rented property, her parents bought a piano for her to play.^[23]

Her mother trained Sumi strictly. Sumi recalled even when her mother went out; she locked the door outside so that Sumi couldn't play hooky.^[24]

In a Korean talk show, "Golden Fishery: Knee-drop Guru," she recalled that the first two years of Seoul National University was the most unique time of her life. She had not studied and felt in love for the first time. In the interview, she said that she could not even afford to buy a ticket to Italy, but there was an unexpected income to her family later. She had only $300 when she went to Italy to pursue further music study.

In an interview with a Korean newspaper, she said if she had the second life, she would like to have an ordinary woman's life as a wife of a man.

She marked the highest score in the history of Seoul National University (SNU) entrance exam, for her vocal performance.

She fainted on the street when she studied in Italy, and later was diagnosed with anemia. She slept only 4 hours to study Italian language and music, and also to tutor to earn money to keep studying in Italy.

She had studied music with a scholarship in Seonwha Arts Junior-High School and Seonwha Arts High School for six years.

She has been claimed as "a voice from above" by Maestro Herbert von Karajan.^[25]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Sumi Jo at Allmusic
• Sumi Jo at the Internet Movie Database

This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, footnoting, or external linking. (June 2010)

Wojciech Kilar
Wojciech Kilar proudly presenting his Omega Seamaster watch.
Born	Wojciech Kilar (1932-07-17)17 July 1932 Lwow, Poland now in Ukraine
Nationality	Polish
Occupation	Composer
Spouse	Barbara Pomianowska (April 1966 to November 2007)

Wojciech Kilar (Polish pronunciation: [ˈvɔjt͡ɕex kilar] (pronounced phonetically: Voy-cheh Kee-lahr) ; b. 17 July 1932 in Lwów, Poland) is a Polish classical and film music composer.

Biography[link]

Wojciech Kilar is one of Poland’s esteemed composers. Born in 1932 in Lwów (now a city in Ukraine, it was part of Poland at the time). ^[1] His father was a gynecologist and his mother was a theater actress. Kilar has spent most of his life since 1948 in the city of Katowice in Southern Poland,^[2] married (from April 1966 to November 2007) to Barbara Pomianowska, a pianist.^[3] Kilar was 22 years old when he met 18 year old Barbara, his future wife.^[4]

Education[link]

Kilar studied at some of Poland's finest music academies, including the State Higher School of Music in Katowice, under the composer and pianist Władysława Markiewiczówna, graduating with top honors in 1955. He continued his post-graduate studies at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków from 1955 to 1958 under composer and pianist Bolesław Woytowicz. In 1957 he participated in the International New Music Summer Course in Darmstadt. Kilar expanded on his musical education in Paris in 1959-60, when a scholarship from the French government allowed him to study composition under Nadia Boulanger^[5].

Music career[link]

Wojciech Kilar, October 28, 2005

^[6] Wojciech Kilar belonged (together with Boleslaw Szabelski, his student Henryk Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki) to the Polish Avant-garde music movement of the Sixties. In 1977 Kilar was one of the founding members of the Karol Szymanowski Society, based in the mountain town of Zakopane. Kilar chaired the Katowice chapter of the Association of Polish Composers for many years and from 1979-81 was vice chair of this association's national board. He was also a member of the Repertoire Committee for the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music. In 1991 Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi made a biographical film about the composer titled Wojciech Kilar.

Having received critical success as a classical composer, Kilar scored his first domestic film in 1959, and has since gone on to write music from some of Poland's most acclaimed directors, including Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Kazimierz Kutz and Andrzej Wajda. He worked on over 100 titles in his home country, including internationally recognised titles such as Bilans Kwartalny (1975), Spirala (1978), Constans (1980), Imperativ (1982), Rok Spokojnego Slonca (1984), and Zycie za Zycie (1991), plus several others in France and across other parts of Europe. He made his English-language debut with Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Dracula. His other English language features — Roman Polanski's trio Death and the Maiden (1994), The Ninth Gate (1999) and The Pianist (2002), and Jane Campion's The Portrait of a Lady (1996) — were typified by his trademark grinding basses and cellos, deeply romantic themes and minimalist chord progressions.

In addition to his film work, Kilar continues to write and publish purely classical works, which have included a horn sonata, a piece for a wind quintet, several pieces for chamber orchestra and choir, the acclaimed Baltic Canticles, the epic Exodus (famous as the trailer music from Schindler's List), a Concerto for Piano and Orchestra dedicated to Peter Jablonski, and his major work, the “September Symphony” (2003).^[6]

Having abandoned Avant-garde music technical means almost entirely, he continues to employ a simplified musical language, in which sizable masses of sound serve as a backdrop for highlighted melodies. This occurs in those compositions that reference folk music (especially Polish Highlander Gorals folk melodies) and in patriotic and religious pieces.

