Sparrow’s Nest

27.05.22

Known for being a somewhat dark, idiosyncratic actor, Johnny Depp has followed his own instincts in his choice of parts since his first role in Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. A Florida high school dropout at age 15, he played in several garage bands and married early. When he and his new wife took a trip to Los Angeles, in a stroke of good luck he happened to meet Nicolas Cage who suggested he go into acting. This led to his first film role and quick successes in Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow and the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He then moved on to more serious parts portraying drug and gangster criminals in Blow, Public Enemies and Black Mass.

Widely considered one of Hollywood's best actors and box office stars with Golden Globe and Screen Actors’ Guild Awards, Depp has made headlines from his movies, love life and his interesting real estate holdings, which include an island in the Bahamas. At various times engaged to Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder and Kate Moss, Depp had a long relationship with French singer-actress Vanessa Paradis. During his Paradis years, he purchased an entire French village which was recently on the market at $55.5 million. After he split with Vanessa, he married Amber Heard in 2015, but divorced just one year later. Listed after the $7 million divorce settlement with Heard was Depp's unique collection of penthouses in downtown Los Angeles.

Depp acquired the five multi-storied, side-by-side penthouse units over a period of years after the building had been refurbished in 2007. Decorated in his unique style, he never joined the units, but instead lived in them as though going from room to room or lent to relatives to use. The group included five condo units: four two bedrooms and a one-bedroom, totalling approximately 11,500 square feet. The 13-story Eastern Columbia Building was designed by Claud Beelman in 1930, considered to be one of the city’s best examples of Art Deco architecture still standing. Johnny sold the penthouses in 2017 for a total of almost $10.9 million.