1984–1989: Early roles and 21 Jump Street
In the early 1980s, Depp’s then-wife Lori Ann Allison introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage, who advised him to pursue an acting career. Depp has also credited James Dean as the catalyst that made him want to become an actor. Depp’s first film role was in the horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), in which he played the boyfriend of the main character and one of Freddy Krueger’s victims.
After a starring role in the comedy Private Resort (1985), Depp was cast in the lead role of the skating drama Thrashin’ (1986) by the film’s director, but the decision was later overridden by its producer.
Instead, Depp appeared in a minor supporting role as a Vietnamese-speaking private in Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War drama Platoon (1986).
Depp became a teen idol during the late 1980s, when he starred as an undercover police officer in a high school operation in the Fox television series 21 Jump Street, which premiered in 1987. He accepted this role to work with actor Frederic Forrest, who inspired him. Despite his success, Depp felt that the series “forced [him] into the role of product”.
1990–2002: Independent films and first collaborations with Tim Burton
Disillusioned by his experiences as a teen idol in 21 Jump Street, Depp began choosing roles which he found more interesting, rather than those he thought would succeed at the box office. His first film release in 1990 was John Waters’ Cry-Baby, a musical comedy set in the 1950s. Although it was not a box office success upon its initial release, over the years it has gained cult classic status. Also in 1990, Depp played the title character in Tim Burton‘s romantic fantasy film Edward Scissorhands opposite Dianne Wiest and Winona Ryder. The film was a commercial and critical success with a domestic gross of $53 million. In preparation for the role, Depp watched many Charlie Chaplin films to study the idea of creating sympathy without dialogue. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised Depp’s performance stating that he “artfully expresses the fierce longing in gentle Edward; it’s a terrific performance”, while Rita Kempley of The Washington Post stated that he “brings the eloquence of the silent era to this part of few words, saying it all through bright black eyes and the tremulous care with which he holds his horror-movie hands”. Depp earned his first Golden Globe nomination for the film.
Depp had no film releases in the following two years, with the exception of a brief cameo in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), the sixth installment in the A Nightmare of Elm Street franchise. He appeared in three films in 1993. In the romantic comedy Benny and Joon, he played an eccentric and illiterate silent film fan who befriends a mentally ill woman and her brother; it became a sleeper hit. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that Depp “may look nothing like Buster Keaton, but there are times when he genuinely seems to become the Great Stone Face, bringing Keaton’s mannerisms sweetly and magically to life”. Depp received a second Golden Globe nomination for the performance.
His second film of the year was Lasse Hallström‘s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), a drama about a dysfunctional family in which he starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis. It did not perform well commercially, but received positive notices from the critics. Although most of the reviews focused on DiCaprio, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance, Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote that “Depp manages to command center screen with a greatly affable, appealing characterization”. Depp’s final 1993 release was Emir Kusturica‘s surrealist comedy-drama Arizona Dream, which opened to positive reviews, and won the Silver Bear at Berlin Film Festival.
In 1994, Depp reunited with director Tim Burton, playing the title role in Ed Wood, a biographical film about one of history’s most inept film directors. Depp later stated that he was at the time depressed about films and filmmaking, but that “within 10 minutes of hearing about the project, I was committed.” He found that the role gave him a “chance to stretch out and have some fun” and that working with Martin Landau, who played Bela Lugosi, “rejuvenated my love for acting”. Although it did not earn back its production costs, Ed Wood received a positive reception from the critics, with Janet Maslin of The New York Times writing that Depp had “proved himself as an established, certified great actor” and “captured all the can-do optimism that kept Ed Wood going, thanks to an extremely funny ability to look at the silver lining of any cloud.” Depp was nominated for a third time for a Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe for his performance.
