When you think about it, Johnny Depp is kinda the ultimate Hollywood shape-shifter. If you walk into a room and ask a group of friends what movies did johnny depp play in, you’re going to get a wildly different list from every person. One person screams Pirates of the Caribbean while another insists on talking about that weird 1990s indie flick with the talking lizard.
He's been everything. A scissor-handed outcast? Yeah. A drunken pirate who somehow saved the world five times? Obviously. A terrifying 1920s wizard? That too.
But his filmography isn't just a list of blockbusters. It's a chaotic, brilliant, and sometimes confusing map of a career that started with a guy getting pulled into a bed by a dream demon in 1984. Honestly, the sheer volume of his work is staggering once you actually sit down and look at the credits.
The Weird and Wonderful: Where it All Started
Most people forget he was just a kid in A Nightmare on Elm Street. He played Glen Lantz. He didn't survive the movie, but he definitely survived the 80s.
Then came the "Teen Idol" phase which he absolutely hated. He did 21 Jump Street on TV, but then he met Tim Burton and everything changed. That's when we got Edward Scissorhands in 1990. It was the first time we saw that Depp wasn't interested in being a traditional leading man. He wanted to be the guy with the weird hair and the tragic eyes.
The 90s Cult Classics
Before he was a billion-dollar box office draw, he was the king of the "weirdo" movies.
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- What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993): He played the responsible brother to a young Leonardo DiCaprio. It was quiet, grounded, and actually really sad.
- Ed Wood (1994): He played the "worst director of all time" in black and white. It’s a masterpiece that most people haven't actually watched.
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998): He shaved his head and spent months living with Hunter S. Thompson to play Raoul Duke. It's basically a fever dream on film.
- Donnie Brasco (1997): If you want to see him actually "act" without four pounds of makeup, this is the one. He plays an undercover FBI agent opposite Al Pacino.
He also did Dead Man in 1995, which is this black-and-white Western that feels like a poem. And Sleepy Hollow (1999) where he played a version of Ichabod Crane who was scared of literally everything.
What Movies Did Johnny Depp Play In? The Blockbuster Era
The year 2003 changed everything. Disney was making a movie based on a theme park ride, and everyone thought it was going to be a disaster. Then Captain Jack Sparrow walked onto the screen.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl wasn't just a hit; it was a cultural reset. Depp took a standard pirate role and turned it into a Keith Richards-inspired rockstar-pirate hybrid. He ended up playing Jack in four more sequels: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
During this same decade, he was also Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). People still argue about that one. Was he creepy? Was he a genius? Probably both.
He didn't stop there. He voiced a pet chameleon in Rango (2011), which is secretly one of the best animated movies of the 21st century. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, go watch it. It's a surreal Western with a lizard.
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The Tim Burton Connection
You can't talk about Depp without mentioning Burton. They have a shorthand that produced some of the most visual movies in history:
- Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): He actually sang. He played a murderous barber, and he was nominated for an Oscar for it.
- Alice in Wonderland (2010): He was the Mad Hatter. The movie made over a billion dollars.
- Dark Shadows (2012): A vampire comedy that felt like a love letter to 70s soap operas.
The Recent Years and the Comeback Trail
The last decade was... complicated. For a while, he was the big villain in the Fantastic Beasts series as Gellert Grindelwald. He played the role in the first two films before being replaced by Mads Mikkelsen.
Then things got quiet. But he’s been working.
He played W. Eugene Smith in Minamata (2020), a really heavy drama about mercury poisoning in Japan. More recently, he played King Louis XV in the French film Jeanne du Barry (2023). It was his first major role in years, and it got a huge standing ovation at Cannes.
Looking forward to 2025 and 2026, he’s not slowing down. He directed a film called Modi about the artist Amedeo Modigliani. And there are massive reports coming out about him starring in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol for 2026, directed by Ti West. That's gonna be a wild one.
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A Quick Cheat Sheet of the "Must-Sees"
If you're trying to marathon his career and someone asks you what movies did johnny depp play in that are actually worth your time, here's the "Expert Tier" list:
- The Transformation King: Black Mass (2015). He plays Whitey Bulger. He is unrecognizable and genuinely terrifying.
- The Emotional Core: Finding Neverland (2004). He plays the creator of Peter Pan. Bring tissues.
- The Cult Hero: Cry-Baby (1990). John Waters directed this musical, and Depp is at his peak "cool" here.
- The Underdog: Benny & Joon (1993). He plays a guy who mimics silent film stars like Buster Keaton.
The reality is that Depp's career is a mix of massive Disney paydays and tiny, weird indie projects. He’s played a detective in Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and a drug smuggler in Blow (2001). He’s been a vampire, a wolf (Into the Woods), and a high-tech AI (Transcendence).
Basically, the answer to what movies did johnny depp play in is "almost everything." He has over 90 acting credits. Whether you love the big-budget Jack Sparrow stuff or the weird, quiet 90s dramas, there is a version of Johnny Depp for everyone.
If you're looking for a next step to really understand his range, start by watching Donnie Brasco followed immediately by Edward Scissorhands. Seeing those two back-to-back is the only way to truly grasp how one actor can inhabit such completely different worlds. Check your local streaming platforms like Max or Hulu, as they frequently rotate his 90s catalog.
Actionable Insights for the Depp Completist:
- Watch the hidden gems: Skip The Lone Ranger and find Dead Man or Arizona Dream.
- Follow the Director: To see his best work, look for his collaborations with Tim Burton or Gore Verbinski.
- Track the 2026 releases: Keep an eye on Ebenezer and his directorial effort Modi for his official "comeback" era.