Johnny Depp

It's almost impossible to remember when Johnny Depp was known just as the guy who got sucked into a bed in A Nightmare on Elm Street and as the cop on 21 Jump Street. But any doubts as to his aspirations should have been cast aside immediately when he went all–out in 1990, starring in John Waters's Cry-Baby and Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands. He went from popular hunk to eccentric method actor, winning critical acclaim in such financially unsuccessful films as Arizona Dream, Ed Wood, and Dead Man. All that changed upon the release of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, where Depp finally proved that he could be true to himself while also selling out multiplexes nationwide.