How much is Johnny Depp worth?
| Net Worth: | $150 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | June 9, 1963 (age 59) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
About Johnny Depp
Depp’s rise to the upper echelons of Hollywood was full of twists and turns, including a stint as an emo wannabe rock star and a ballpoint pen salesman. Today Johnny Depp is recognized as one of the greatest actors of all time, despite never having won an Academy Award. Early in his life, Johnny decided to pursue his music career and dropped out of high school at the age of 16. In 1986, only two years after his first debut in Nightmare On Elm Street, Depp played in a rock and roll band called the Rock City Angels. Since 2015, he has been part of the band known as the Hollywood Vampires.
After many moves the Depp family finally settled in Miramar, Florida in 1970. However the family’s struggles were only just beginning. While his father began searching for work as a civil engineer the family was forced to live out of a motel. This went on for nearly a year and was a tough time for the young superstar in the making. Depp has talked about searching for a “numbing effect” when his mother would say things like “everything you do is wrong” or “you shouldn’t have even been alive,” as recounted in Johnny Depp’s testimony in the Amber Heard defamation trial, April 25, 2022. This may have led him to experimenting with drugs at an early age. “I took every drug known to man by the age 14,” Johnny Depp has reportedly said, according to The Globe Herald.
After his parents eventually split in 1978 Johnny Depp soon dropped out of high school to become the frontman of a garage band, called The Kids. The band landed opening gigs for established acts like The Talking Heads, Duran Duran, the B-52’s and Iggy Pop, but times were tough and money tight. So tough that Johnny apparently spent months sleeping in the back of his friend’s Chevy.
The bassist of the band he was part of had a sister called Lori Allison. Lori was a makeup artist and caught the eye of young Johnny, she was 5 years older than him but the rebellious up-and-comer soon tied the knot with the bassist’s sister at just 20 years old in 1983. The romance was brief and the marriage over after just two years but it turned out to be a fantastic move for his career.
Lori Anne Allison had some ex-boyfriend who told her that he may be able to help Johnny get a movie part. Her ex turned out to be Nicolas Cage, and Johnny did meet with him and walked away with an opportunity to audition for an upcoming part. This sudden shift in his circumstances would not go to waste, and Depp landed the role first time and appeared in the 1984 film, A Nightmare On Elm Street.
While Charlie Sheen was the star, Depp had a bit part in Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning war epic Platoon in 1986. It wasn’t much but it had it’s perks, it led him toward his real big break in 1987. Then a fledgling network, Fox, debuted a new series called 21 Jump Street. A show about a team of undercover officers who specialize in catching young criminals. Overnight, Depp became a teen heartthrob. Still rebellious as ever Johnny Depp soon wanted out of the show, but he was contractually obligated to stay until the 1990 season.
With roles as diverse as Glen Lantz in A Nightmare on Elm Street to Lerner in Platoon and Edward Scissorhands, Depp began to find his voice and tone as an actor and as a person in real life. He developed skills and built relationships working with his many cast members and the director’s themselves. American film director, known for his gothic fantasy and horror films, Tim Burton would make a tremendous impact on Johnny Depp’s career. In the first of what would become a string of successful collaborations, Depp played the title role in Edward Scissorhands. This dark role catapulted him into movie stardom and more films followed. In 1993, Depp was cast as Gilbert Grape, in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, it was directed by Lasse Hallström and Johnny appeared alongside an essentially unknown actor, called Leonardo DiCaprio.
Just like many of the top actors who form a bond with specific directors, like Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, or Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino, Johnny Depp and Tim Burton formed a similar relationship that was a notable success. Depp and Burton worked on many movies together, like Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow in the ’90s, and more recently, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows. These movies have required unique acting abilities playing odd and obscure roles. They are characters that have pushed and challenged Depp to develop in a way that very few actors have.
However, perhaps the speed and uncontrollable way that Johnny Depp became successful, led him to destructive habits? One thing’s for sure, essentially nobody on the planet knows what it’s like to go from living out of the back of a Chevy, to becoming one of the most famous faces on the planet. Things quickly began to go sideways.
Depp was suddenly living a fast-paced celebrity lifestyle and in high-profile relationships. First with his Edward Scissorhands co-star Winona Ryder for three years, until 1993. Then in October of that year, he was shocked and in the press when actor River Phoenix overdosed and died outside of The Viper Room, a club Depp co-owned.