Awards[link]

Wojciech Kilar has received numerous awards for his artistic activity and achievements, including prizes from the Lili Boulanger Foundation in Boston (1960), the Minister of Culture and Art (1967, 1975), the Association of Polish Composers (1975), the Katowice province (1971, 1976, 1980), and the city of Katowice (1975, 1992).^[7] He has also been awarded the First Class Award of Merit of the Polish Republic (1980), the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Prize in New York City (1984), the Solidarity Independent Trade Union Cultural Committee Arts Award (1989), the Wojciech Korfanty Prize (1995), the "Lux ex Silesia" Prize bestowed by the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Katowice (1995), and the Sonderpreis des Kulturpreis Schlesien des Landes Niedersachsen (1996).

Kilar's film scores have also won him many honors. He received the best score award for the music to Ziemia obiecana / The Promised Land (dir. Andrzej Wajda) at the Festival of Polish Films in Gdansk in 1975. This was followed by the Prix Louis Delluc, which Kilar was awarded in 1980 for the music to an animated film titled Le Roi et l'Oiseau / The King and the Mockingbird, (dir. Paul Grimault). One year later he collected an award at the Cork International Film Festival for the music to Papież Jan Pawel II / Pope John Paul II / Da un paese lontano: Papa Giovanni Paulo II (dir. Krzysztof Zanussi).

Perhaps his greatest success came with his score to Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, for which Kilar received the ASCAP Award 1992 from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Producers in Los Angeles and the prize for best score in a horror film in San Francisco in 1992. The Polish State Cinema Committee honored Kilar with a lifetime achievement award in 1991, while in 1976 he was decorated with the Cavaliers' Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. In November 2008 Kilar was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

List of major awards[link]

• The French Lili Boulanger Prize for composition (1960)
• The Polish Ministry of Culture and Arts Award (1967 and 1976)
• The Polish Composers Union Award (1975)
• The French Prix Louis Delluc (1980)
• The Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Award (1984, USA)
• The Polish Cultural Foundation Award (2000)
• The 1992 ASCAP Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Producers in Los Angeles for his score for the Coppola horror film Bram Stoker's Dracula.
• The prize for best score in a horror film, Bram Stoker's Dracula (San Francisco, 1992)
• 2002 BAFTA Awards - Nominee
• Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music - The Pianist (2002 film)^[1]

Works[link]

The vast majority of Wojciech Kilar's work remains undiscovered by the music public at large, despite having written music for well over 100 films, including: Bram Stoker's Dracula, Death and the Maiden, The Portrait of a Lady, The Ninth Gate, The Truman Show, Pan Tadeusz, The Pianist, Zemsta, and We Own the Night.^[8]

Presently Kilar composes symphonic music, chamber works and works for solo instruments. January 2001 saw the world premiere of his Missa pro pace (composed for a full symphony orchestra, mixed choir and a quartet of soloists) at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw. The work was written to commemorate the Warsaw Philharmonic's centennial. In December 2001, it was performed again in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican in the presence of Pope John Paul II.^[9] His 1984 composition Angelus was used in the motion picture City of Angels; Orawa, from 1988, found its use in the Santa Clara Vanguard's 2003 production, "Pathways", as well as Grants Pass High School's 2010 production, "Traffic", which named them the 2010 NWAPA champion.

For most of his life, Kilar's output has been dominated by music for film with a small but steady stream of concert works. Post 2000, he has turned to "music of a singular authorship". Since his 2003 September Symphony, (Symphony No.3), a four-movement full scale symphony written for the composer's friend Antoni Wit, Kilar has returned to absolute music. September Symphony was the first symphony by the composer since 1955's Symphony for Strings (along with another student symphony) and Kilar considered it his first mature symphony (composed at age 71).

Since 2003, Kilar has been steadily producing large scale concert works. His Lament (2003) for unaccompanied mixed choir, his Symphony No.4 Sinfonia de Motu (Symphony of Motion) from 2005 written for large orchestra, choir and soloists, his Magnificat Mass from 2006, Symphony No.5 Advent Symphony from 2007 and another large mass, Te Deum premiered in November 2008.^[6] Kilar was quoted as saying that he believed he had discovered the philosopher's stone, and that "there was nothing more beautiful than the solitary sound or concord that lasted eternally, that this was the deepest wisdom, nothing like our tricks with sonata allegros, fugues, and harmonics." ^[10] Kilar's works have been performed by several major international orchestras, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic.