The following year, Depp starred in three films. He played opposite Marlon Brando in the box-office hit Don Juan DeMarco, as a man who believes he is Don Juan, the world’s greatest lover. He then starred in Jim Jarmusch’s Dead Man, a Western shot entirely in black-and-white; it was not a commercial success and had mixed critical reviews. Depp’s final film of the year was in the financial and critical failure Nick of Time, a thriller in which he played an accountant who is told to kill a politician to save his kidnapped daughter.
In 1997, Depp starred alongside Al Pacino in the crime drama Donnie Brasco, directed by Mike Newell. He portrayed Joseph D. Pistone, an undercover FBI Agent who assumes the name ‘Donnie Brasco’ in order to infiltrate the mafia in New York City. To prepare for the role, Depp spent time with the real-life Joe Pistone, on whose memoirs the film was based. Donnie Brasco was a commercial and critical success, and is considered to contain one of Depp’s finest performances. In 1997, Depp also debuted as a director and screenwriter with The Brave. He starred in it as a poor Native American man who accepts a proposal from a wealthy man, played by Marlon Brando, to appear in a snuff film in exchange for money for his family. It premiered at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for generally negative reviews. Variety dismissed the film as “a turgid and unbelievable neo-western”, and Time Out stated that there’s nothing inherently wrong with the film but that “besides the implausibilities, the direction has two fatal flaws: it’s both tediously slow and hugely narcissistic as the camera focuses repeatedly on Depp’s bandana’d head and rippling torso.” Due to the negative reviews, Depp decided not to release The Brave formally in the United States, neither in theaters nor on home media.
Depp was a fan and friend of writer Hunter S. Thompson, and played his alter ego Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Terry Gilliam’s film adaptation of Thompson’s pseudobiographical novel of the same name. It was a box office failure, and polarized critics. Later that year, Depp made a brief cameo in Mika Kaurismäki’s L.A. Without a Map (1998).
Depp appeared in three films in 1999. The first was the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut’s Wife, co-starring Charlize Theron, which was not a commercial or critical success. The second, Roman Polanski‘s The Ninth Gate, which starred Depp as a seller of old books who becomes entangled in a mystery, was moderately more successful with audiences but received mixed reviews. Depp’s third film of 1999 was Tim Burton’s adaptation of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, where Depp played Ichabod Crane opposite Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken. For his performance, Depp took inspiration from Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall and Basil Rathbone, stating that he “always thought of Ichabod as a very delicate, fragile person who was maybe a little too in touch with his feminine side, like a frightened little girl.” Sleepy Hollow was a commercial and critical success.
Depp’s first film release of the new millennium was British-French drama The Man Who Cried (2000), directed by Sally Potter and starring him as a Roma horseman opposite Christina Ricci, Cate Blanchett and John Turturro. It was not a critical success. Depp also had a supporting role in Julian Schnabel’s critically acclaimed Before Night Falls (2000). Depp’s final film for the year was Lasse Hallström’s critically and commercially successful Chocolat (2000), in which he played a Roma man and the love interest of the main character, Juliette Binoche.
Depp’s next roles were both based on historical persons. In Blow (2001), he starred as cocaine smuggler George Jung, who was part of the Medellín Cartel in the 1980s. The film underperformed in the box office and received mixed reviews. In the comic book adaptation From Hell (2001), Depp portrayed inspector Frederick Abberline, who investigated the Jack the Ripper murders in the 1880s London. The film also received mixed reviews from critics but was a moderate commercial success.
2003–2011: Pirates of the Caribbean, commercial and critical success
In 2003, Depp starred in the Walt Disney Pictures adventure film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was a major box office success. He earned widespread acclaim for his comic performance as pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, and received Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Best Actor as well as an MTV Movie Award. Depp has said that Sparrow is “definitely a big part of me”, and that he modeled the character after The Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards and cartoon skunk Pepé Le Pew. Studio executives had at first been ambivalent about Depp’s portrayal, but the character became popular with audiences. In his other film release in 2003, Robert Rodriguez’ action film Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Depp played a corrupt CIA agent. A moderate box-office success, it received average to good reviews, with Depp’s performance in particular receiving praise.
