All Topics  
Captain Jack Sparrow

 
Captain Jack Sparrow

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

Captain Jack Sparrow



 
 
Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character
Fictional character

A character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that exists in a The arts. The process of conveying information about characters in fiction is called characterisation....
 from the Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar The Walt Disney Company franchise encompassing a theme park ride, a series of Pirates of the Caribbean and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications....
 franchise
Media franchise

A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the fictional character, fictional universe, and trademarks of an original work of News media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, or a video game....
 who is portrayed by Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and Edward Scissorhands....
. He was introduced in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 in film adventure film, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
 (2003
2003 in film

The year '2003 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Freddy vs Jason, X2: X-Men Uni...
), and appeared in the back-to-back sequels, Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
 (2006
2006 in film

The year '2006 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with Saw III, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Casino Royale , Clerks II, X-Men: The Last Stand, Mission: Impossible III, Final Destination 3 and Scary Movie 4....
) and At World's End (2007
2007 in film

The year '2007 in film' saw major releases such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ,The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Transformers , TMNT , Saw IV, and Live Free or Die Hard as well as releases of third installment films, such as: The Bourne Ultimatum , Pirates of the Caribbean:...
). He is also the subject of a children's book series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow

The Adventures of Jack Sparrow is a series for young readers of nine to twelve years written by Rob Kidd. The series is published by Disney Press and was written to go with the Pirates of the Caribbean films....
, which chronicles his teenage years, and the character's image was introduced into the theme park ride
Pirates of the Caribbean (theme park ride)

Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Park theme parks.This was the last attraction in which Walt Disney himself participated in designing; it opened three months after his death....
 that inspired the films when it was revamped in 2006.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Captain Jack Sparrow'
Start a new discussion about 'Captain Jack Sparrow'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character
Fictional character

A character is any person, persona, identity, or entity that exists in a The arts. The process of conveying information about characters in fiction is called characterisation....
 from the Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar The Walt Disney Company franchise encompassing a theme park ride, a series of Pirates of the Caribbean and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications....
 franchise
Media franchise

A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the fictional character, fictional universe, and trademarks of an original work of News media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, or a video game....
 who is portrayed by Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and Edward Scissorhands....
. He was introduced in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 in film adventure film, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
 (2003
2003 in film

The year '2003 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Freddy vs Jason, X2: X-Men Uni...
), and appeared in the back-to-back sequels, Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
 (2006
2006 in film

The year '2006 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with Saw III, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Casino Royale , Clerks II, X-Men: The Last Stand, Mission: Impossible III, Final Destination 3 and Scary Movie 4....
) and At World's End (2007
2007 in film

The year '2007 in film' saw major releases such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ,The Simpsons Movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Transformers , TMNT , Saw IV, and Live Free or Die Hard as well as releases of third installment films, such as: The Bourne Ultimatum , Pirates of the Caribbean:...
). He is also the subject of a children's book series, Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow

The Adventures of Jack Sparrow is a series for young readers of nine to twelve years written by Rob Kidd. The series is published by Disney Press and was written to go with the Pirates of the Caribbean films....
, which chronicles his teenage years, and the character's image was introduced into the theme park ride
Pirates of the Caribbean (theme park ride)

Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Park theme parks.This was the last attraction in which Walt Disney himself participated in designing; it opened three months after his death....
 that inspired the films when it was revamped in 2006. The character has also appeared in numerous video games.

Sparrow is the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea and can be treacherous, surviving mostly by using wit and negotiation rather than weapons and force; although he will fight if necessary, he tries to flee most dangerous situations. Sparrow is introduced seeking to regain his ship the Black Pearl
Black Pearl

The Black Pearl, originally EItC Wicked Wench, is a fictional ship in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End....
 from his mutinous first mate Hector Barbossa
Hector Barbossa

Hector Barbossa is a fictional character in the popular Disney film trilogy Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the primary antagonist in the trilogy's first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
 in the first film, and in the sequels, attempts to escape his blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones
Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)

David Jones is a fictional character from the Pirates of the Caribbean and is loosely based on the old seaman's legend of Davy Jones? Locker....
 while battling the East India Trading Co.
East India Trading Co.

