While Johnny Depp is now one of the most famous and acclaimed actors in Hollywood thanks to his iconic film roles, his career began rather humbly on the small screen. Though television may not have been his ultimate destination, Depp’s early TV work laid the groundwork for his future success in movies. His breakout role was on the popular 1980s police drama series 21 Jump Street, which introduced Depp to mainstream audiences and established him as a rising star. Beyond that seminal show, Depp had a few other minor television appearances in the late 80s as well, getting his start in the industry through small screen opportunities before making the transition to feature films. Though his movie career would come to vastly overshadow anything he did in television, Johnny Depp owes a great deal of his fame and notoriety to his humble beginnings in the television world.

21 Jump Street

By far Depp’s most high profile and impactful early television role was as Officer Tom Hanson on the Fox series 21 Jump Street between 1987 and 1990. The show was a police procedural that followed a group of young looking officers who went undercover at high schools, colleges, and other youth settings to investigate crimes and bust drug rings. Depp’s character of Tom Hanson was the fresh-faced rookie of the group. Though just starting out in his career, Depp brought a great deal of charisma and charm to the role of Hanson that resonated strongly with viewers, especially teenage audiences.

21 Jump Street was an enormous success for Fox, lasting five seasons and airing over 100 episodes. Depp became an overnight teen idol and heartthrob thanks to his portrayal of the likeable undercover cop. Though the subject matter of the show often dealt with serious issues like drugs and crime, Depp infused his performance with plenty of humor and humanity that made Hanson extremely endearing and appealing to watch week after week. Beyond just acting ability, Depp also brought a natural cool factor and sex appeal to the part. This helped expand 21 Jump Street’s popularity far beyond just its crime drama roots.

The massive popularity of 21 Jump Street was a career changing break for the up-and-coming Johnny Depp. It proved he had leading man potential and star quality in abundance. Audiences fell in love with Depp through his star-making turn as Tom Hanson, and it established him as a household name virtually overnight. 21 Jump Street turned Depp into a bonafide teen idol and proved he had the charisma and screen presence to carry his own television series. The show’s success was the big break Depp needed to start getting noticed for feature film roles as well. While television may not have been his ultimate destination, 21 Jump Street was the vehicle that launched Johnny Depp’s entire career and paved the way for his future stardom on the silver screen.

Other Early Television Roles

In addition to the career-defining role of Tom Hanson on 21 Jump Street, Johnny Depp did have a couple other minor television appearances in the late 1980s before breaking out as a big screen star. One of these was a single episode guest spot on the short-lived drama series Hotel in 1987. Hotel only aired 13 episodes before being cancelled, so Depp’s role was fairly inconsequential. However, it did represent one of his earliest professional on-screen acting jobs and first opportunities to gain experience in front of the camera in a televised setting.

Depp also had a tiny role in a 1987 episode of the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He played a young man being questioned by police about a murder. Though just a brief cameo, it provided Depp with more exposure and small screen credits as he was starting out. Outside of these tiny one-off parts and his star-making turn on 21 Jump Street however, Depp did not have many other substantive television roles prior to focusing his career exclusively on films after breaking out in the early 1990s.

Later Television Cameos

Once Johnny Depp had cemented his status as a major movie star with blockbuster films like Edward Scissorhands, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory throughout the 1990s and 2000s, he did make the occasional cameo appearance on television for fun rather than out of necessity. One such appearance was in a 1999 episode of the beloved British sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. Depp had a small role as a visitor to the fictional village where the show is set. He also did a cameo in a 2000 episode of the British sketch comedy The Fast Show.

These later television appearances showed Depp’s willingness to flex his comedic muscles and have a bit of fun outside of his usual big screen dramatic fare. They also demonstrated the immense star power and popularity Depp had achieved by that point that British TV producers were eager to land him for even the briefest of guest spots. While television was no longer Depp’s professional focus, he remained willing to dip his toes back in the small screen waters occasionally when an amusing role caught his fancy later in his blockbuster film career.

Conclusion

Though Johnny Depp will forever be remembered and revered primarily for his iconic performances in major motion pictures, it is important to acknowledge television as the medium that first introduced him to mainstream audiences and launched his entire acting career. His star-making turn as Tom Hanson on 21 Jump Street in the late 1980s proved Depp had both the charisma and talent to carry his own show and established him as a rising star. While he only had a handful of other minor television roles before shifting focus fully to movies, 21 Jump Street was the vehicle that put Depp on the map and gave him the exposure needed to start landing bigger film opportunities.

Without his breakout television success in the 1980s, it’s hard to say if Johnny Depp’s movie career would have taken off in quite the same way. 21 Jump Street was the perfect showcase for his talents and charisma when he was just starting out. It proved he had what it takes to be a leading man and carry successful projects. In that sense, television truly set the stage for all of Johnny Depp’s future accomplishments on the silver screen. Though film fame eclipsed anything he did in TV, one can’t deny Depp’s television roots and how the small screen played a pivotal role in launching one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actors to enduring international superstardom.