Depp next starred as an author with writer’s block in the thriller Secret Window (2004), based on a short story by Stephen King. It was a moderate commercial success but received mixed reviews. Released around the same time, the British-Australian independent film The Libertine (2004) saw Depp portray the seventeenth-century poet and rake, the Earl of Rochester. It had only limited release, and received mainly negative reviews. Depp’s third film of 2004, Finding Neverland, was more positively received by the critics, and earned him his second Academy Award nomination as well as Golden Globe, BAFTA, and SAG nominations for his performance as Scottish author J. M. Barrie. Depp also made a brief cameo appearance in the French film Happily Ever After (2004), and founded his own film production company, Infinitum Nihil, under Warner Bros. Pictures.
Depp continued his box-office success with a starring role as Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). It also had a positive critical reception, with Depp being nominated again for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical. Chocolate Factory was followed by another Burton project, stop-motion animation Corpse Bride (2005), in which Depp voiced the main character, Victor Van Dort. Depp reprised the role of Jack Sparrow in the Pirates sequels Dead Man’s Chest (2006) and At World’s End (2007), both of which were major box office successes. He also voiced the character in the video game Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow. According to a survey taken by Fandango, Depp in the role of Jack Sparrow was the main reason for many cinema-goers to see a Pirates film.
In 2007, Depp collaborated with Burton for their sixth film together, this time playing murderous barber Sweeney Todd in the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Depp cited Peter Lorre‘s performance in Mad Love (1935), in which Lorre played a “creepy but sympathetic” surgeon, as his main influence for the role. Sweeney Todd was the first film in which Depp had been required to sing. Instead of hiring a qualified vocal coach, he prepared for the role by recording demos with his old bandmate Bruce Witkin. The film was a commercial and critical success. Entertainment Weekly’s Chris Nashawaty stated that “Depp’s soaring voice makes you wonder what other tricks he’s been hiding… Watching Depp’s barber wield his razors… it’s hard not to be reminded of Edward Scissorhands frantically shaping hedges into animal topiaries 18 years ago… and all of the twisted beauty we would’ve missed out on had [Burton and Depp] never met.” Depp won the Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy Actor for the role, and was nominated for the third time for an Academy Award.
In 2009, Depp portrayed real-life gangster John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s 1930s crime film Public Enemies. It was commercially successful and gained moderately positive reviews. Roger Ebert stated in his review that “This Johnny Depp performance is something else. For once an actor playing a gangster does not seem to base his performance on movies he has seen. He starts cold. He plays Dillinger as a fact.” Depp’s second film of 2009, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, reunited him with director Terry Gilliam. Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell each played the character initially portrayed by their friend Heath Ledger, who had died before the film was completed. All three actors gave their salaries to Ledger’s daughter, Matilda.
Depp began the 2010s with another collaboration with Tim Burton, Alice in Wonderland (2010), in which he played the Mad Hatter opposite Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway and Alan Rickman. Despite mixed reviews, it earned US$1.025 billion in the box office, thus becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2010 and one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
Depp’s second film release of 2010 was the romantic thriller The Tourist, in which he starred opposite Angelina Jolie. It was commercially successful, although panned by critics. Regardless, he received Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Golden Globe nominations for both films.
Depp’s first 2011 film release was the animation Rango, in which he voiced the title character, a lizard. It was a major critical and commercial success. His second film of the year, the fourth installment in the Pirates series, On Stranger Tides, was again a box office hit, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2011. Later in 2011, Depp released the first two projects co-produced by his company, Infinitum Nihil. The first was a film adaptation of the novel The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson and starred Depp. It failed to bring back its production costs and received mixed reviews. The company’s second undertaking, Martin Scorsese‘s Hugo (2011), garnered major critical acclaim and several awards nominations, but similarly did not perform well in the box office. In 2011, Depp also made a brief cameo in the Adam Sandler film Jack and Jill.
