Johnny Depp's Dating History: From Winona Ryder to Kate Moss

Johnny Depp's dating life has certainly had its ups and downs.

Since rising to fame in the late '80s, Depp has had his fair share of headline-making relationships. Although he was married to makeup artist Lori Anne Allison early in his career, the relationship didn't last and it wasn't long before he was dating other major celebs. Throughout the next decade, Depp was linked to numerous stars, from Winona Ryder to Kate Moss — but when he met Vanessa Paradis, he was finally ready to settle down.

The pair were together for 14 years and welcomed two children, but they ultimately announced their split in 2012. Depp then married Amber Heard — and their tumultuous relationship led to a years-long legal battle between them.

In September 2022, Depp was linked to his lawyer Joelle Rich, though the pair were "not serious" and went their separate ways by November.

Here's a look back at Johnny Depp's dating history.

Lori Anne Allison

When Depp first moved to Los Angeles, he met makeup artist Lori Anne Allison, the sister of one of his bandmates. At just 20 years old, he and Allison tied the knot in 1983. The couple called it quits in 1985, after just two years of marriage. While the relationship didn't last, Allison played an important part in Depp's career, as her friend Nicolas Cage introduced him to the agent that got him cast in Nightmare on Elm Street.

The former couple are still on good terms and, according to Hollywood bookstore Book Soup, Depp even wrote the foreword for her book Gimme Shelter. Amid Depp's legal battle with his ex Heard, Allison shared a photo taken by Depp with the hashtag "#istandwithjohnnydepp."

Sherilyn Fenn

In 1985, Depp met Twin Peaks actress Sherilyn Fenn on the set of the student film Dummies. The couple dated for almost three years, during which Fenn made an appearance on Depp's hit show 21 Jump Street. The young couple also starred in a commercial together, and Depp even wrote Fenn's name across his helmet in the film Platoon. Although their relationship ended, the couple were briefly engaged and Fenn now looks back fondly on their time together.

"He was very sweet. He was my first love," Fenn told The Big Issue in 2017. "I had found real love. It was with someone who was walking the same path, but even if he wasn't, the love and the connection was strong enough — cooking meals, hanging out, laughing and crying. ... I know him as a human not a movie star."

Fenn also supported Depp following Heard's allegations. She tweeted, "I know JCD is not capable of the things being written."

Jennifer Grey

Depp was introduced to Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey through her agent in 1989, just weeks after she ended her engagement to Matthew Broderick. She later revealed in her memoir that Depp proposed to her within two weeks of meeting and she accepted, writing that he was "surprisingly open, funny, quirky and sweet" on their first date.

"There was some heat. It was a f---ing bonfire," Grey told PEOPLE. "It was literally like, 'Are you f---ing kidding me? Are you f---ing kidding me? I've never seen a guy like this. And energetically, what it was like being with him, it was like, 'Oh, I'm being totally, totally compensated for the shit I just went through.' "

Their relationship didn't last long, and Grey later said that Depp began to get "into trouble" while away filming. She added that, when he did return home, Depp would be "crazy jealous and paranoid" about what she'd been doing while he was gone. After nine months together, Grey ended things by leaving him a note in his hotel room.

Grey was later asked for her thoughts on Depp's trial with Heard. "All I can say about that trial is that it breaks my heart for everybody involved," she said. "I just think it's sad and I wish it was resolved and I just wish everybody well."

Winona Ryder

In 1989, Depp encountered Winona Ryder for the first time, spotting her at the premiere of Great Balls of Fire. At the time, Depp was 27 and Ryder was 18. Depp told Rolling Stone they shared a "classic glance," much like the "zoom lenses in West Side Story, and everything else gets foggy." Depp admitted he "knew then," but the couple didn't formally connect for several months.

"There's been nothing in my 27 years that's comparable to the feeling I have with Winona," Depp told PEOPLE shortly after meeting Ryder.

The couple got engaged just five months after their first date and Depp even got a tattoo that read "Winona Forever" on his arm. In 1990, the duo starred in Edward Scissorhands together. Depp and Ryder dated for three years before splitting in June 1993.

Looking back on their split, Ryder said it was her "first real breakup, the first heartbreak." She continued, "I think it was really ironic because, like, everybody else just thought I had everything in the world, you know, I had no reason to be depressed, everything was sort of at its peak, but inside I was completely lost."

Years later, Ryder shared her support for Depp amid his legal troubles with Heard, saying that he was "never abusive at all" during their relationship. While she admitted their relationship was "a long time ago," she added that her experience was "wildly different" than what was being said in the media.

"I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves," she said. "It's just shocking."

Ellen Barkin

Depp was first linked with actress Ellen Barkin in May 1994, when they hit the red carpet at a fashion show honoring designer Isaac Mizrahi. Although it isn't clear exactly when they began dating, their brief relationship was tumultuous.

In 2019, Barkin opened up about their relationship in detail for the first time in a deposition given during Depp's 2022 defamation trial against Heard. Barkin recalled that, in the early stages of their relationship, Depp was "loving" and "seemed like someone who took care of the people around him." But after their friendship turned romantic, things changed: Barkin alleged that Depp gave her drugs and asked if she "wanted to f---."

