THE TRUE JOHNNY DEPP? What the women who loved him had to say about the actor
Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard are currently in court over a defamation lawsuit where both sides have made countless charges of infidelity, abuse, and violence during the time they were together. Amber Heard has also hinted in her own testimony that Depp had been abusive to his former partners as well.
Winona Ryder (from 1989 to 1993), Kate Moss (1994 to 1998), and Vanessa Paradis (from 1998 to 2012) are just some of the women Depp has dated over the years. Let's take a detailed look at Depp's timeline of relationships before his marriage and divorce from Amber Heard.
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From 1983 until 1985, Johnny Depp was married to Lori Anne Allison
In 1983, Johnny Depp married Lori Anne Allison, a Los Angeles-based make-up artist. The couple were married for two years before divorcing in 1985. Depp was 20 when they married, and Allison was the sister of the bass player in a band Depp was in at the time, according to Matt Green's biography 'The Amazing Life of Johnny Depp.' There has been very little information released concerning their relationship or divorce. Depp had yet to make his big-screen debut in Wes Craven's legendary 1984 horror picture 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' at the time of the wedding.
From 1986 until 1989, Johnny Depp dated Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn, who is most known for her role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' appeared in Depp's hit show '21 Jump Street' in 1987 and there were even rumors that the two were engaged, but this was never proven to be true.
In 2017, Fenn offered The Big Issue an interview in which she detailed her relationship with Depp. At the time, Fenn told the outlet, "We went out for two-and-a-half years when we were just starting out in the business. He was very sweet. He was my first love. As a young woman, for the first time, I had found real love. It was with someone who was walking the same path, but even if he wasn't, the love and the connection was strong enough — cooking meals, hanging out, laughing and crying. So it is more about that than the fact he is this well-known person now. I know him as a human not a movie star."
Jennifer Grey, star of 'Dirty Dancing,' was engaged to Johnny Depp for nine months
Jennifer Grey writes in her 2022 memoir 'Out Of The Corner' that Johnny Depp proposed to her in 1989 after only two weeks of dating. Grey, who is well known for her part in the 1987 classic film 'Dirty Dancing,' defined her relationship with Depp as a "f**king bonfire" in a recent interview with People magazine, and said the two were often "twinning" and wore "matching leather jackets."
In 'Out Of The Corner,' Grey writes about Depp, "On August 12, I wrote in my journal, 'I'm in love, pretty sure for the first time in my life ... He's kind, funny, smart, moral, thoughtful, respectful.'" Grey writes in the book that the couple's relationship didn't sustain as Depp's career progressed. Depp became increasingly frustrated as he established himself as a Hollywood darling, according to Grey, which didn't help their relationship. Grey claimed she quit the engagement by leaving a note in Depp's hotel room.
From 1989 through 1993, Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp were together for four years
Perhaps Johnny Depp's most publicized relationship is with actress Winona Ryder. They were also engaged for a time, during which Depp got Ryder's name tattooed on his arm. The tattoo read, "Winona Forever." Depp updated the tattoo to "Wino Forever" after the couple called off the wedding.
Ryder delivered a witness statement defending Depp's reputation during Depp's high-profile libel action against the British tabloid The Sun in 2020. "I knew Johnny very well years ago. We were together as a couple for four years, and I counted him as my best friend, and as close to me as family. I count our relationship as one of the more significant relationships of my life," Ryder stated.
Depp was suing the newspaper and its owner News Group Newspapers at the time for a 2018 article that called him a "wife beater" in connection to his divorce from Amber Heard, whom he divorced in 2017. "The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved. I cannot wrap my head around these accusations," Ryder said. "He was never, never violent towards me. He was never, never abusive at all towards me. He has never been violent or abusive towards anybody I have seen. I truly and honestly only know him as a really good man — an incredibly loving, extremely caring guy who was so very protective of me and the people that he loves, and I felt so very, very safe with him."
Juliette Lewis and Johnny Depp had a brief engagement
Juliette Lewis, who had already dated one Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt, began dating Johnny Depp in 1993 after meeting on the set of What's Eating Gilbert Grape. The couple got engaged, but it didn't work out.
Tatjana Patitz and Johnny Depp had a brief relationship in 1990
Tatjana Patitz, a German model who dated the Depp briefly in 1990, was next. Even 20 years later, she's remained tight-lipped about the details of their relationship.
In 1994, Johnny Depp dated Ellen Barkin
Ellen Barkin, who starred in the film 'The Big Easy,' was also on Johnny's dating list. The couple was nine years apart in age, which may or may not have contributed to their quick breakup.
From 1994 through 1998, Kate Moss and Johnny Depp were together
During that period, the couple grabbed headlines for their renowned brawls, including Depp's 1994 famous room destruction at the Mark Hotel in New York City. Depp's criminal mischief charges were dropped after he paid more than $9,000 in fines, according to Insider. According to reports at the time, Depp filled a bathtub with $1,000 worth of champagne bottles.
During a 2012 interview with Vanity Fair, Moss discussed their relationship. At the time, Moss told the magazine, "There's nobody that's ever really been able to take care of me. Johnny did for a bit. I believed what he said. Like if I said, 'What do I do?' he'd tell me. And that's what I missed when I left. I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust. Nightmare. Years and years of crying. Oh, the tears!"
For 14 years, Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis were partners
In 1998, Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, a French actress and singer, began dating. The two first met in Paris, when Depp was filming 'The Ninth Gate' with Roman Polanski. Lily-Rose Depp was born to the couple in 1999, and son Jack Depp was born in 2002. After 14 years together, the pair separated in 2012. Though they were together the longest and share two children, the couple never got married.
Depp talked about the separation with Rolling Stone magazine in 2013. Depp said: "It wasn't easy on [Paradis]. It wasn't easy on me. It wasn't easy on the kids. It doesn't stop the fact that you care for that person, and they're the mother of your kids, and you'll always know each other, and you're always gonna be in each other's lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it." During Depp's libel trial against The Sun tabloid, Paradis gave a witness statement in his support. Paradis said she has always "known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous, and non-violent person and father."
Johnny Depp was married to Amber Heard for 15 months
In 2009, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard met on the filming of 'The Rum Diary' and in 2015, they got married. According to People magazine, the couple's wedding was minimal, with barely 20 to 25 people in attendance. Heard filed for divorce from Depp in 2016 and received a temporary restraining order against him four days later. Depp allegedly physically mistreated Heard during their relationship, according to Heard.
Heard was "attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse," according to Depp, who disputed the charges through his agents. After Heard withdrew her plea for a domestic violence restraining order, the two came to an agreement. She also dropped her $50,000-per-month marital support request.
Depp and Heard also issued a joint statement, saying: "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain." Their divorce was formalized in 2017 with Heard receiving $7 million from the divorce. Both sides have made countless charges of infidelity, abuse, and violence in the years after their divorce, and are currently part of an ongoing defamationa trial.