The East India Trading Company, often referred to simply as the Company, is a fictionalized version of the Kingdom of Great Britain East India Company that serves as one of the antagonistic forces within the Pirates of the Caribbean film series....


Initially, Sparrow was conceived for the first film as a trickster
Trickster

In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spiritual being, man, woman, or anthropomorphism animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and norms of behavior....
 who guides the hero, Will Turner
Will Turner

William "Will" Turner, Jr., also known as Jules Turner, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series....
 (Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom

'Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom' is an England actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean , and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Troy , Elizabethtown and Kingdom...
), but Johnny Depp's performance led to Sparrow's role being altered. Depp's flamboyant and eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)

In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive....
 characterization, partially inspired by Pepé Le Pew
Pepé Le Pew

Pep? Le Pew is an Academy Award-winning fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945....
 and Keith Richards
Keith Richards

Keith Richards is an England guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, Richards is mostly known for his innovative rhythm guitar playing....
, turned Sparrow into an iconic anti-hero
Anti-hero

In fiction, an antihero is a protagonist whose character or goals are antithetical to traditional hero. The term dates to 1714, although literary criticism identifies the trope in earlier literature....
 and the breakout character
Breakout character

A breakout character is a fictional character in different episodes, books or other media that evolves from a minor role to a major role, sometimes but not always becoming the main character of the show....
 of the series. Depp earned his first Academy Award nomination, and in a case of life imitating art, Richards played a cameo role as Sparrow's father in the third film.

Appearances


Film trilogy

Jack Sparrow first appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 in film adventure film, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
 (2003), where he arrives in Port Royal
Port Royal

Port Royal, Jamaica was the centre of shipping commerce in the islands of the Greater Antilles which make up the northeastern part of the outer ring of islands defining and enclosing the Caribbean Sea....
 looking to commandeer a ship. Despite rescuing Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Swann

Elizabeth Swann is a fictional character in the Walt Disney Pictures Pirates of the Caribbean films film franchise. She appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End ....
 (Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley

Keira Christina Knightley is a Golden Globe Award-, British Academy of Film and Television Arts-, and Academy Award-nominated English film and television actress....
), the daughter of Governor Weatherby Swann
Weatherby Swann

Weatherby Swann is the fictional governor of Port Royal in The Walt Disney Company's Pirates of the Caribbean films movies: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl , Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest , and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ....
 (Jonathan Pryce
Jonathan Pryce

Jonathan Pryce is a Wales award-winning theatre and film actor/singer. After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and marrying Irish actress Kate Fahy in 1974, he began his career as a stage actor in the 1970s....
) from drowning, he is jailed for piracy. That night, a ghost ship, the Black Pearl
Black Pearl

The Black Pearl, originally EItC Wicked Wench, is a fictional ship in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End....
 attacks Port Royal, capturing Elizabeth in the process. Its Captain, Hector Barbossa
Hector Barbossa

Hector Barbossa is a fictional character in the popular Disney film trilogy Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the primary antagonist in the trilogy's first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
 (Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush

Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor. He moved to Melbourne in the early 1990s via Brisbane and Sydney and currently lives in the suburb of Camberwell, Victoria....
), is trying desperately to break an ancient Aztec curse that he and the crew are under. Will Turner
Will Turner

William "Will" Turner, Jr., also known as Jules Turner, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series....
 (Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom

'Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom' is an England actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean , and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Troy , Elizabethtown and Kingdom...
), a blacksmith
Blacksmith

A blacksmith is a person who processess iron or steel by forging the metal; i.e., by using tools to hammer, bend, cut, and otherwise shape it in its non-liquid form....
 who loves Elizabeth, frees Sparrow to aid him in rescuing her. They steal the HMS Interceptor and acquire a crew in Tortuga
Tortuga

Tortuga is a Caribbean island that forms part of Haiti, off the northwest coast of Hispaniola. It constitutes the commune of ?le de la Tortue in the Port-de-Paix arrondissement of the Nord-Ouest Department of Haiti....
 before heading to Isla de Muerta, where Elizabeth is being held captive. They are quickly captured, and Barbossa maroons Sparrow and Elizabeth on a deserted island.