Barkin added in the deposition that there was "always an air of violence around him" and "just a lot of yelling." She says he eventually became "controlling" and "jealous" and was "drunk ... a lot of the time." She alleged that Depp once "threw a wine bottle across the hotel room" in her direction during a fight between him and his friends. Depp called the claim "untrue," saying that Barkin held a grudge against him.

Kate Moss

In early 1994, Depp was introduced to Kate Moss by Vanity Fair writer George Wayne at Café Tabac in New York City, according to The Face. Despite an 11-year age gap, the pair quickly began dating and, just weeks later, were spotted in L.A. and St. Barts before returning to N.Y.C. Depp even flew to Paris in July to watch Moss walk the runway during fashion week.

"I knew from the first moment we talked that we were going to be together," Moss said that same year.

While the first months of their relationship seemed romantic, behind the scenes, things were tumultuous. In September, the couple were spotted shouting at each other in public multiple times, with one altercation leading to Depp's arrest. The actor was found "in a state of possible intoxication" after allegedly trashing his room at The Mark Hotel in N.Y.C. Moss was also in the room but was uninjured in the incident.

The couple dated for the next several years, appearing on multiple red carpets and in interviews. They maintained that they weren't fazed by the publicity surrounding their romance. In 1997, Moss' agent told PEOPLE that while work took them in "different directions most of the time," she and Depp were still together whenever possible. The couple split in 1997.

Looking back on the relationship, Depp said he was the reason behind the couple's split. In an interview with Hello!, Depp admitted that he was "difficult to get on with," let work "get in the way" and didn't give Moss the attention she deserved. He even said he believed he was "horrific to live with."

Depp and Moss briefly reunited in 1998, when they attended the Cannes Film Festival together, but split again later that year. Reflecting on their romance years later, Moss said she had never found anyone like Depp again.

"There's nobody that's ever really been able to take care of me. Johnny did for a bit. I believed what he said. Like if I said, 'What do I do?,' he'd tell me," Moss recalled to Vanity Fair in 2012. "And that's what I missed when I left. I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust. Nightmare. Years and years of crying. Oh, the tears!"

In 2022, Moss supported Depp in court when she was asked to testify about the couple's relationship. After Heard brought up a rumor that Depp had once pushed Moss down a flight of stairs, Moss testified that Depp had not pushed her and she had slipped down the stairs.

"I know the truth about Johnny," Moss later said about her testimony. "I know he never kicked me down the stairs. I had to say that truth."

Vanessa Paradis

Depp fell in love with model Vanessa Paradis in 1998 while he was filming The Ninth Gate in France. The pair had known each other for years through mutual friends, but when they happened to cross paths in Paris, Depp said there was an instant connection when he spotted her across the room.

"She was wearing a dress with an exposed back and I saw that back and that neck, and then she turned around and I saw those eyes, and — boom! My life as a single man was done," Depp told The Daily Mail. "You have this feeling — I can't really explain what it was, but I had it when I met her. I saw her across a room and thought: 'What's happening to me?' "

It didn't take long for the couple's relationship to become serious, and less than a year after meeting, they welcomed their daughter Lily-Rose. In 2002, the pair welcomed their son John "Jack" Christopher. Depp and Paradis committed to raising them outside of the spotlight, opting for the south of France where they could live in anonymity.

Paradis told Weekend Knack magazine that, given the choice between France and L.A., she would "secretly choose France" for her children. "Even though Los Angeles is great too," she continued. "We raise them bilingually anyway, so for them it doesn't really matter. Only, in the south of France you can live much more anonymously. And that's a bliss, especially when the children are still young."

In 2004, the pair purchased a private island in the Bahamas. Depp told the Mirror that he discovered the spot while filming Pirates of the Caribbean, explaining that it came at "the perfect moment" and provided him somewhere away from the public eye.

Despite Depp and Paradis' thriving family life, they chose not to tie the knot. In 2008, Paradis said that they didn't talk about marriage and agreed that their relationship was perfect as it was. When asked about the possibility of marriage in 2010, Depp told Extra he never found himself needing a "piece of paper" to make things official.

"Marriage is really from soul to soul, heart to heart," he said. "You don't need somebody to say, 'OK, you're married.' If Vanessa wanted to get hitched, why not. But the thing is, I'd be so scared of ruining her last name! She's got such a good last name."

By 2011, Depp and Paradis had been together for almost 14 years. Depp told the Daily Mail that Paradis was "incredibly supportive, loving and talented in all sorts of ways" and admitted that it felt like they had met only "yesterday." The couple's idyllic life together wouldn't last much longer as rumors that their relationship was on the rocks surfaced just a year later. Though Paradis and Depp initially denied that they were splitting, in June 2012 they announced that they had "amicably separated."

Reflecting on their relationship, Depp told Rolling Stone that his career had played a role in their separation. "Relationships are very difficult, especially in the racket that I'm in because you're constantly away or they're away and so it's hard," he said. "The trajectory of that relationship — you play it out until it goes, one thing leads to another. So for whatever reason that ceases, it doesn't stop the fact that you care for that person, and they're the mother of your kids, and you'll always know each other, and you're always gonna be in each other's lives because of those kids. You might as well make the best of it."

