Johnny Depp is a peculiar creature: an indie actor and wannabe musician, masquerading as a movie star. A man with naturally unfair good looks, wholl do what he can do hide them. An A-lister who gives the impression hed really rather not be on the list at all. Since his debut in Nightmare On Elm Street, back in 1984, Depp has gone on to appear in a varying range of the weird, the wonderful and the downright woeful. His talents and looks mean he should regularly be starring in the biggest blockbusters of the year, and be right in contention when it comes to awards season to boot. His is the rare talent that can comfortably leap between the two, yet more often than not he goes off somewhere completely different. He sets his own path, and doesnt even stick to that. Unfortunately, his choices have seemed to get worse in recent years, resulting in films such as The Tourist, Transcendence and Mortdecai. And every time it seems a comeback is on the cards, on goes the dodgy make-up and silly hat, and off he goes being all Johnny Depp, usually in a movie directed by Tim Burton. It can be frustrating to see him seemingly squander his talents, but perhaps he should also be applauded for not conforming and doing whatever the hell he likes, critics and box-office be damned. Black Mass, which sees Depp playing notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger, looks like it may finally be a real return to form (although thats been said before), with the actor totally transforming himself into the terrifyingly menacing villain. Thats still a little way off yet (its scheduled for release on September 18, and doesnt arrive in the UK until October), so in the meantime here's a look back at some of the weirdest roles of Depps mad circus of a career.