2012–2020: Career setbacks
By 2012, Depp was one of the world’s biggest film stars, and was listed by the Guinness World Records as the world’s highest-paid actor, with earnings of US$75 million. That year, he and his 21 Jump Street co-stars Peter DeLuise and Holly Robinson reprised their roles in cameo appearances in the series’ feature film adaptation. Depp also starred in and co-produced his eighth film with Tim Burton, Dark Shadows (2012), alongside Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Eva Green. The film was based on a 1960s Gothic television soap opera of the same name, which had been one of his favorites as a child. The film’s poor reception in the United States brought Depp’s star appeal into question.
After Infinitum Nihil’s agreement with WB expired in 2011, Depp signed a multi-year first-look deal with Walt Disney Studios. The first film made in the collaboration was The Lone Ranger (2013), in which Depp starred as Tonto. Depp’s casting as a Native American brought accusations of whitewashing, and the film was not well received by the public or the critics, causing Disney to take a US$190 million loss. Following a brief cameo in the independent film Lucky Them (2013), Depp starred as an AI-studying scientist in the sci-fi thriller Transcendence (2014), which was yet another commercial failure, and earned mainly negative reviews. His other roles in 2014 were a minor supporting part as The Wolf in the musical adaptation Into the Woods, and a more substantial appearance as eccentric French-Canadian ex-detective in Kevin Smith’s horror-comedy Tusk, in which he was credited by the character’s name, Guy LaPointe.
In 2015, Depp appeared in two films produced by Infinitum Nihil. The first was comedy-thriller Mortdecai, in which he acted opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. The film was a critical and commercial failure and brought both stars Golden Raspberry nominations. The second film, Black Mass (2015), in which he played Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger, was better received. Critics from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety called it one of Depp’s best performances to date, and the role earned Depp his third nomination for the Best Actor SAG award. However, the film failed to bring back its production costs. Depp also made a cameo appearance in the critically panned London Fields, starring his then-wife Amber Heard, which was to be released in 2015, but its general release was delayed by litigation until 2018. In addition to his work in films in 2015, French luxury fashion house Dior signed Depp as the face of their men’s fragrance, Sauvage, and he was inducted as a Disney Legend.
Depp’s first film release in 2016 was Yoga Hosers, a sequel to Tusk (2014), in which Depp appeared with his daughter, Lily-Rose Depp. Next, he played businessman and presidential candidate Donald Trump in a Funny or Die satire entitled Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie, released during the run-up to the US presidential election. He earned praise for the role, with a headline from The A.V. Club declaring, “Who knew Donald Trump was the comeback role Johnny Depp needed?” It was also announced that Depp had been cast in a new franchise role as Dr. Jack Griffin/The Invisible Man in Universal Studios’ planned shared film universe entitled the Dark Universe, a rebooted version of their classic Universal Monsters franchise. Depp reprised the role of the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016), the sequel to Alice in Wonderland. In contrast to the first film’s success, the sequel lost Disney approximately US$70 million. It also gained Depp two Golden Raspberry nominations.
Depp had also been secretly cast to play dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald in a cameo appearance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), the first installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. His name was not mentioned in the promotional materials and his cameo was only revealed at the end of the film.
In 2017, Depp appeared alongside other actors and filmmakers in The Black Ghiandola, a short film made by a terminally ill teenager through the non-profit Make a Film Foundation. He also reprised his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fifth installment of the Pirates series, Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017). In the US, it did not perform as well as previous installments, and Depp was nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards for worst actor and for worst screen combo with “his worn-out drunk routine”. However, the film had a good box office return internationally, especially in China, Japan and Russia. Depp’s last film release in 2017 was the Agatha Christie adaptation Murder on the Orient Express, in which he was part of an ensemble cast led by director-star Kenneth Branagh.