In 1994, he started a turbulent relationship with supermodel Kate Moss replete with public fights (and PDAs) and reputed drug use. In September 1994, he was arrested for criminal mischief when he “had a bad day” and trashed a Mark Hotel suite after an argument with Moss. He famously blamed the mess on an armadillo that was trapped in the closet… he agreed to pay $9,767 in damages.
Despite his personal life seemingly in disaster, none of the negative attention had any adverse effect on his career. In the mid to late-‘90s, he worked with Burton again in Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow, famously, he also became good friends with writer Hunter S. Thompson while portraying him in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Finally, his destructive relationship with Moss finally ended in 1998. Soon after, Depp met French actress and singer Vanessa Paradis while shooting The Ninth Gate in Paris. Johnny finally showed signs of settling down and the couple moved in together and went on to have two children—Lily-Rose, born in May 1999, and John “Jack” Christopher, born in April 2002.
Then, one of the biggest movies of his career came onto the horizon. Johnny Depp was cast in the part of Captain Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. For his role, Depp earned $10 million and his first nomination for “Best Actor” at the 2004 Academy Awards. The films also went on to become one of the highest-grossing movie franchises in history at the time. It was the first franchise where more than one film grossed $1 billion dollars worldwide.
For the fourth Pirates movie (On Stranger Tides) released in 2011, production costs were $378.5 million making it the biggest budget movie of all time, a title it still retains. Depp made an estimated $50+ million for this single movie. He later even admitted that he was “overpaid” for the Pirates films, he earned an estimated $300 million dollars from playing Captain Jack Sparrow alone. But who else could do that?
In 2004, for his role opposite Kate Winslet in Finding Neverland Depp was again nominated for “Best Actor”. Then, three years later, he sang himself into yet another nomination for “Best Actor”, in Burton’s musical Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Career Earnings
The big money hadn’t begun for Depp until 2003, after he was cast to play Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean. A franchise that would go on to become one of the most financially successful of all time, and the most lucrative role of Depp’s career. There have been a total of five films that Depp has starred in, with a total gross of over $4.5 billion dollars.
In 1990, Depp earned $3 million for his role as Edward Scissorhands. This was the start of a ride that would eventually make Depp a household name and one of the highest earning actors of all time. He earned $5 million for his role of Gene Watson in Nick of Time in 1995. As well as another $5 million for his role of Joseph D. Pistone in Donnie Brasco in 1997. There are estimates that his salary went up to $8 million for his role of George Yung in Blow, in 2001.
Then, in 2003, when he was cast as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Depp earned $10 million for the first one. An amount that was upped to $20 million for the second one, and it also included a backend percentage of the profits estimated to have been a $40 million take for Depp. Making his total amount earned from Pirates 2, $60 million. That was a deal that was repeated in the third installment with Depp earning an estimated $55 million in total.
In 2005, Depp earned $18 million for his role as Willy Wonka in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. In 2007, he earned an estimated $20 million all told for his role as Sweeney Todd in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. In 2010, he earned another $20 million for his role of Frank Tupelo in The Tourist. That year, Depp earned his biggest paycheck yet when he appeared as Hatter and earned an estimated $68 million in Alice In Wonderland.
In 2013, Depp earned $16 million for his role as Tonto in The Lone Ranger. In 2011, he earned $7.5 million for his role as Rango, Lars in Rango. Also that year, he earned twice that amount, $15 million for his role as Paul Kemp in Rum Diary starring opposite Amber Heard. In 2016, Depp earned $20 million for his role as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
Johnny Depp had also already agreed by contract to appear for the third installment of Fantastic Beasts as Gellert Grindelwald. The Warner Brothers pay-or-play contract allegedly obligated to pay Depp $16 million even after Mads Mikkelsen replaced Depp for the role.
Pay-or-play contracts. While these are not typical for your average actor, top level stars usually will always require or negotiate a pay-or-play contract. This type of contract guarantees that the actor will receive their full agreed payment, even in the case of the movie development being cancelled or they themselves being recast.
This was the case for Depp. After being recast in the wake of the Amber Heard op-ed piece published in the Washington Post, in 2018, he was still paid as if he had appeared in the movie. Of course, for top level actors and actresses it makes fair sense that they are awarded this type of contract. After all, regardless of what might come up they invariably rearrange their lives around the role that they themselves are contractually obligated to play. However this appears not to have been the case for Johnny Depp’s role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the much awaited Pirates of the Caribbean 6.
