If you have watched Pirates of the Caribbean or Fantastic Beasts, you must have heard of Johnny Depp. You may not have heard much about Johnny Depp’s half-brother, Daniel Depp, a bestseller author, journalist, teacher, and screenwriter.
Daniel’s line of work does not fetch him media attention as it does for his brother, who plays lead roles in movies. However, in this article, I will share facts about Daniel Depp and a few other things you probably didn’t know about him. Before we continue, let’s take a quick look at a rundown of his facts.
Profile summary
| Name | Daniel Depp |
| Date of Birth | 14th November 1953 |
| Age | 71 years old |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality | American |
| Wife | Mahnaz Shams |
| Niece | Lily-Rose Depp |
| Siblings | Johnny Depp Christi Dembrowski Debbie Depp |
| Net worth | $1 million – $5 million |
Daniel Depp Biography
Daniel Philip Depp was born on the 14th of November 1953 in Kentucky in the United States of America, into the family of Betty Sue Palmer and John Dale Jr..
He and his younger sister, Deborah Johniene Depp, were adopted into the Christopher Depp family after his mother married Christopher.
Daniel Depp is 71 years old and celebrates his birthday on the 14th of November; his zodiac sign is Scorpio.
Daniel’s adoptive father was a Civil engineer, while his mother was a Waitress. Christopher’s job requirements did not let him settle in a particular city; the constant relocation affected Daniel’s high school education. Daniel attended five high schools in Owensboro, Lexington, and Miramar, Florida, before moving to college.
After high school, Daniel was admitted to the University of Kentucky. There, he studied literature and language in college, his specialty being European History and Classics.
Daniel stands five feet ten inches above the ground. He weighs 75 kilograms or 165 pounds and has blonde hair and dark brown-colored eyes.
Daniel Depp’s Connection to Johnny Depp
Daniel’s connection to Johhny Depp can be complicated, but let me explain it.
| Biological Father | John Dale jr. |
| Mother | Betty Sue Palmer |
| Adoptive Father | John Christopher Depp |
| Biological sister | Deborah Johniene (Dale) |
| Half-sister | Christi Dembrowski |
| Half-brother | Johnny Depp |
Betty Sue Palmer married in 1952 to John Dale Jr. in Tennessee, United States. They had two children, Daniel and Deborah Dale, born in 1956 (68 years old) – now a film producer. After about eight years of marriage, Betty and John Dale split.
Betty moved on with her life and married John Christopher Depp in Jellico, Campbell, Tennessee, on February 16, 1960. Christopher Depp adopted her children from her previous marriage, and their surnames changed to Depp, Daniel Depp, and Deborah Depp.
Christopher Depp and Betty gave birth to two more children – Elisa Christine Christie Depp (Christi Dembrowski), born on December 21, 1960, and Johnny Depp on June 9, 1963.
Daniel does not want anyone calling Johnny his “half-brother” because they are closer than that.
Daniel Depp and his wife, Mahnaz Shams, tied their wedding knot on July 7, 1979, in the presence of close friends and family. They have been married for over four decades and live in Maine with their child, born in 1990.
Daniel Depp Mother
Daniel’s mother was born Bettie S Wells on January 1, 1935, in Prestonsburg, Floyd County, Kentucky, to her parents, Walter Everett Wells (1905–1970) and Bessie Irene Whitaker (1907-1984). She worked as a waitress to support her family.
Betty was in and out of four marriages; her last husband, Robert Bob Palmer passed away in 2001. She had no child with him but had four from her previous marriages.
After her marriage with John Dale, who gave birth to Daniel and Debbi, ended, she married Christopher Depp in 1960 and divorced on June 8, 1981. Betty married Robert William Haley on February 2, 1987, in Broward County, Florida. No Children, but they divorced on July 28, 1987.
Afterward, she married Robert William Bob Palmer in Union County, New Jersey. No Children. Robert William Bob Palmer was born on June 4, 1935, and died on January 1, 2001, aged 65 years old.
In 2012, Betty Sue was reportedly admitted to the ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. She passed away on Friday, May 20, 2016, after a long undisclosed illness.
Daniel Depp Career
Daniel Depp’s dream was to become an architect, which makes sense because his adoptive father was a civil engineer, which made him know many architects. Later, he realized it would cost a lot of money to be an architect, so he dropped the plan and chose to study literature and language.
After college, he got a job as a teacher in Maine.
Daniel’s career path did not work out as he had planned, and it started with him not studying architecture which he had a passion for. He worked as a draughtsman and ditch digger – managed an art library at night – learned how to cast pot from a guy named John Tuska, and designed ceramics using Staffordshire low-fire method.
In 1993 he wrote and produced his first movie, Stuff, with his brother Johnny Depp. The short movie featured Gibby Haynes and John Frusciante. Don’t bother watching it.
In 1997 he reluctantly joined his brother again in screenwriting, a movie titled The Brave. The Brave received so many backslashes that it never got to screen in the US. It was rated three stars and a reviewer described it as a “slow, sad film about poverty and braveness”
Daniel turned out to be a polished writer specializing in crime-related novels. His first novel under the A David Spandeau Novel series was Loser’s Town, published by Simon & Schuster on March 3, 2009. The highly-rated novel had 304 pages and was based on the Private Investigator genre. After captivating an audience of avid readers, he released a follow-up titled Babylon Nights in August 2010.
On January 2015, he released Devil’s Dance, the final release of his A David Spandeau Novel series. Devil’s Dance novel remains his most highly-rated piece.
A short version of Daniel’s David Spandeau Novel series goes like this; In Loser’s Town, David Spandau is introduced as a former stuntman familiar with the ins and outs of Hollywood, so he switches careers to become a private investigator in Hollywood. Spandau is recruited to safeguard actor Bobby Dye.
In Babylon Nights, his second book, Spandau is followed once more as his service to famous and former actress Anna Mayhew turns intimate.
In Devil’s Dance, Spandau is hired again by Hollywood producer Frank Jurado to discover who’s behind a major smear campaign against maverick film director Jerry Margashack.
Those novels came to the limelight thanks to his brother Johnny Depp who supported him during the writing process.
Daniel Depp’s Net worth
Daniel Depps’s net worth is estimated between $1 million – $5 million. His main source of income is from the sales of his award-winning books and his job as a screenwriter.