June 9: Guitarist - and of course actor - Johnny Depp is 48 years-old today.

48

As a guitar player, Johnny Depp has recorded a solo album, played slide guitar on the Oasis song "Fade In-Out" (from their 1997 album Be Here Now), 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.

John Christopher "Johnny" Depp II was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, The family moved frequently during Depp's childhood, and he and his siblings lived in more than 20 different locations, settling in Miramar, Florida, in 1970. His mother gave him his first guitar when he was 12, and played in a series of garage bands. His first band was in honor of his girlfriend, Meredith.

Depp dropped out of high school to become a rock musician. As he said on Inside the Actors Studio, he attempted to go back to school two weeks later, but the principal told him to follow his dream of being a musician. 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 then collaborated with the band Rock City Angels and co-wrote their song "Mary," which appeared on Rock City Angels' debut for Geffen Records titled Young Man's Blues.

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Depp 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 and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea. He has appeared in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' music video "Into the Great Wide Open." He played guitar with Eddie Vetter at the Voices For Justice Rally in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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Then, of course, there's his acting career. He has won the Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild award for Best Actor.

With The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards

Depp became a teen idol when he appeared in the 1980s television series 21 Jump Street. On the big screen, he played the title character of Edward Scissorhands in 1990, and later found box office success in films such as Sleepy Hollow, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Tourist and Rango. 

He has collaborated with director and friend Tim Burton in seven films, including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Alice in Wonderland.

Depp has gained acclaim for his portrayals of people such as Edward D. Wood, Jr., 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 $2.6 billion at the United States box office and over $6 billion worldwide.

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.

Twice, he has been named as the "Sexiest man alive" by People magazine.


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