Depp’s representative, Jack Whigham, has said that Johnny Depp was able to work in 2016 and was in fact paid paid $8 million for City Of Lies, $10 million for Murder on the Orient Express and $13.5 million for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. However, the case was that after the op-ed by Heard was released, Depp lost his role in Pirates 6.
Financial Troubles
Despite these massive successes for the actor and with them the hundreds of millions of dollars that Depp has been paid. He has nonetheless allegedly struggled to hold onto his wealth. He has been cited as having “an excessive lifestyle,” paying some “$200,000 per month on private jets,” according to Vulture. Depp also of course had to pay Amber Heard a $7 million dollar divorce settlement. He paid a reported $127 million to Vanessa Paradis who is the mother of his two children, Lily-Rose Depp and John Christopher Depp III.
As can be seen here, Depp’s compensation from the Pirates movies has been substantial.
Depp’s representative Jack Whigham who represents him at Range Media Partners and also previously represented him at CAA. Has said in testimony that he “closed a deal” which would have had Depp earning $22.5 million to reprise his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates 6. However Disney decided to go in a “different direction”, allegedly relating to the op-ed piece published by Heard.
The reason why Depp has earned such a tremendous amount from the Pirates franchise is because not only does he earn $20+ million upfront per movie, but also earns from merchandising as can be seen above. What is more, he at times earns a backend percentage. That was the alleged agreement for his starring in Alice in Wonderland, from which he earned an estimated $55 million dollars in backend earnings alone.
Depp’s relatively low net worth compared to his contemporaries, is considered by some to be due to leading an excessive lifestyle. However, in 2017, Depp filed a $25 million-plus lawsuit against his former business managers’ firm, The Management Company. According to Hollywood Reporter, Depp alleged that he had been the victim of gross misconduct, that his business managers had failed to file or pay his taxes on time, as well as failed to keep proper books. Also, according to the magazine, Depp alleged money was being loaned to third parties without authorization and that money had also been invested in business ventures in which the firm’s partners had ownership stakes. The case was settled between the two parties including a countersuit brought by Joel and Robert Mandell’s The Management Company, in July 2018.
In the counterclaim filed it alleged expenses including; $18 million to acquire and renovate a 150 foot luxury yacht; $30,000 per month on wine; $150,000 per month on security for his children; $300,000 per month on a staff of approximately 40 full-time employees; $4 million on a start-up musical label; $10 million in financial support to his friends, family, and others; $3 million to shoot Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes over Aspen, Colorado; millions spent on an an art collection which is said to include over 200 pieces from artists as prestigious as Modigliani, Klimt, Warhol and Basquiat.; $75 million on fourteen properties, according to Vanity Fair.
Depp’s Total Net Worth
Depp is known for his flexibility and the taking on of odd and difficult roles. He had played so many varied roles in the beginning of his career, and having continued to do so, no one can typecast or pigeon hole him as an actor. However, despite his incredible acting skills, Depp’s net worth has taken an apparent downturn over the years. Not too long ago it was estimated that he was worth well over $400 million. However, today he is estimated to be worth less than half of that.
He’s still one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood, earning $48 million in 2016 according to Forbes. However, like Nicolas Cage and many others, he’s estimated to be not nearly as rich as he once was. Then again, if you want to spend $3 million dollars to shoot Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes out of a giant canon, and $200,000 a month on private jets, then your money probably won’t last. In total, the general consensus seems to be that Johnny Depp is worth around $150 million.
Summing-Up
Over the course of his life and career Johnny Depp has seemingly effortlessly flowed into different roles and outputted tremendous performances almost every time. Depp’s flexibility is one of his great developed strengths. He honed his skills by accepting many diverse roles and didn’t shy away from taking on dark roles, either. From his first acting debut in A Nightmare On Elm Street, Depp went on to play Tom Hanson in 21 Jump Street. And since has played an undercover FBI agent infiltrating a New York crime family, a wild journalist with a penchant for recreational drugs, an international cocaine dealer with Colombian ties, and a straight razor serial killer. Your last visit to the barber as it was.
Dark roles have been Depp’s forte but they have also been very diverse and required a lot from Depp to bring the characters across, as they are also very unique, like Sweeney Todd. Over the years Johnny Depp has reinvented his image many times and continues to surprise us with his antics both on and off the screen. He has an openness and a charm and surprises us with off the cuff remarks like “all my characters are gay” that keep us guessing and enraptured with the great genius that is Johnny Depp.
