A Timeline Of All Of Johnny Depp's Relationships
Johnny Depp's life, and in particular his long list of paramours, is under scrutiny across the globe as the 58-year-old finds himself in the midst of a fierce court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. All eyes are on the "Finding Neverland" star who is defending himself against allegations of domestic abuse leveled by Heard, to whom he was married for just over a year (per Time). The aftermath of their reportedly hostile relationship has left a lot of dirty laundry out to air, drawing out a long, messy saga comprising defamation suits and counter-suits.
As she took the stand at the ongoing trial, Heard lent high praise to Depp, whom she called the "love of [her] life," as he was at the start of their relationship in 2012 — "I felt like this man knew me, saw me, in a way no one else had" (via People). Several of his former celebrity partners, from Sherilyn Fenn to Winona Ryder, have expressed similar sentiments over the years, recalling their time with Depp fondly. In fact, many of his exes, including Depp's only other ex-wife Lori Anne Allison, have come forward in defense of his character amid unsettling accusations of him being a "wife beater" (per BBC).
Here, we walk you down Depp's history of high-profile romances — from his pre-acting days to when he attained status as the hottest actor of '90s, and subsequently secured superstardom — to see what each of his exes have to say about him.
Johnny Depp was married to Lori Anne Allison between 1983 and 1985
Long before establishing himself as a '90s heartthrob, Johnny Depp had found love and married. In fact, his first wife, makeup artist Lori Anne Allison is widely credited for being the catalyst for his superstardom. During his late teens, Depp had dropped out of high school in Florida and joined a band called Kids, per Rolling Stone. Allison was reportedly the sister of one of his bandmates and a few years senior to Depp. They met and ultimately tied the knot in 1983, when Depp was just 20 (per Metro).
The couple relocated to Los Angeles in pursuit of a better life, where Allison introduced Depp to her actor friend, Nicolas Cage. In an interview, Cage revealed that Depp at the time was "selling pens or something to get by." It was during a game of Monopoly that Cage told Depp, "I think you can act." He sent Depp onward to his agent, who helped him land an audition for "A Nightmare on Elm Street," which was his screen debut in 1984.
Though their marriage ended in 1985, Allison and Depp remain friends to this day. A portrait of the 58-year-old star from his younger days still hangs among the wall collage in Allison's home! As per TMZ, in 2016 Allison came out in Depp's support amid his turbulent divorce from Amber Heard, saying he was a "soft person" who never laid a hand on her.
He dated Sherilyn Fenn for 3 years
During the 1980s, with roles in films like "Private Resort" and "Platoon," Johnny Depp had begun making his way into the hearts of many women. Among them was fellow actor Sherilyn Fenn, who ultimately attained colossal fame for her notorious Audrey Horne character on the television series "Twin Peaks." According to PopSugar, Depp and Fenn met while shooting "Dummies," a 7-minute short film that released in 1985, and went on to date for almost 3 years. The pair collaborated again in 1987 on an episode of "21 Jump Street," the hit series that skyrocketed Depp to global fame as a teen idol. Depp and Fenn were together until 1988, with certain reports indicating that the two were even briefly engaged (per Brides).
Decades have passed since her romance with Depp ended, but Fenn has continued speaking fondly of her ex. "He was my first love," she told The Big Issue in 2017. "Finding your first love is an important part of everyone's life. With Johnny it helped me, because as a young woman, for the first time, I had found real love. ... I know him as a human not a movie star."
Active on social media, Fenn hasn't shied away from expressing support for Depp in his court battle with Amber Heard. Sharing a photo of Depp from "Platoon," in a scene where he had her name etched on his helmet, she wrote on Instagram, "#istandwithjohnny then & now & forever."
He was engaged to Jennifer Grey in the 1980s
While riding high on the cult following his appearance on "21 Jump Street" had stirred, Johnny Depp linked up briefly with Jennifer Grey in 1989. Grey herself was fresh into emphatic fame after the success of her 1987 dance musical "Dirty Dancing," in which she co-starred with Patrick Swayze. Media reports have long claimed that Depp and Grey, during their short relationship, were even engaged to be married — something Grey appears to have confirmed recently. In her memoir, "Out of the Corner," published in 2022, Grey said her agent set her up on a date with Depp, who popped the question to her within two weeks of knowing her.
