52 best Johnny Depp moments to celebrate his 52nd birthday

He might not look it, but Johnny Depp turns 52 today. And while he hasn’t spent all 52 of those years in Hollywood, he has given us countless memorable moments since exploding on the scene in the ’80s.

The tatted superstar with very interesting taste in movie roles is as pretty as he is mysterious, so in honor of a great actor (and his remarkable cheekbones), here are 52 of his best moments, from his many words of wisdom to his best characters and everything in between:

1. In Don Juan DeMarco: “There are only four questions of value in life … What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for? And what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: Only love.”

2. That time he left a waiter in Chicago a $4,000 tip.

3. His appearance on Ricky Gervais’ Life’s Too Short, particularly when he gave Gervais a taste of his own medicine (scripted, of course). And this time when they went on The Graham Norton Show to talk about it.

4. “I pretty much try to stay in a constant state of confusion just because of the expression it leaves on my face.”

5. His Inside the Actors Studio interview, where he told James Lipton that his favorite word is “why,” his turn-off is “not breathing,” and he wants God to say “wow” when he arrives at the pearly gates.

6. His underrated performance in Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

7. In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl: “Me, I’m dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly, it’s the honest ones you want to watch out for.”

8. The fact that he changed his right shoulder tattoo to “Wino Forever” after breaking up with Winona Ryder.

9. When he told David Letterman that he doesn’t see any of his own films because “it’s really none of my business.”

10. His cameo in the remake of 21 Jump Street.

11. “The only creatures that are evolved enough to convey pure love are dogs and infants.”

12. The idea that he bought his own island and named his favorite part of it “Heath’s Place” after the late Heath Ledger.

13. That time he did an Edward Scissorhands voice-over for Family Guy.

14. That time he played Edward Scissorhands.

15. “When kids hit 1 year old, it’s like hanging out with a miniature drunk. You have to hold onto them. They bump into things. They laugh and cry. They urinate. They vomit.”

16. His often overlooked performance as Leonardo DiCaprio’s older brother in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

17. The hour and a half he was in Cry-Baby.

18. “I think the thing to do is enjoy the ride while you’re on it.”

19. When he acted like nearly falling off a horse to his death was NBD.

20. His mad guitar skills, and the idea that he came to L.A. to be a rock star.

21. “Am I a romantic? I’ve seen Wuthering Heights 10 times. I’m a romantic.”

22. The fact that he has won People‘s Sexiest Man Alive twice and still calls it “absurd.”

23. That one time he showed up at an elementary school as Captain Jack Sparrow after a girl wrote him a letter asking for a mutiny.

24. When he babysat Brad and Angelina’s bulldog.

25. “It’s all kinds of these profound things crashing on you when your child arrives into the world. It’s like you’ve met your reason to live.”

26. When he told David Letterman he didn’t know what CGI meant.

27. Every moment he spent onscreen with Freddie Highmore in Finding Neverland.

28. His moment of fearlessness when it came to singing in Sweeney Todd.

29. When he first created Captain Jack Sparrow and stuck to his guns when Disney thought he was ruining the movie with his “drunk” and “gay” portrayal.

30. His ponytail and overall charisma in Chocolat.

31. “The term ‘serious actor’ is kind of an oxymoron, isn’t it?”

32. That time he was the best part of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

33. His work in Ed Wood. Also, the fact that he took on the role of Ed Wood.

34. “For a long time I tried to manage an honesty and openness about my personal life because I’m human and I’m normal – well, semi-normal.”

35. When he got sucked into a bed in A Nightmare on Elm Street.

36. Everything he had to do with Hunter S. Thompson, from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to The Rum Diary to just being a good friend.

37. Every single time he’s been slimed at the Kids’ Choice Awards.

38. “The only gossip I’m interested in is things from the Weekly World News – ‘Woman’s bra bursts, 11 injured.’ That kind of thing.”

39. That time he called gum the “chomping thingy.”

40. His interview with Oprah, in which he drank wine and talked about the day he first met his then-love Vanessa Paradis.

41. When he said his mother is his best friend and revealed he has her name tattooed on his arm.

42. “I’m an old-fashioned guy … I want to be an old man with a beer belly sitting on a porch, looking at a lake or something.”

43. That time he played guitar with The Black Keys.

44. That time he played guitar with Paul McCartney.

45. His onscreen time with Al Pacino in Donnie Brasco.

46. “I’d rather fight a buzz saw than dance.”

47. When he made this fashion statement.

48. “Life’s pretty good, and why wouldn’t it be? I’m a pirate, after all.”

49. “If there’s any message to my work, it is ultimately that it’s OK to be different, that it’s good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color.”

50. “Tomorrow it’ll all be over, then I’ll have to go back to selling pens again.”

51. When he admitted to testing characters on his daughter while they played with Barbies.

52. Everything he does in the Black Mass trailer.