Johnny Depp's 10 Greatest Roles

Birthday boy Johnny Depp turns 51 today, so we're ranking 10 of Johnny's top performances on celluloid.

Click the pics for a look back at Depp's already legendary career and tell us, which of these roles is your favorite?

Set in the 1930s, this gangster biopic directed by Michael Mann tells the notorious true tale of John Dillinger and the beginnings of the FBI. Depp likened Dillinger to "that era's rock and roll star. He was a very charismatic man and he lived the way he wanted to and didn't compromise," a mindset that enabled Depp to add an appealing edge and swagger to portraying the life of one of the biggest bank robbers in the history of the United States.

In an Oscar-nominated performance, Depp brings just the right amount of charm and poise to the serious role depicting the life of J.M. Barrie, the writer behind the much-loved children's classic Peter Pan. As the misguided playwright, Depp again is able to show us how to blend the right amount of seriousness, quirkiness and charm as the man who, just like Peter Pan, never lost his child-like qualities

In perhaps his most fearful character to date, Depp was nominated for an Oscar for the role of Sweeney Todd, the "Demon Barber of Fleet Street" in his first musical motion picture, based on the popular stage production. Teaming again with Tim Burton to portray a barber who murders his clientele, Depp avoided professional vocal training for his portrayal of the singing, blade-slinging barber who turns his victims into meat pies.

This busy remake of the 1971 Gene Wilder classic (based on the 1964 Roald Dahl children's book) stars Johnny as the mysterious candy magnate Willie Wonka, who releases a handful of golden tickets to enable a group of children (and their parents) to see his magical factory for the first time ever – and to find an heir to his empire. Johnny delivers his own fanciful version of the character, adding in a new look, backstory and characterization that enabled his updated Wonka to stand on his own as another one of his wonderfully kooky inventions.

Based on the novel by Peter Hedges, this whimsical and emotional tear-jerker stars Depp as the caretaker brother of Arnie (a young Leonardo DiCaprio), who suffers from a developmental disability, along with his excessively overweight mother, in a small town. The film allows Depp to engage his emotional side as his character deals with caring for his family, love, lust, loss, and finding himself amongst small-town gossip and issues growing up in Iowa.

Taking on another real-life character, Depp stars in this crime drama as Joseph D. "Donnie Brasco" Pistone, the undercover FBI agent who successfully infiltrated the mafia's Bonanno family in 1970s New York. Working opposite acting legend Al Pacino, Depp brings panache to the role that creates a strikingly believable quality in this enthralling mobster motion picture.

Depp again is able to illustrate his versatility in director Terry Gilliam's fantastical motion picture based on Hunter S. Thompson's semi-autobiographical novel Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. The film follows the drug-fueled adventures of Raoul Duke (Depp) and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) on the way to Las Vegas as they pursue hedonism and hullucinations.

In his first-ever collaboration with director Tim Burton, Johnny's characterization of the gentle, Frankenstein-like man with scissors for hands was a far cry from his role as the resident hottie on TV's 21 Jump Street. Johnny enabled viewers to resonate with the social misfit whose dreams of a normal life clash with the people in small-town suburbia. The role turned out to be a major turning point in Depp's career, as he became noticed for his chameleon-like acting ability alongside his Hollywood good looks.

In one of his most charming and infectious performances, Johnny teams up with director Tim Burton to portray Plan 9 from Outer Space auteur Ed Wood, who is remembered as arguably the worst director in Hollywood history. The character is brought to life by Johnny, who manages to portray Wood's blind optimism as both outlandish and likeable simultaneously. Infamous for his films' improbable storylines and range of technical and physical glitches, not to mention his penchant for wearing women's clothing, Wood's career was boosted by his personal friendship with the ailing, elderly Dracula star Bela Lugosi (a role that earned Martin Landau a Best Supporting Actor Oscar).

In the role that turned the indie kid into blockbuster gold, Depp brought to life the character of Captain Jack Sparrow, the gold-toothed, dreadlocked buccaneer who teams up with blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to save Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) from the undead crew of the Black Pearl. Depp brought an originality and vibrancy to the swashbuckling role that proved to be a roaring success, spawning three sequels and a fourth in the works.