"He was so ridiculously beautiful. And surprisingly open, funny, quirky and sweet," she writes recalling her first date with Depp, as per an excerpt published by the Independent. The "Red Oaks" actor, in her memoir, also reflects the tensions that began brewing in their relationship: He was "crazy jealous and paranoid about what I'd been up to while he was gone," she claims, alleging he got into bar fights and was ill-tempered. She ultimately broke off their engagement. Speaking to People, however, she recalled her time with Depp to be a "f***ing bonfire. It was literally like, 'Are you f***ing kidding me? ... I've never seen a guy like this.'"
He and Winona Ryder were Hollywood's power couple
Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder are deeply entrenched in the legacy of '90s pop culture as one of Hollywood's hottest power couples. The young pair first locked eyes in 1989 at the premiere of Ryder's film "Great Balls of Fire." "It was a classic glance, like the zoom lenses in 'West Side Story,' and everything else gets foggy," Depp told Rolling Stone in 1991. "I knew then." However, their first official meeting wasn't until a few months later, when Ryder, accompanied by a common friend, met Depp at a Los Angeles hotel and a passionate romance brewed. They would go on to co-star in the 1990 film, "Edward Scissorhands."
As per People, Depp was 27 and Ryder in her late teens when their relationship began. After five months in love, Ryder and Depp were engaged. Depp told the outlet, "There's been nothing in my 27 years that's comparable to the feeling I have with Winona" — a feeling that culminated in the now-legendary "Winona Forever" tattoo on his bicep. But the relationship ran its course by 1993, and the couple called it off. Ryder in a future interview with Elle would call her breakup with Depp her "first heartbreak."
Fast forward to the present, Ryder is among those who have defended Depp in the Amber Heard case. She testified before a U.K. court, "The idea that he is an incredibly violent person is the farthest thing from the Johnny I knew and loved."
He was linked with Juliette Lewis
The 1990s marked a turn in Johnny Depp's career, heralding the start of a career-successful era for him. Among the critically acclaimed hits he delivered during the decade was the 1993 coming-of-age film "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," in which he co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis. As goes the rumor mill, reports predictably emerged of Depp and Lewis entering into a brief relationship after they met on the set of their first and only film together, as outlined by PopSugar.
Popping the bubble that long kept the gossip of her dating Depp intact, Lewis cleared the air in 2014. "So I will answer the urban legend: we never were involved with each other. Just FYI. Would be fine if we were, but we weren't," she told Entertainment Weekly. At the time of shooting the film, Depp was fresh out of his passionate romance with Winona Ryder, and his lead character of Gilbert reflected parallels with his own troubled youth: "I was as deep in the soup as I could be," Depp said. However, Lewis claimed to be unaware of Depp's turmoil. "All I thought was that he was pensive or thoughtful, or working something out in his head," she said.
While the two apparently never dated — now you know! — Depp and Lewis reunited as friends in 2016 at The Art of Elysium gala, greeting each other warmly and even posing for the paps (per Daily Mail).
He and Ellen Barkin were a thing in the 1990s
Johnny Depp's string of romances continued through the 1990s with a brief affair he had with actor Ellen Barkin, who was nearly a decade older than him. At the time of their fling, Barkin was separated from her then-husband, Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. As per The Guardian, Barkin and Byrne separated in 1993 on amicable terms before ultimately divorcing in 1999. A short-term romance thus ensued between Depp and Barkin in 1994, with the pair flaunting their linkup during red carpet appearances at fashion shows and even the Golden Globes (per Vanity Fair).
They also worked on 1998's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" together, during which time they had a casual relationship. Barkin, among the star witnesses in Depp's libel case in the U.K. following his divorce from Amber Heard, alleged in court in 2020 that Depp had hurled a wine bottle at her once. Depp countered saying Barkin held a grudge over their past relationship and that the two hadn't spoken since, per Daily Mail. "A sexual element began with Ms Barkin which lasted for months on and off really because she was making the film I was making at the time," Depp said, adding that "she wanted a proper relationship with me and I did not want that."
He was in a relationship with Kate Moss for 4 years
One a dreamboat actor and the other a chic supermodel — this combo is the stuff of power couples! On that account, Johnny Depp and Kate Moss were considered one of the hottest duos in tinsel town between 1994 and 1998. Apparently, it was Vanity Fair celebrity writer George Wayne who introduced Depp and Moss "one fateful night" at the hot and happening Café Tabac in New York. "Johnny was in the back having dinner and Kate walked in with Naomi and The GW grabbed her and made the introduction! I had no idea that they would then become the IT couple for seasons to come," Wayne narrated on Instagram.
