Johnny Depp, star of 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' through the years (14 images)

Johnny Depp first made his big screen appearance in the horror film "Nightmare on Elm Street" in 1984, but catapulted to fame as Tom Hanson on the TV series "21 Jump Street," which premiered in 1987.

Since then, Depp has starred in dozens of films and is especially well known for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. He recently surprised fans in Disneyland ahead of the release of the new film, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales," which premieres on May 26.

Johnny Depp (R) and Christina Ricci attend the world premiere of "Sleepy Hollow" at Mann's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on November 17, 1999. Depp stars as Ichabod Crane and Ricci stars as Katrina Van Tassel. File Photo by Sinartus Sosrodjojo/UPI

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Johnny Depp poses for pictures at the premiere of "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" at the Loews Lincoln Square Theater in New York on September 7, 2003. Depp stars alongside Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, and Willem Dafoe. File Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/UPI

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Johnny Depp (L) and Kate Winslet pose for photographers at the charity premiere of "Finding Neverland" in London on October 17, 2004. Depp stars as playwright J.M. Barrie and tells the story of Barrie's relationship with the family who inspired "Peter Pan." File Photo by Hugo Philpott

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Johnny Depp arrives at the 11th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 5, 2005 in Los Angeles. Depp was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his work as J.M. Barrie in "Finding Neverland." He lost to Jamie Foxx for his performance in "Ray." File Photo by John Hayes/UPI

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