Ranking 10 Most Prolific Actor-Director Duos Of All Time

Collaborations: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd, Alice In Wonderland, Dark Shadows

In the beginning, seeing the name Johnny Depp show up on the screen after the words "A Tim Burton Film" meant the next 90 minutes were going tickle the back corners of your heart and quite possibly blow your weird little mind.

At their best, the duo blended all their eccentricities into a spellbinding cocktail that was somehow brooding, dark, and incredibly animated all at once. Starting with 1990's Edward Scissorhands -- still perhaps Depp's most iconic performance -- the twosome began sussing out their mutual love for gothic cinematography and macabre theatrics. Burton's surrealistic method of directing blended well with Depp's soft-spoken cool.

But then Depp started equating "bold acting choices" with "gigantic, fancy headwear" and Burton began doing poor impressions of himself. Maybe it was when you saw the trailer for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or maybe it wasn't until you fell asleep watching Alice In Wonderland, but at some point in the last decade or so you've almost certainly felt suffocated by their professional liaisons.

If you focus only on the great stuff -- and make no mistake, it's mostly great stuff -- this tandem is tough to beat. But their latter-period hiccups make it hard to move them any further up the list.