Depp and Moss shared an 11-year age gap between them (with the "Blow" actor being older) and their romance consistently remained in the limelight for how wild and volatile it was. In 1994, People quoted a source who noted how the two couldn't "keep their hands, lips, mouths, legs off of each other," and also reported how thorny things were between the couple. Per the New York Post, Depp was arrested that year for causing damage worth almost $10,000 to a hotel room with Moss at the site, while Moss allegedly suspected Depp was unfaithful. When they ultimately parted ways, Moss said Depp had taken care of her and recalled how tough the breakup was for her: "I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust. Nightmare. Years and years of crying," she told Vanity Fair.
He has two children with longtime partner Vanessa Paradis
Vanessa Paradis was the partner with whom Johnny Depp shared the longest romance. Their relationship, which began in 1998, lasted for 14 years and resulted in the couple's two children – Lily-Rose Depp and John Christopher "Jack" Depp III. Depp wasn't long out of his mercurial affair with Kate Moss when he fell in love with French singer and actor Paradis. As told to Daily Mail, he was in France to shoot "The Ninth Gate" when one look at Paradis at Hotel Costes jolted him. "She was wearing a dress with an exposed back and I saw that back and that neck, and then she turned around and I saw those eyes, and — boom! My life as a single man was done."
Though Depp and Paradis never married — "It's something I can really do without," Paradis once said (via People) – their time together had quite the semblance of a domestic life. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Depp adopted a healthier lifestyle after meeting Paradis and perfection to him became "watching the sunset and the kiddies playing nearby." So it came as nothing short of a surprise when the couple announced they were splitting in 2012. Depp later told Rolling Stone that though it wasn't easy on the family, they would "be in each other's lives." Sure enough, Paradis showed up for Depp in the Amber Heard case, testifying that he was a "non-violent person and father" (via Insider).
He was married to Amber Heard for 15 months
Perhaps the most notorious match of the lot, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's relationship has captured imaginations and global headlines alike. A defamation trial for $50 million involving the formerly married couple is currently underway in Virginia, where explosive developments are surfacing everyday. Per CNN, Depp has sued ex-wife Heard over an op-ed she penned in The Washington Post in 2018, allegedly accusing him of domestic violence. Heard's article "devastated" Depp's career and allegedly caused him to lose out on work, Depp's attorney argued, as per The New York Times. Depp, in turn, has testified in court that Heard was the aggressor of said abuse. But things weren't always so messy between the star couple.
People reported that Depp and Heard met on the sets of their 2011 film "The Rum Diary," where they developed a friendship. A year after meeting Heard, Depp announced he and longtime partner Vanessa Paradis were parting ways. By 2014, the new pair was engaged. A dreamy beach wedding followed in 2015, when Heard was 28 and Depp was 51. Calling himself a "lucky man" at the time, Depp gushed to E! News about how "brilliant and beautiful" Heard was. However, by May 2016, trouble in paradise became apparent when Heard filed for divorce and sought a restraining order against Depp, accusing him of assault (per The Guardian). The divorce was finalized in 2017, triggering a widely publicized back and forth between the exes that is still ongoing.
He was rumored to be dating Sophie Hermann
Even as the volatile proceedings of his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard dominate airways, Johnny Depp has been reportedly linked to a new love interest as recently as 2020. The "Donnie Brasco" actor was rumored to be getting close to industry colleague Sophie Hermann, best known for appearing on the reality show "Made In Chelsea." As per reports, Depp and Hermann allegedly met at the posh Corinthia Hotel in London and a struck up a friendship (via Daily Mail). A source claimed, "Sophie left her phone number on a piece of paper and slid it between the strings of his guitar," following which the duo shared hours of talk time. There is, however, no confirmation from either actor about their alleged linkup.
In the months following her rumored romance with Depp, Hermann found love in "Celebs Go Dating" peer Tom Zanetti (per The Sun). In 2021, the couple parted ways after six months together. Hermann is also credited for appearing on television shows "8 Out of 10 Cats" and "Would I Lie to You?," and has roots in fashion in addition to being a media personality. As per Daily Mail, the Germany-born star is the heiress to jeans brand Mustang, and in the past even launched a fashion line of her own.