6 Things You Didn't Know About Johnny Depp

Seeing Johnny Depp on red carpets and doing press for his new movie 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' is not a new thing. Many readers may not remember a time when Depp wasn't doing that. After all, he's been in the public eye for over 27 years. In 1984, he appeared in 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' and has worked consistently ever since. Not bad for a Kentucky boy who dropped out of high school to pursue rock star dreams with his band Six Gun Method.

While Depp is absolutely a household name, he never basked in celebrity the way some actors do; he would usually shrink away from the spotlight whenever possible. The average person may be able to name a dozen movies he's in but not tell you two things about his personal life. That's too bad, since he's quite an interesting fella –- as these six facts prove.

1. He has recorded two songs with Oasis.
As mentioned above, Depp's first love is music and still plays the guitar regularly. In 1997, he recorded with British rockers Oasis, playing lead slide guitar on the songs 'Fade In-Out' and 'Fade Away.' The first song ended up on their 'Be Here Now' album and the second became a B-side for their "Don't Go Away" single.

2. He makes his own wine.
Depp and his serious lady-friend, model Vanessa Paradis, live on a vineyard in Plan-de-la-Tour north of Saint-Tropez. Always a fan of vino, Depp began making his own as a hobby. In 2008, while shooting 'Public Enemies' in Illinois, he had ten crates of his wine shipped over for he and the crew to enjoy.

3. He is the godfather to Billy Ray Burton.
After doing over half-a-dozen movies with Tim Burton, it's obvious Depp and the director are pals. To honor his favorite lead actor, Burton and his baby-mama Helena Bonham Carter made Depp the first child's godfather.

4. He adopted a one-eyed horse.
Goldeneye is the horse that played Ichabod Crane's horse Gunpowder in 'Sleepy Hollow.' After bonding with Goldeneye, Depp jumped in to adopt him after he heard the one-eyed horse was going to be put down.

5. He regularly used the pseudonym Mr. Stench.
All celebrities check into hotels with fake names so the paparazzi and obsessed fans have a more difficult time finding them. Instead of coming up with a plausible sounding name, Depp used to go with "Mr. Stench." He said it was like having his own personal joke each morning when the front desk would ring with a wake-up call.

6. Hunter S. Thompson made him a Kentucky Colonel.
Since 1813, Kentucky colonel has been the highest title of honor one can receive from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Depp became close with Hunter S. Thompson when he played the infamous writer in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.' Since both of them were originally from Kentucky, Thompson (already honored) decided Depp must also be granted the title and made it happen.