In 2018, Depp voiced the title character Sherlock Gnomes in the animated movie Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes. Although moderately commercially successful, it was critically panned and earned Depp two Golden Raspberry nominations, one for his acting and another for his “fast-fading film career”. Depp then starred in two independent films, both produced by him and his company, Infinitum Nihil. The first was City of Lies, in which he starred as Russell Poole, an LAPD detective who attempts to solve the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. It was set for release in September 2018, but was pulled from the release schedule after a crew member sued Depp for assault. The second film was the comedy-drama Richard Says Goodbye, in which Depp played a professor with terminal cancer. It premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in October 2018. Depp’s last film release of 2018 was Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, in which he reprised his role as Grindelwald. Depp’s casting received criticism from fans of the series due to the domestic violence allegations against him.
Depp also experienced other career setbacks around this time, as Disney confirmed that they would not be casting him in new Pirates installments and he was reported to no longer be attached to Universal’s Dark Universe franchise. Depp’s next films were the independent dramas Waiting for the Barbarians (2019), based on a novel by J.M. Coetzee, and Minamata (2020), in which he portrayed photographer W. Eugene Smith and which premiered at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival. In November 2020, Depp resigned from his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise at the request of its production company, Warner Bros., after he lost his UK libel case against a British tabloid, who had accused him of being a domestic abuser. He was replaced by Mads Mikkelsen. Soon after, The Hollywood Reporter called Depp “persona non-grata” in the film industry.
Filmography (list)
Cinema
| Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Glen Lantz | |
| 1985 | Private Resort | Jack | |
| 1986 | Platoon | Lerner | |
| 1990 | Cry-Baby | Cry-Baby | |
| 1990 | Edward Scissorhands | Edward Scissorhands | |
| 1991 | Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare | Guy on TV | Cameo; credited as Oprah Noodlemantra |
| 1993 | Arizona Dream | Axel Blackmar | |
| 1993 | Benny & Joon | Sam | |
| 1993 | What’s Eating Gilbert Grape | Gilbert Grape | |
| 1994 | Ed Wood | Ed Wood | |
| 1995 | Don Juan DeMarco | Don Juan DeMarco | |
| 1995 | Dead Man | William Blake | |
| 1995 | Nick of Time | Gene Watson | |
| 1996 | Cannes Man | Himself | Cameo |
| 1997 | Donnie Brasco | Donnie | |
| 1997 | The Brave | Raphael | Also director and co-writer |
| 1998 | Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | Raoul Duke | |
| 1998 | L.A. Without a Map | Johnny Depp / William Blake | Uncredited |
| 1999 | The Ninth Gate | Dean Corso | |
| 1999 | The Astronaut’s Wife | Commander Spencer Armacost | |
| 1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Ichabod Crane | |
| 2000 | Chocolat | Roux | |
| 2000 | Before Night Falls | Bon Bon / Lieutenant Victor | |
| 2000 | The Man Who Cried | Cesar | |
| 2001 | Blow | George Jung | |
| 2001 | From Hell | Inspector Frederick Abberline | |
| 2003 | Once Upon a Time in Mexico | Sands | |
| 2003 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | Jack Sparrow | |
| 2004 | Happily Ever After | L’inconnu | Cameo |
| 2004 | Secret Window | Mort Rainey | |
| 2004 | Finding Neverland | Sir James Matthew Barrie | |
| 2004 | The Libertine | Rochester | |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Willy Wonka | |
| 2005 | Corpse Bride | Victor Van Dort | Voice role |
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | Jack Sparrow | |
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End | Jack Sparrow | |
| 2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd | |
| 2009 | Public Enemies | John Dillinger | |