Selected film music[link]

• Nikt nie woła (Nobody's calling) (1960)
• Tarpany (Wild Horses) (1962)
• Głos z tamtego świata (Voice from beyond) (1962)
• Milczenie (Silence) (1963)
• Trzy kroki po ziemi (Three steps on Earth) (1965)
• Piekło i niebo (Hell and heaven) (1966)
• Bicz boży (God's whip) (1967)
• The Doll (1968 film) (Lalka) (1968)
• Rejs (Cruise) (1970)
• Bolesław Śmiały (King Boleslaus the Bold) (1972)
• Opętanie (Obsession) (1973)
• Ziemia obiecana (Land of Promise) (1974)
• Smuga cienia (The shadow line) (1976)
• Tredowata (1976)
• Ptaki ptakom (Bords to birds) (1977)
• Barwy ochronne (Camouflage) (1977)
• Spirala (Spiral) (1978)
• Rodzina Polanieckich (TV Series) (1978)
• Le Roi et l'Oiseau (The King and the Mockingbird) (1980)
• From A Far Country (1981)
• Przypadek (Blind chance) (1982)
• Paradigma (1985)
• Chronicle of Amorous Events(1986)
• Salsa (1988)
• Gdzieśkolwiek jest, jesliś jest (Wherever you are, if you are) (1988)
• Stan posiadania (Inventory) (1989)
• Życie za życie (about Maximilian Kolbe) (1991)
• Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
• Dotknięcie ręki (A touch of the hand) (1992)
• Death and the Maiden (1994)
• The Portrait of a Lady (1996)
• Deceptive Charm (1996)
• Brat naszego Boga (Our God's brother) (1997)
• The Truman Show (1998) (parts from Requiem Father Kolbe)
• The Ninth Gate (1999)
• Pan Tadeusz (1999)
• Life As a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease (2000)
• Le Pianiste (2002)
• Zemsta (Revenge) (2002)
• We Own the Night (2007)
• Il Sole Nero (2007)

Orchestral[link]

• Small Overture (1955), for the Youth Festival, 1955
• Symphony for Strings (1955)
• Ode Béla Bartók in memoriam, for violin, brass, and percussion (1956)
• Riff 62 (1962)
• Generique (1963)
• Springfield Sonnet (1965)
• Prelude and Christmas Carol, for four oboes and string orchestra (1972)
• Krzesany (1974)
• Kóscielec (1976)
• Exodus (1981)
• Angelus (1984), for symphony orchestra, soprano, and mixed choir
• Orawa, for string orchestra (1988)
• Choralvorspiel (Choral Prelude), for string orchestra, (1988)
• Requiem Father Kolbe, for symphony orchestra (1994)
• Missa Pro Pace (2000), for orchestra, chorus, and soloists
• Lament (2003), for mixed unaccompanied choir
• Symphony No.3 "September Symphony" (2003) for orchestra
• Symphony No.4 "Sinfonia de Motu" (Symphony of Motion) (2005), for orchestra, chorus, and soloists
• Magnificat (2007), for orchestra, chorus, and soloists
• Symphony No. 5 "Advent Symphony" (2007), for orchestra, chorus, and soloists
• Te Deum (2008), for orchestra, chorus, and soloists
• Veni Creator (2008), for mixed chorus and strings
• Paschalis Hymn (2008) for chorus
• Uwertura uroczysta [Solemn Overture] (2010) for orchestra

Concertante[link]

• Symphony Concertant, for piano and orchestra (1956)
• Piano Concerto No.1 (1996)
• Piano Concerto No.2 (2011)

Chamber[link]

• Flute Sonatina (1951)
• Woodwind Quintet (1952)
• Training 68, for clarinet, trombone, and piano, (1968)

Piano[link]

Numerous solo piano pieces

Personal quotes[link]

• ^[11] Every graduate... at the conservatoire is able to compose a Symphony, and maybe it will even receive a performance. But to write a melody which is sung and played by hundreds of interpreters is something one really has to be born to – ideally in America. A good thing for us (not for him, as one has to admit) that Wladyslaw Szpilman, our Cole Porter, Gershwin, Paul McCartney, was born in Poland....
• Highlander's music is an inexhaustible source of muse. My most popular pieces have been played for more than 30 years; and I owe it to highlander's music (Gorals music).
• I was forced to learn music (laughs). My father was a doctor, mother an actress, so my house was full of artistic atmosphere.
• I turned down the proposition to compose music for Femme Fatale directed by Brian De Palma and I regret it very much, because I wanted to write music for this film.
• I would like to be remembered as a good human being, someone who brought little happiness, hope and reflection into life and into the world and perhaps a bit of faith by those religious pieces. If I were to die seeing that just one person had converted because of me, I would have been satisfied.^[12]

Political views[link]

During the 2007 election campaign for the National Assembly of the Republic of Poland Wojciech Kilar made a number of official statements of his support for Prawo i Sprawiedliwość.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wojciech Kilar

• Official website
• Wojciech Kilar at the Internet Movie Database
• Composer's website
• Kilar at the Polish Music Center
• Interview with Wojciech Kilar

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]