Depp and Paradis appear to have stayed on good terms after their split, as Paradis supported Depp amid his defamation trial in 2020. She wrote a statement supporting her ex, sharing that she never knew him to be violent.

"Through all these years I've known Johnny to be a kind, attentive, generous and non-violent person and father," Paradis said. "This is nothing like the true Johnny I have known, and from my personal experience of many years, I can say he was never violent or abusive to me."

Amber Heard

Depp first met Amber Heard on the set of The Rum Diary in 2009, when he was still in a relationship with Paradis. During their 2022 defamation trial, Depp recalled that, in their first interactions, he began to feel something he "should not be feeling." While their relationship remained platonic throughout filming, Depp said he began to truly fall for Heard when they reunited for the film's press tour.

"She was in my head, so I tracked her down. We tracked each other down. Actually, incidentally, it was amazing. It was at the first day of press on The Rum Diary," he said.

The couple began secretly dating, as news of Depp's split with Paradis had not yet been made public. Heard recalled the early days of their relationship were "like a dream," and she felt that Depp knew her "in a way no one else had." Later that year, Depp and Heard made their red carpet debut while promoting their film — although fans still didn't know they were an item. In June 2012, Depp and Paradis shared that they had split, but it wasn't until 2013 that Depp was confirmed to be dating Heard.

In January 2014, Depp and Heard got engaged after Depp popped the question at a London hotel — despite not having a ring at the time. Sources told PEOPLE that the couple "couldn't be happier to be engaged and excited," but it later became clear that their relationship had been extremely tumultuous. By 2014, there were rumors of turmoil between them, but in February 2015, the couple officially tied the knot in a civil ceremony at their L.A. mansion. A few days later, they celebrated their nuptials with a larger wedding ceremony on Depp's private island in the Bahamas.

Months after the wedding, Heard shared with Elle that not much had changed between the couple since getting married — but behind the scenes, things were rocky. The pair broke up in May 2016, and Heard sought a domestic violence restraining order against Depp. She recounted several violent incidents, including a time when Depp allegedly threw a cell phone at her, resulting in a facial bruise, although an LAPD spokesman told PEOPLE that the responding officers saw "no evidence of any crime." Depp denied the allegations and in August 2016, the former couple eventually reached a $7 million divorce settlement out of court. A judge also dismissed the domestic violence case against Depp and ended his temporary restraining order.

The duo also issued a joint statement: "Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm. Amber wishes the best for Johnny in the future. Amber will be donating financial proceeds from the divorce to a charity."

In December 2018, Heard published an open op-ed in the Washington Post, in which she wrote about what it was like as a woman coming forward with allegations of domestic violence, claiming her career had been greatly affected. Although she did not mention Depp by name, it marked the start of a long legal battle between the former spouses. Several months after the op-ed's publication, Depp sued Heard for defamation, requesting punitive and compensatory damages in the amount of $50 million. According to Depp's team, "the op-ed depended on the central premise that Ms. Heard was a domestic abuse victim and that Mr. Depp perpetrated domestic violence against her."

Heard filed her own countersuit in August 2020, accusing Depp of orchestrating "a false and defamatory smear campaign" against her with his defamation lawsuit. Meanwhile, Depp lost a U.K. libel case against The Sun, stemming from an article that referred to Depp as a "wife beater," which a judge ruled to be "substantially true."

In April 2022, long-delayed proceedings for Depp and Heard's defamation trial began in Virginia. During the trial, both Depp and Heard took the stand to testify. Depp maintained that he had never hit a woman and alleged that his finger was mangled after Heard threw a vodka bottle at him. A doctor hired by Depp's team also shared findings from an assessment of Heard, deeming her to show signs of multiple personality disorders.

Meanwhile, Heard testified about the alleged abuse that she said began when Depp slapped her across the face for laughing at his "wino" tattoo. Heard also accused Depp of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. She also alleged that Depp had an affair with an ex shortly after their wedding.

In June 2022, a seven-person jury reached a verdict that Heard had defamed Depp in her 2018 op-ed. The jury awarded Depp with $15 million in damages, although the figure was later reduced to $1 million. The money was issued in June 2023, with a source telling PEOPLE Depp planned to donate it to five charities. In a countersuit, Heard won one of three defamation counts and was awarded $2 million in damages. Depp appealed this ruling in November 2022.

After the defamation trial came to a close, a source told PEOPLE that Depp “closed the chapter” on the legal battle and "feels incredibly lucky" in regard to his musical and acting opportunities.

Joelle Rich

In September 2022, it was revealed that Depp was dating his former lawyer Joelle Rich. The actor had originally worked with the London-based attorney during his libel case against The Sun in 2018. Although it's unclear when things turned romantic between the pair, Rich attended his defamation trial in Virginia — despite no longer being a part of his legal team.

A source told PEOPLE, "They are dating but it's not serious." By November, PEOPLE confirmed that the pair were no longer seeing each other.