One's responsible for starting his career — and one may be responsible for ending
it. There's more to Johnny Depp's romantic history than you've heard...
Long before establishing himself as a '90s heartthrob, Johnny Depp had married first wife,
makeup artist Lori Anne Allison. They tied the knot in 1983, when Depp was just 20.
Widely credited for being the catalyst for his superstardom, Allison introduced Depp to her actor
friend, Nicolas Cage, when the couple relocated to Los Angeles in pursuit of a better life.
In an interview, Cage revealed that Depp at the time was "selling pens or something to get by."
It was during a game of Monopoly that Cage told Depp, "I think you can act."
“And action!”
He sent Depp to his agent, who helped him land an audition for "A Nightmare
on Elm Street," which was his screen debut in 1984.
Though their marriage ended in 1985, Allison and Depp remain friends to this day. As per TMZ,
Allison came out in Depp's support amid his turbulent divorce from Amber Heard,
saying he was a "soft person" who never laid a hand on her.
During the 1980s, with roles in films like "Private Resort" and "Platoon,"
Johnny Depp had begun making his way into the hearts of many women.
Among them was fellow actor Sherilyn Fenn, who ultimately attained colossal fame for
her notorious Audrey Horne character on the television series "Twin Peaks."
According to PopSugar, Depp and Fenn met while shooting "Dummies,"
a 7-minute short film that was released in 1985, and went on to date for almost 3 years.
The pair collaborated again in 1987 on an episode of "21 Jump Street," the hit series
that skyrocketed Depp to global fame as a teen idol. Depp and Fenn were together until 1988,
with certain reports indicating that the two were even briefly engaged.
Decades have passed since her romance with Depp ended,
but Fenn has continued speaking fondly of her ex, telling “The Big Issue” in 2017:
"He was my first love [...] I know him as a human not a movie star."
Active on social media, Fenn hasn't shied away from expressing support for Depp in his court
battle with Amber Heard. Sharing a photo of Depp from "Platoon," she wrote on Instagram,
"#istandwithjohnny then & now & forever."
While riding high following his appearance on "21 Jump Street", Johnny Depp linked up briefly
with Jennifer Grey in 1989, after the success of her 1987 musical "Dirty Dancing." In her memoir,
"Out of the Corner," published in 2022, Grey said her agent set her up on a date with Depp,
who popped the question to her within two weeks of knowing her.
Per an excerpt published by “The Independent,” Grey recalls her first date with Depp:
"He was so ridiculously beautiful. And surprisingly open, funny, quirky and sweet."
In her memoir, she also reflects the tensions that began brewing in their relationship, alleging he
got into bar fights and was ill-tempered. She ultimately broke off their engagement.
Speaking to “People,” however, she recalled her time with Depp to be a
"f***ing bonfire. It was literally like,
'Are you f***ing kidding me? […] I've never seen a guy like this.'"
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder are deeply entrenched in the
legacy of '90s pop culture as one of Hollywood's hottest power couples.
The pair first locked eyes in 1989 at the premiere of Ryder's film "Great Balls of Fire."
Depp told “Rolling Stone” in 1991:
"It was a classic glance, like the zoom lenses in 'West Side Story,'
and everything else gets foggy [...] I knew then."
However, their first official meeting wasn't until a few months later, when Ryder,
accompanied by a common friend, met Depp at a Los Angeles hotel and a passionate romance
brewed. They would go on to co-star in the 1990 film, "Edward Scissorhands."
As per “People,” Depp was 27 and Ryder in her late teens when their relationship began.
After five months, they were engaged.
Depp told the outlet:
"There's been nothing in my 27 years that's comparable to the feeling I have with Winona"
— a feeling that culminated in the now-legendary "Winona Forever" tattoo on his bicep. But the
relationship ran its course by 1993, and the couple called it off. Ryder
in a future interview with “Elle” would call her breakup with Depp her "first heartbreak."
Fast forward to the present, Ryder is among those who have defended Depp in the Amber Heard case.
“They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
She testified before a U.K. court:
"The idea that he is an incredibly violent person
is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved."
Johnny Depp's string of romances continued through the 1990s with a brief affair he had with actor
Ellen Barkin, who was nearly a decade older than him. At the time of their fling, Barkin was
separated from her then-husband, actor Gabriel Byrne, before ultimately divorcing in 1999.
