Icon Analysis: Johnny Depp
Mikael Stoffer
Baker College of Owosso

Icons are recognized everywhere from producer, actor, model, worker, the list could go on forever because icons are anyone who is very successful and recognized widely as a symbol. An Icon has to be someone who is admired and considered successful to not only one person, it has to be a good chunk of people who can all agree that they are considered an icon to many people. But there are few people who would be considered an icon in the invention field because so many people are inventing things nowadays. But there will always be a set of people that come to mind when thinking of those few people in such a big field of interest like inventing, Steve Jobs, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Bill Gates, the list could go on till you do not recognize anyone else. With actors there are plenty to choose from because actors can play many roles and be considered the star of the show or movie but even a side character can be considered an icon because they lifted spirits in a movie, but in most cases it is because they played so many roles. I’m going to be analyzing an actor that has so many roles he is considered to be Hollywood’s man of a thousand roles (Skillern, M.). His name is Johnny Depp, and he has played many eccentric and villainous roles that he is widely considered an icon throughout the entire acting community. Johnny Depp is the icon of Hollywood’s actors, one of the top 10 fashion icons and could be many more that could be considered an icon above all worldwide. He started becoming known as a Hollywood’s rising star when he landed the role in Tim Burton’s movie, Edward Scissorhands, and then started his career as a thousand roles once he starred in the movies Sleep Hollow and Charlie and the Charlie Factory. But his real career as an icon started when he claimed the role as Jack Sparrow In the highly critically acclaimed and successful movie Pirates of the Caribbean.

His personal life was a struggle as much actors have, he struggled with drug addiction which lead to a length of depression for him and his first marriage with Kate Moss from 1994 to 1998 which caused him to have an unusual behavior over those 4 years (Skillern, M.). Johnny is renowned for having won the sexiest man alive award in 2003 and 2005 (Kirby, I.) and a world record set for richest actor of a net worth over $350 million (Celeb Net Worth). Everything that he has done has made an impact to further his career or renown himself throughout the acting world and even the music world being known to be in several garage bands when he was younger, which is how he got his first job as an actor on the show 21st jump street. But not all of Johnny Depp’s iconic moments were in the acting field, he is also very stylish and coming up with new ways to be eccentric. Johnny Depp was awarded 2012’s fashion icon award because of his new ways to stay with today’s fashion and make his own style with a combination of jewelry and clothes (Snead, E.). But even though it doesn’t look like he could come up with this fashion on his own he actually shuns designers according to this quote from the Hollywood Reporter “The actor has always shunned designer names, preferring to shop vintage and express his personality (personalities?) through his wardrobe.” (Snead, E.).
So you see all icons have to be successful and widely known but can be known in more than one field, like acting, fashion, or richest actor alive. Johnny Depp’s proves all points about being an icon because you can look at him and see that he has made himself professionally successful and widely known throughput all of the world and in many different ways, setting records, he is everything that an icon could be. He is able to set a bar just high enough that any person striving towards a goal like becoming an icon, they could look at Johnny Depp and tell themselves, ‘hey, I could do that’.
So in the end an icon has to be considered successful and recognized widely around the world or in many fields and I believe that Johnny Depp fits that category perfect. If it is not his roles that stick out to you then it should be the money is he able to make from the movies he has played in alone are around $75 million per movie. Johnny Depp has played many roles and that has earned him the right to be called Hollywood’s man of a thousand roles. Johnny Depp is the icon of Hollywood’s actors, one of the top 10 fashion icons and could be many more that could be considered an icon above all worldwide.

References Page
Skillern, M. (2014, September 25). Johnny Depp: The Man with the Most Unique Roles. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
Kirby, I. (2014, November 19). The good, the bad and the ugly! A look back at People's Sexiest Man Alive winners over the years... as 28th recipient is announced. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
Celeb Net Worth. How much is Johnny Depp Net Worth as The Highest Paid Actor? (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015.
Snead, E. (2012, March 16). Johnny Depp to Receive CFDA's 2012 Fashion Icon Award. Retrieved November 2, 2015.

Annotated sources
Skillern, M. (2014, September 25). Johnny Depp: The Man with the Most Unique Roles. Retrieved November 1, 2015. I found this source useful because it explained most of Johnny Depp’s life from the start of his career to today, and explained from the movies that lead to his succession to his personal life that left scars emotionally and physically.
Kirby, I. (2014, November 19). The good, the bad and the ugly! A look back at People's Sexiest Man Alive winners over the years... as 28th recipient is announced. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
This source helped a lot by explaining the years that he was awarded the sexiest man alive.
Celeb Net Worth. How much is Johnny Depp Net Worth as The Highest Paid Actor? (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015.
This source also helped explain his net worth and his award for how much net worth he is which lead to him being the most successful and richest actor.
Snead, E. (2012, March 16). Johnny Depp to Receive CFDA's 2012 Fashion Icon Award. Retrieved November 2, 2015. This source was useful by telling me the year and description of why he was announced fashion icon of the year and provided me with a quote to put inside my essay.