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File picture dated 13 May 2012 shows US actor Johnny Depp during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan. Depp turns 50 today. - EPA

Happy 50th birthday to the dashing Johnny Depp! We take an in-Deppth look at his journey through the decades, with key moments from his life and award-winning career.

1963 - 1972

Born John Christopher Depp II in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963, the indrawn child was the youngest of Betty Sue Palmer’s and John Christopher Depp’s four offspring.

Depp has described himself as a “weird child”, perhaps partly due to the stress of coping with an ever-changing environment. After all, his father’s job as a civil engineer would see them changing addresses over 20 times - taxing even for adaptable Geminis - before the seven-year-old could call Florida home.

Actor Johnny Depp portrays the character "Willy Wonka" in a scene from director Tim Burton's film "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" in 2005. -Reuters

1973 - 1982

Adolescence hit Depp hard. By his dozenth year, Depp had self-harmed, lit his fair share of cigarettes, and experimented with drugs.

To add rock n’ roll in the equation, his mother’s gift of an electric guitar would ignite the 12-year-old’s lifelong love affair with music.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that went up in flames. In an attempt to imitate Gene Simmons’ fiery stage theatrics, Depp is said to have accidentally set his own face on fire on July 15, 1975 after some tomfoolery with a gasoline-soaked t-shirt! Luckily, it didn’t cause too much damage, and he blamed the injuries on a misadventure with fireworks.

Cast member Johnny Depp (L) and director Tim Burton during a panel discussion for the movie "Alice in Wonderland" during the 40th annual Comic Con Convention in San Diego on July 23, 2009. - Reuters

Less fortunate was his parents’ divorce just three years later. Depp had the unenviable task of collecting weekly child-support money from his father, and the uncomfortable experience would eventually lead to a rift between the two.

A school drop-out at 16, the bad boy pursued his dreams of rock stardom through The Kids, a garage rock outfit which enjoyed some amount of success before disbanding in 1985.

1983 - 1992

At the still-tender age of 20, Depp walked down the aisle with 25-year-old Lori Anne Allison on December 24, 1983.

Their union ended in 1985, but Lori would introduce Depp to a former lover of hers in a meeting that proved life-changing for Depp.

Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl.

The ex in question was Nicholas Cage, who spotted a true National Treasure in Depp and introduced him to a Hollywood agent. A few film extra roles later, Depp landed his first major role in the 1984 horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street.

By this time, Depp was taking acting seriously enough to improve his art through formal lessons.

But it was Depp’s portrayal of Officer Tom Hanson in the iconic television series 21 Jump Street from 1987 to 1990 that truly catapulted him to teen idol status.

Johnny voiced Victor Van Dort in animated feature Corpse Bride.

However, this was an image he resented and strove to shrug off, a feat he eventually pulled off with some much-lauded roles.

They include the comedic musical Cry-Baby (1990) and perhaps most memorably, as the pale protagonist in Edward Scissorhands (1990), where he would meet longtime collaborator Tim Burton.

An overexposed love affair with his co-star Winona Ryder in the latter also resulted in his (modified) Wino Forever tattoo today.

1993 - 2002

With highly praised performances as the eccentric Sam in romantic comedy Benny & Joon (1993) and the long-suffering, small-town lead in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Depp’s career was on the rise even as his personal life took a downturn.

Perhaps Depp found some solace in The Viper Room, where he relived his younger, guitar-playing days through P, his new band featuring names such as Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even Adam Durtz from Counting Crows played bartender for a while.

Johnny Depp playing barber in Edward Scissorhands.

But on the Halloween of 1993, Depp’s club was tainted by the death of young actor River Phoenix, who collapsed from a drug-induced cardiac arrest on its sidewalk after a wild night out. However, the nightspot remained popular.

A highly public and passionate pairing with supermodel Kate Moss also made them familiar faces in the tabloids, and Depp’s infamous hotel-room-trashing in New York took place during the course of their relationship. The couple would later call it quits in 1998.

Happier unions to happen in this period was Johnny reuniting with Burton for a biopic on infamous B-movie director Ed Wood in 1994, and again in 1999 as kooky Ichabod Crane in the lush Sleepy Hollow.

And who can forget his swoon-worthy turn as guitar-playing gypsy Roux in the charming Chocolat (2000) and sympathetic portrayal of notorious cocaine dealer George Jung in Blow (2001)?

In the 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Depp also played Raoul Duke, a character rooted in incidents experienced by famed journalist Hunter S. Thompson, which birthed a deep friendship between the two until Thompson’s suicide in 2005.

His longest relationship to date also began in 1999, when he met French actress Vanessa Paradis while filming The Ninth Gate. They would have two children together - Lily Rose-Melody Depp in May 1999 and John “Jack” Christopher Depp III in April 2002 - before parting ways in 2012.

2003 - 2013

As Depp entered his forties, his career surged to even greater heights.

Johnny Depp portrays journalist Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It is legendary how Depp got into this role by living in the basement of the real journalist, Hunter S. Thompson. Depp admits it was one character that he couldn't shake off after the filming was over. "He's still in there," he confesses.

From 2004 to 2011, Depp would play one of his most memorable personas, swaggering Captain Jack Sparrow, for the duration of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series to date.

In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the charming character also netted him a Screen Actors Guild award in 2003 for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Those eager for more of Sparrow will have to wait for the fifth chapter in the series, slated for release in July 2015.

Other star turns include portrayals of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie in the critically acclaimed Finding Neverland (2004), eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka in the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and charismatic bank robber John Dillinger in Public Enemies (2009).

His take on a vengeful barber in 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street also showcased the actor’s serious vocal chops, and Depp’s performance bagged him the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

After his split from Paradis last year, Depp has since moved on with actress Amber Heard - who was his co-star in the The Rum Diary (2011) - though there’s no telling if their pairing will be as tempestuous as his former love affairs.

What’s certain is that with his charisma and true chameleon quality, Depp will grace the silver screen in one convincing skin after another for many more years to come.