1. Edward Scissorhands - 'Young Scissorhands'
Johnny plays the lead in this bizarre gothic film about a man with scissors for hands who is taken in by an average middle-class family. This film marked his first collaboration with director Tim Burton, and the star took on the role after wanting to distance himself from his appearance in '21 Jump Street'.
2. James "Whitey" Bulger - 'Black Mass'
Described by Rotten Tomatoes as one of Johnny's "most compelling performances in years", Johnny starred as Whitey Bulger, a Boston gang leader. To prepare for the role, the actor met with Whitey's lawyer, Jay Carney, who would visit the set to give Johnny advice on how to capture the criminal's persona on film.
3. Wade “The Teardrop” Walker - 'Cry Baby'
In this sweet and endearing 1990 romance directed by John Waters, Johnny plays the iconic role of a motorcycle-riding bad boy and the love interest of a young teenager who is tired of being good and strikes up a romance with her.
4. Willy Wonka - 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
After Gene Wilder's iconic turn in Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, taking on the role could not have been an easy task. However, Johnny was praised for his take on Willy Wonka after deciding to go in a completely different direction with the character, giving him an offbeat and spontaneous edge.
5. Ed Wood - 'Ed Wood'
This comedy-style biographical film has been quite a journey for Johnny Depp, who in the 90s participated in this project with Edward D. Wood Jr. to give life to the main character. The success of the film spoke for itself and revived Depp's love of cinema.
6. The Big Bad Wolf - 'In the Woods
His appearance in this Disney musical was rather short-lived, but Depp threw himself into it as the werewolf trying to seduce Little Red Hood in a truly creepy interpretation of the classic tale.
7. The Hatter - 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
It's not easy to make a purely absurd character like the Mad Hatter sympathetic, but Johnny's portrayal of the Hatter's fragile state of mind due to past events is inspired, allowing more than one of us to connect with such a strange character.
8. Benjamin Barker - 'Sweeney Todd, the Devil Barber of Fleet Street
In his first musical role, Johnny played Sweeney Todd, a kind and happy hairdresser named Benjamin Barker, who is forever changed after being transported to Australia for a crime he didn't commit. Learning that his wife committed suicide in his absence, Sweeney swears revenge and begins killing random people who come to him for shaves.
9. Ichabod Crane - 'The Legend of the Headless Horseman'
In the 1999 horror film 'Sleepy Hollow,' Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane, a police officer who is sent to a town to investigate a series of gruesome murders. Refusing to believe the townspeople, who tell him that the murders were committed by a Headless Horseman, Ichabod gradually realizes the truth for himself.
10. Captain Jack Sparrow - 'Pirates of the Caribbean'
The role that made Johnny Depp a household name was Captain Jack Sparrow. Beloved by children and adults alike, Johnny gave the captain such unique quirks that Disney executives were worried about the audience's reaction to him, but it all ended well in the end.
