| Captain Jack Sparrow | |
|---|---|
| Pirates of the Caribbean character | |
 Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow[a] | |
| First appearance | The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) |
| Created by | Ted Elliott Terry Rossio Johnny Depp |
| Portrayed by | Johnny Depp Anthony De La Torre[b] (young) |
| Voiced by | Johnny Depp (2006) Jared Butler (2007–present) James Arnold Taylor (2006) |
| In-universe information | |
| Aliases | Smith/Smithy Justice Smith |
| Nicknames | Jackie/Jacky Jackie boy/Jacky boy |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Title | Captain Pirate Lord of the Caribbean sea |
| Occupation | Pirate Formerly: Captain for the East India Trading Company |
| Affiliation | Crew of the Black Pearl Formerly: East India Trading Company Blackbeard's Crew |
| Weapon | Cutlass Flintlock |
| Family | Edward Teague (father) Jack (uncle) |
| Nationality | English |
| Appearance(s) | |
Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and franchise. An early iteration of Sparrow was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, but the final version of the character was created by actor Johnny Depp, who also portrayed him.[1][2][3]
The Sparrow character is based on a combination of The Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards and Looney Tunes cartoons, specifically the characters Bugs Bunny and Pepé Le Pew. He first appears in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. He appears in the later sequels Dead Man's Chest (2006), At World's End (2007), On Stranger Tides (2011), and Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
In the films, Sparrow is one of the nine pirate lords in the Brethren Court, the Pirate Lords of the Seven Seas. He can be treacherous and survives mostly by using wit, guile, and negotiation rather than force, opting to flee most dangerous situations and fight only when necessary.
Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain his ship, the Black Pearl, from his mutinous first mate Hector Barbossa. After succeeding, he attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones while fighting the East India Trading Company. Later, when searching for the Fountain of Youth, he is abducted and taken aboard Blackbeard's Queen Anne's Revenge. Sparrow forced to lead Blackbeard to the Fountain while the shrunken Black Pearl is trapped in a bottle. In a later adventure, when the ghost Spanish Captain Armando Salazar pursues him, he searches for the Trident of Poseidon while also seeking to restore the Pearl to its original form.
The Pirates of the Caribbean series was inspired by the Disney theme park ride of the same name. When the ride was revamped in 2006, the Captain Jack Sparrow character was added. The character headlined the Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attraction at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and is the subject of spin-off novels, including a children's book series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow, which chronicles his childhood years.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Johnny Depp Explained How He Created Captain Jack Sparrow". GeekTyrant. October 14, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ "Johnny Depp created Captain Jack Sparrow by turning up sauna to '1000 degrees' until it affected him mentally". LADbible. November 16, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
- ^ updated, Dirk Libbey last (February 9, 2016). "How Cartoons Inspired Johnny Depp As He Created Captain Jack Sparrow". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved September 7, 2023.