| 2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus | Imaginarium Tony 1 | Cameo |
| 2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Mad Hatter | |
| 2010 | The Tourist | Frank Tupelo | |
| 2011 | Rango | Rango / Lars | Voice role |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Jack Sparrow | |
| 2011 | The Rum Diary | Kemp | Also producer |
| 2011 | Jack and Jill | Himself | Uncredited cameo |
| 2011 | Hugo | N/A | Producer |
| 2012 | 21 Jump Street | Tom Hanson | Uncredited cameo |
| 2012 | Dark Shadows | Barnabas Collins | |
| 2013 | The Lone Ranger | Tonto | Also executive producer |
| 2013 | Lucky Them | Matthew Smith | Cameo |
| 2014 | Transcendence | Will Caster | |
| 2014 | Tusk | Guy Lapointe | |
| 2014 | Into the Woods | Wolf | |
| 2015 | Mortdecai | Mortdecai | Also producer |
| 2015 | Black Mass | James ‘Whitey’ Bulger | |
| 2016 | Yoga Hosers | Guy Lapointe | |
| 2016 | Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal: The Movie | Donald Trump | |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass | Hatter Tarrant Hightopp | |
| 2016 | Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them | Gellert Grindelwald | |
| 2017 | The Black Ghiandola | Nuclear Med Tech | Short film |
| 2017 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Captain Jack Sparrow | |
| 2017 | Murder on the Orient Express | Edward Ratchett | |
| 2018 | Sherlock Gnomes | Sherlock Gnomes | Voice role |
| 2018 | London Fields | Chick Purchase | Uncredited cameo |
| 2018 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald | Gellert Grindelwald | |
| 2018 | The Professor | Richard | |
| 2018 | City of Lies | Russell Poole | |
| 2019 | Waiting for the Barbarians | Colonel Joll | |
| 2020 | Minamata | W. Eugene Smith | Also producer |
| 2022 | Jeanne du Barry | King Louis XV | |
| 2024 | Modi | Director |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Lady Blue | Lionel Viland | Episode: “Beasts of Prey” |
| 1986 | Slow Burn | Donnie Fleischer | Television film |
| 1987–1990 | 21 Jump Street | Officer Tom Hanson | Series regular (80 episodes) |
| 1999 | The Vicar of Dibley | Himself | Episode: “Celebrity Party” |
| 2000 | The Fast Show | Himself | Episode: “The Last Ever Fast Show” |
| 2004 | King of the Hill | Yogi Victor | Episode: “Hank’s Back”, voice role |
| 2009 | SpongeBob SquarePants | Jack Kahuna Laguna | Episode: “SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One”, voice role |
| 2011 | Life’s Too Short | Himself | Episode 2 |
| 2012 | Family Guy | Edward Scissorhands | Episode: “Lois Comes Out of Her Shell”, cameo appearance in a voice role |
| 2020 | Puffins | Johnny Puff | Voice role |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow | Jack Sparrow | Voice role |
| 2011 | Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game | Jack Sparrow | Voice role |
Documentary Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | The Source | Jack Kerouac | |
| 2002 | Lost in La Mancha | Himself | Uncredited |
| 2003 | Breakfast with Hunter | Himself | |
| 2003 | Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin | Himself | |
| 2006 | Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film | Himself | |
| 2006 | Deep Sea 3D | Narrator | Voice role |
| 2006 | When the Road Bends… Tales of a Gypsy Caravan | Himself | |
| 2007 | Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten | Himself | |
| 2007 | Runnin’ Down a Dream | Himself | |
| 2008 | Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson | Narrator | Voice role |
| 2010 | When You’re Strange | Narrator | Voice role |
| 2012 | For No Good Reason | Himself | |
| 2012 | Radioman | Himself | |
| 2012 | Sunset Strip | Himself | |
| 2013 | Don’t Say No Until I Finish Talking: The Story of Richard D. Zanuck | Himself | |
| 2014 | Don Rickles: One Night Only | Himself | Television documentary |
| 2016 | Doug Stanhope: No Place Like Home | N/A | Executive producer |
| 2018 | Platoon: Brothers in Arms | Himself | |
| 2020 | Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds with Shane MacGowan | Himself | Also producer |