How Much is Johnny Depp Worth?
Written by
Michelle Tompkins
Edited by
Gary Dudak
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Johnny Depp is an American actor and musician who is one of the biggest stars in the world. Despite all of his professional triumphs, his personal life is currently what’s making the biggest headlines. His testimony in the current defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard just wrapped up in Fairfax, Virginia. The trial has often shown the man to be as strange as the characters that he often portrays.
Johnny Depp has a net worth of $100 million.
With 95 films, music videos and TV projects to his name, nearly 40 years with his name as part of the zeitgeist and those cheekbones, Depp is an undeniable superstar. His films have generated $8.7 billion at the global box office.
Depp’s Stand-Out Films
There are so many cannot-miss Johnny Depp films including his portrayals of Jack Sparrow in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and Gellert Grindelwald in “The Fantastic Beasts” films. A sampling of his other well-known projects includes “Platoon,” “John Waters’s Cry-Baby,” “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Donnie Brasco,” “Finding Neverland,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”
Beyond the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, his most recent blockbuster hit where he had a starring role was “Alice in Wonderland” in 2010. The film brought in more than $1 billion worldwide with a production budget of $200 million. Depp had a small role in “Into the Woods,” which grossed more than $213 million worldwide on a production budget of $50 million. He also played a prominent (albeit supporting) role in “Murder on the Orient Express,” a film that pulled down $351.7 million worldwide on a budget of just $55 million.
While Depp commands a base salary of $20 million per picture and has consistently been one of Hollywood’s highest-paid actors.
Depp’s Blockbuster Bombs
With all of his film successes, there are plenty of profound failures as well.
The 2016 film “Alice Through the Looking Glass” grossed just more than $77 million domestically on a production budget of $170 million — that’s despite the film’s A-list cast. This followed “Mortdecai,” a major flop that garnered less than $7.7 million domestically with a production budget of $60 million. Other recent Johnny Depp movie flops include “Transcendence,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Dark Shadows” and “The Rum Diary,” which brought in less than $24 million worldwide on a production budget of $45 million.
In 2016, Forbes crowned Depp as the most overpaid actor in Hollywood for the second consecutive year. The magazine reported his box office returns at $2.80 for every $1 paid.
Why Does Depp Have So Little Money?
Something doesn’t seem to add up there. How does Depp have a relatively low $100 million when his net worth was $400 million in 2016 and his overall total net worth could be as high as $650 million?
There are two reasons for this — he trusted the wrong people and loves to spend money.
He accused his financial firm, The Management Group (TMG) of mishandling his money.
The company managed his fortune from 1999 to early 2016. His more than $25 million lawsuit accused TMG of taking $28 million in unauthorized contingent fees, repeatedly failing to file or pay his taxes on time, not keeping proper financial records and loaning nearly $10 million of his money to third parties without his permission.
TMG quickly shot back with a countersuit, claiming Depp knowingly caused his own financial woes. The company is seeking $560,000 in unpaid fees from the actor and repayment for a $5 million loan it claims to have granted him.
The countersuit listed several of the lavish expenses advisors claim they warned Depp to curtail. Some of these include $75 million used to purchase and decorate 14 residences, $18 million for the purchase and renovation of a 150-foot yacht, $3 million for the funeral of author and idol Hunter S. Thompson, $300,000 per month for his 40 full-time staff members and $30,000 per month on wine. In total, TMG estimated Depp’s expenditures at a stunning $2 million a month.
Depp and the firm reached a secret settlement.
Depp Has Music In His Heart
Music has never left Depp’s heart. He dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music. His first success in the industry was with the band the Kids who opened for The Pretenders, Iggy Pop and the Ramones. After the success of “Edward Scissorhands,” he was in a band called P. He was gigging with them at the Vulture Room on the infamous night of River Phoenix’s overdose.
His guitar skills have since placed him on tracks by Tom Petty, Oasis, Iggy Pop, Aerosmith, Marilyn Manson and New Basement Tapes.
In 2015, he co-founded Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. The group has released two albums.
Other Financial Ventures
In 2004, he launched his production company Infinitum Nihil with his sister Christi Dembrowski and Sam Sarkar. Dun & Bradstreet notes the company is part of the Motion Picture and Video Industries Industry and estimates the company has generated $119,327 in sales.
Behind the Character That Is Johnny Depp
John Christopher Depp II was the youngest of four children born to Betty Sue Palmer and John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963. His family moved around often but eventually settled in Miramar, Florida.
His first passion was not acting, but music. He took up the guitar when he was 12 and started playing in bands. By the time he was 15-years-old, his parents split up, he dropped out of school and his band The Kids headed out west to Los Angeles. The group disbanded soon after.
Depp was flat broke when Nicholas Cage, a friend of his first wife, Lori Allison, advised him to become an actor and set Depp up with his agent.
He landed his first role in 1984 in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” A few more supporting roles followed in “Private Resort,” “Thrashin’ ” and “Platoon.” In 1987, he became a teen idol as the star of the Fox series “21 Jump Street.” For this role, he ended up earning $45,000 per episode.
A few years later, he quit the series and moved on to film. His breakout role was in “Edward Scissorhands,” directed by Tim Burton. He and Burton are frequent collaborators having worked together eight times so far.
More films, both mainstream and independent followed including “Benny and Joon,” “Don Juan DeMarco” and “Chocolat.”
In 2003, his stardom exploded further when he starred as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”
The “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise has proven a major cash cow for both Depp and Disney, hauling in almost $1.5 billion in domestic ticket sales and more than $4.5 billion internationally.
Depp’s Previous Relationships
Depp has been married twice and has had many famous relationships. He was married to makeup artist Lori Anne Allison from 1983 to 1985. He was engaged to Jennifer Grey, Sherilyn Fenn and Winona Ryder and dated Kate Moss. In 1998, he met French actress Vanessa Paradis. The pair were together until 2012. They share two children.
Depp’s Infamous Relationship With Amber Heard
In 2016, Johnny Depp made headlines over his divorce from his wife of 15 months, actress Amber Heard. Finalized in January 2017, the divorce came as a surprise to many, but the shock of that was nothing compared to the shock of Heard’s allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Depp, which she later dropped as a part of their settlement.
Heard filed for divorce in May 2016, just days before the release of “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” On May 27, 2016 — the day the film was released — she was granted a restraining order from the actor after claiming he had thrown a cell phone at her during a fight days earlier.
The couple didn’t have a prenuptial agreement but settled their divorce for $7 million. Heard pledged to donate the funds to charity, and in 2017 donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles.
In December 2018, Heard published an op-ed in The Washington Post where she claimed to be a survivor of domestic violence. Depp sued her in 2019 for defamation to the tune of $50 million. Heard countersued him for $100 million. The case began to be heard on April 11, 2022.
Johnny Depp may or may not win his lawsuit, but he will soon be heard again on screen in the TV mini-series “Puffins.”
Joel Anderson and Jennifer Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.
More From GOBankingRates
- 6 Expensive Costco Items That Are Definitely Worth the Cost
- How Much Does the Average Middle-Class Person Have in Savings?
- 5 Reasons You Should Consider an Annuity For Your Retirement Savings
- 10 New Cars to Avoid Buying in 2024
