Who was Johnny Depp's first wife? Hollywood icon set for TRIAL OF THE CENTURY against Amber Heard

The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial is set to commence on Monday, April 11, in Fairfax County, Virginia
UPDATED APR 8, 2022
Johnny Depp met his first wife Lori Allison (L) while playing with 'The Kids' whose bassist was her brother. (Twitter, Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)
Johnny Depp met his first wife Lori Allison (L) while playing with 'The Kids' whose bassist was her brother. (Twitter, Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

The Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, which is set to commence next week in Fairfax County, Virginia, has sparked an interest in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star's past relationships.

Depp filed a $50 million defamation suit against Heard after she penned a Washington Post essay in 2018 titled “I spoke up against sexual violence — and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.” The article didn't mention Depp by name, but the actor has claimed it damaged his reputation and cost him multiple roles. Meanwhile, Heard has filed a counterclaim listing James Franco and Elon Musk to testify in the case in response to Depp's accusations that she cheated on him with both men while they were still married.

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Who is Johnny Depp's first wife?

It's worth noting that Depp had had several high-profile relationships before he met Heard. His romance with Winona Ryder was widely documented before he entered a 14-year partnership with Vanessa Paradis. However, there isn't much known about the actor's marriage to his first wife, Lori Allison.

Allison knew Depp long before he achieved superstardom. They first met, thanks to the band he played with, when he was a teenager. The future Hollywood icon had dropped out of high school and played guitar at a number of gigs with 'The Kids'. According to The Things, Depp attained moderate success during his time playing music. In fact, Allison was the bassist's sister -- and that's how they met.



 

Allison and Depp soon began dating and by 1983, the pair decided to take the holy vows. Allison was 25 at the time, while Depp was just 20. They decided to move to Los Angeles to get more involved in the music industry. Allison reportedly aspired to become a record producer but decided to pursue makeup art in the film industry after becoming partially deaf. She eventually formed connections in the movie industry and was able to connect her husband with acting legend Nicolas Cage. Cage helped Depp audition for 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', thus kickstarting his Hollywood career.

Johnny Depp arrives on the red carpet ahead of the Johnny Depp masterclass during the 19th Alice Nella Città 2021 at Auditorium della Conciliazione on October 17, 2021, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Stefania M. D'Alessandro/Getty Images)

As time passed, however, Allison and Depp couldn't make their relationship work. They parted ways in 1985, noting irreconcilable differences as the reasoning, but didn't appear to end things on a bitter note. Allison still goes by the name "Lori Depp" and only has nice things to say about her ex-husband. “Well, we all know he’s a talented actor and can pull off the pirate thing like nobody’s business,” she told the Miami Herald in 2015. “But he’s also an extremely talented guitar player and started out in South Florida playing the local Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale club circuit," she added.

That said, Allison has also backed Depp after recent abuse allegations leveled against him by Heard. Depp's first wife described him as a "soft person" who would never engage in abusive behavior, according to TMZ.

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