Depp is of primarily English descent, with some French, German, Irish and African American ancestry.

[21][22] Elizabeth Key Grinstead, one of the first African Americans in the North American colonies to
sue for her freedom and win, is an eighth great-grandmother.[22] His surname comes from a French
Huguenot immigrant, Pierre Dieppe, who settled in Virginia around 1700. In interviews in 2002 and 2011,
Depp claimed to have Native American ancestry, "I guess I have some Native American 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
Indian".[23] Depp's claims came under scrutiny when Indian Country Today wrote that Depp had never
inquired about his heritage or been recognized as a member of the Cherokee Nation.[24] This led to
criticism of Depp by the Native American community, as Depp has no documented Native ancestry,[24]
and Native community leaders consider him "a non-Indian"[24][25] and a pretendian.[26][27][28] Depp's
choice to portray Tonto, a Native American character, in The Lone Ranger was criticized,[24][25] along
with his choice to name his rock band "Tonto's Giant Nuts".[29][30][31][32] During the promotion for
The Lone Ranger, Depp was formally adopted as an honorary son by LaDonna Harris, a member of the
Comanche Nation, making him an honorary member of her family but not a member of any tribe.[33]
[34] Depp's Comanche name given at the adoption was "Mah Woo May", which means shape shifter.[35]
Critical response to his claims from the Native community increased after this, including satirical
portrayals of Depp by Native comedians.[30][31][32] An ad featuring Depp and Native American imagery,
by Dior for the fragrance "Sauvage", was pulled in 2019 after being accused of cultural appropriation and
racism.[36][37][38][39][33]

Career

1984–1989: Early roles and 21 Jump Street

Depp greeting President Ronald Reagan at a White House benefit for The Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse
Fund in 1988

Depp moved to Los Angeles with his band when he was 20. After the band split up, Depp's then-wife Lori
Ann Allison introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage.[15] After they became drinking buddies, Cage advised
him to pursue acting.[40] Depp had been interested in acting since reading a biography of James Dean
and watching Rebel Without a Cause.[41] Cage helped Depp get an audition with Wes Craven for A
Nightmare on Elm Street; Depp, who had no acting experience, said he "ended up acting by accident".
[42][43] Thanks in part to his catching the eye of Craven's daughter,[42] Depp landed the role of the
main character's boyfriend, one of Freddy Krueger's victims.[15]

Though Depp said he "didn't have any desire to be an actor", he continued to be cast in films,[43] making
enough to cover some bills that his musical career left unpaid.[42] After a starring role in the 1985
comedy Private Resort, Depp was cast in the lead role of the 1986 skating drama Thrashin' by the film's
director, but its producer overrode the decision.[44][45] Instead, Depp appeared in a minor supporting
role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone's 1986 Vietnam War drama Platoon. He became a
teen idol during the late 1980s, when he starred as an undercover police officer in a high school
operation in the Fox television series 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987.[15] He accepted this role
to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Despite his success, Depp felt that the series
"forced [him] into the role of product".[46]

1990–2002: Independent films and early collaborations with Tim Burton

Disillusioned by his experiences as a teen idol in 21 Jump Street, Depp began taking roles he found more
interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office.[46][47] His first film release in
1990 was John Waters's Cry-Baby, a musical comedy set in the 1950s. Although not a box-office success
upon its release,[48] over the years it has gained cult classic status.[49] Also in 1990, Depp played the
title character in Tim Burton's romantic fantasy film Edward Scissorhands opposite Dianne Wiest and
Winona Ryder. The film was a commercial and critical success with a domestic gross of $53 million.[50] In
preparation for the role, Depp watched many Charlie Chaplin films to study how to create sympathy
without dialogue.[51] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised Depp's performance, writing that he "artfully
expresses the fierce longing in gentle Edward; it's a terrific performance",[52] while Rita Kempley of The
Washington Post wrote that he "brings the eloquence of the silent era to this part of few words, saying it
all through bright black eyes and the tremulous care with which he holds his horror-movie hands".[53]
Depp earned his first Golden Globe nomination for the film. Owing to this role, a species of extinct
arthropod with prominent claws was named after Depp as Kootenichela deppi (chela is Latin for claws or
scissors).

Depp at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival

Depp had no film releases in the next two years, except a brief cameo in Freddy's Dead: The Final
Nightmare (1991), the sixth installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. He appeared in three
films in 1993. In the romantic comedy Benny and Joon, he played an eccentric and illiterate silent film
fan who befriends a mentally ill woman and her brother; it became a sleeper hit. Janet Maslin of The
New York Times wrote that Depp "may look nothing like Buster Keaton, but there are times when he
genuinely seems to become the Great Stone Face, bringing Keaton's mannerisms sweetly and magically
to life".[54] Depp received a second Golden Globe nomination for the performance. His second film of
1993 was Lasse Hallström's What's Eating Gilbert Grape, a drama about a dysfunctional family co-
starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis. It did not perform well commercially, but received positive
notices from critics.[55] Although most of the reviews focused on DiCaprio, who was nominated for an
Academy Award for his performance, Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote that "Depp manages to command
center screen with a greatly affable, appealing characterization".[56] Depp's last 1993 release was Emir
Kusturica's surrealist comedy-drama Arizona Dream, which opened to positive reviews and won the
Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.

In 1994, Depp reunited with Burton, playing the title role in Ed Wood, a biographical film about one of
history's most inept film directors. Depp later said that he was depressed about films and filmmaking at
the time, but that "within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed".[57] He found that
the role gave him a "chance to stretch out and have some fun" and that working with Martin Landau,
who played Bela Lugosi, "rejuvenated my love for acting".[57] Although it did not earn back its
production costs, Ed Wood received a positive reception from critics, with Maslin writing that Depp had
"proved himself as an established, certified great actor" and "captured all the can-do optimism that kept
Ed Wood going, thanks to an extremely funny ability to look at the silver lining of any cloud".[58] Depp
was nominated for a third time for a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe for his performance.