A short-term romance thus ensued between Depp and Barkin, with the pair flaunting
their linkup during red carpet appearances at fashion shows and even the Golden Globes.
They also worked on 1998's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" together, during which time they had a
casual relationship. Barkin, among the star witnesses in Depp's libel case in the U.K.,
alleged in court that Depp had hurled a wine bottle at her once. Depp countered
saying Barkin held a grudge over their past relationship and that the two hadn't spoken since.
According to Depp,
"A sexual element began with Ms Barkin which lasted for months on and off
really because she was making the film I was making at the time. [...] She wanted
a proper relationship with me and I did not want that."
One a dreamboat actor and the other a chic supermodel — this combo is the stuff of
power couples! Johnny Depp and Kate Moss were considered one of the hottest duos in tinsel
town between 1994 and 1998. Apparently, it was “Vanity Fair” celebrity writer George Wayne
who introduced Depp and Moss "one fateful night" at the hot and happening Café Tabac in New York.
Depp and Moss shared an 11-year age gap between them and their romance
consistently remained in the limelight for how wild and volatile it was.
Per “The New York Post,” Depp was arrested that year for causing damage worth almost $10,000
to a hotel room with Moss at the site, while Moss allegedly suspected Depp was unfaithful.
When they ultimately parted ways, Moss said Depp had taken care of
her and recalled to “Vanity Fair” how tough the breakup was for her:
"I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust. Nightmare. Years and years of crying”
Vanessa Paradis was the partner with whom Johnny Depp shared the longest romance.
Their relationship, which began in 1998, lasted for 14 years and resulted in the couple's two
children — Lily-Rose Depp and John Christopher "Jack" Depp III. Depp was in France to shoot
"The Ninth Gate" when one look at French singer and actor Paradis at Hotel Costes jolted him.
"She was wearing a dress with an exposed back and I saw that back and that neck,
and then she turned around and I saw those eyes, and — boom! My life as a single man was done."
Though Depp and Paradis never married, their time together had quite the semblance of a domestic
life. As noted by “The Hollywood Reporter,” Depp adopted a healthier lifestyle after
meeting Paradis and perfection to him became, quote, "watching the sunset and the kiddies
playing nearby." So it came as nothing short of a surprise when the couple announced they
were splitting in 2012. Depp later told “Rolling Stone” that though it wasn't easy on the family,
they would "be in each other's lives." Sure enough, Paradis showed up for Depp
in the Amber Heard case, testifying that he was a "non-violent person and father".
Perhaps the most notorious match of the lot,
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's relationship has captured imaginations and global headlines alike.
A defamation trial for $50 million involving the formerly married couple
recently took place in Virginia, where explosive developments surfaced everyday.
Depp sued ex-wife Heard over an op-ed she penned in “The Washington Post” in 2018,
allegedly accusing him of domestic violence. Heard's article upended several projects in Depp's
career and allegedly caused him to lose out on work. Depp, in turn, has testified in court that
Heard was the aggressor of said abuse. But things weren't always so messy between the star couple.
Depp and Heard met on the sets of their 2011
film "The Rum Diary," where they developed a friendship.
“I thought maybe you were a mermaid.”
A year after meeting Heard, Depp announced he and longtime partner Vanessa Paradis were
parting ways. By 2014, the new pair was engaged. A dreamy beach wedding followed
in 2015, when Heard was 28 and Depp was 51. Calling himself a "lucky man" at the time,
Depp gushed to “E! News” about Heard. However, by May 2016,
trouble in paradise became apparent when Heard filed for divorce and sought a restraining order
against Depp, accusing him of assault. The divorce was finalized in 2017, triggering a widely
publicized back and forth between the exes that is ongoing at the time of this video’s release.
Even as the volatile proceedings of his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard dominate airways,
Johnny Depp has been reportedly linked to a new love interest as recently as 2020.
Depp was rumored to be getting close to industry colleague Sophie Hermann,
best known for appearing on the reality show "Made In Chelsea." Depp and Hermann allegedly
met at the posh Corinthia Hotel in London and struck up a friendship.
A source claimed,
"Sophie left her phone number on a piece of paper and slid it between the strings of his guitar”
There is, however, no confirmation from either actor about their alleged linkup.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse,
you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233.
You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.