The pair are rescued by the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
. In order to escape hanging, Sparrow cuts a deal to deliver them the Black Pearl. During the film's final battle at Isla de Muerta, Sparrow steals a cursed coin, making himself immortal so he can fight Barbossa. He shoots his rival with the same shot he has carried for ten years just as Will breaks the curse, killing Barbossa. Sparrow is captured and later sentenced to death. At his scheduled execution in Port Royal, Will comes to his rescue, but they are quickly caught. Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington are reluctant to resume the hanging, however, and Will is pardoned, while Sparrow escapes by falling off the sea wall. He is rescued by the Black Pearl crew, and made captain once more. Apparently impressed by the clever pirate, Commodore James Norrington
James Norrington

James Norrington is a fictional character in The Walt Disney Company's Pirates of the Caribbean films film trilogy. He is played by English actor Jack Davenport....
 (Jack Davenport
Jack Davenport

Jack Davenport is a British film and television actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This Life. He has since become best known for his roles in the Coupling television series and the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films....
) allows him one day's head start before giving chase.

In the sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
 (2006), Sparrow searches for the Dead Man's Chest. Thirteen years earlier, Sparrow bartered his soul to Captain Davy Jones
Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)

David Jones is a fictional character from the Pirates of the Caribbean and is loosely based on the old seaman's legend of Davy Jones? Locker....
 (Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy

'William Francis "Bill" Nighy' is a Golden Globe- and British Academy of Film and Television Arts-award winning English people actor. He started working in theatre and television, before his first film role in 1981, and is perhaps best known to international film audiences for his roles in Love Actually, Shaun of the Dead, Notes on a...
) in return for Jones raising the sunken Black Pearl and making Sparrow captain. In the film, Sparrow must either serve for 100 years aboard the Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (Pirates of the Caribbean)

The Flying Dutchman, or simply referred to as the Dutchman, is a fictional ghost ship in Pirates of the Caribbean films. The ship made its first appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest under the command of the fictional captain, Davy Jones ....
, or be taken by the Kraken to Davy Jones’s Locker. The Dead Man's Chest contains Jones’s heart—which Sparrow can use as leverage against Jones and end his debt. Adding to Sparrow's woes, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander
Tom Hollander

Thomas Anthony "Tom" Hollander is an award-winning English actor who has appeared in productions such as Enigma , Gosford Park, Cambridge Spies, Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean films....
) of the East India Trading Company wants to settle his own debt with Sparrow and forces Will Turner to search for him. Will finds Sparrow and his crew hiding from the Kraken on Pelegosto where they have been captured by cannibals. They escape, but Sparrow betrays Will to Davy Jones as part of a new deal to deliver 100 souls in exchange for his own. Sparrow recruits sailors in Tortuga where he unexpectedly encounters Elizabeth and the disgraced James Norrington. Convincing Elizabeth she can free Will by finding the Chest, they head for Isla Cruces after she pinpoints its location with Jack's magic compass. Will also arrives, having escaped Jones’s ship after stealing the key to the Chest. Will wants to stab the heart and free his father who is in Jones’s service, while Norrington- who has discovered Lord Cutler Beckett desires the heart in order to control Davy Jones and the seas- hopes to regain his career by delivering the heart to Beckett. Sparrow fears if Jones is dead, the Kraken will continue hunting him. Jones’s crew arrives, and during the ensuing battle, Norrington steals the heart. Jones summons the Kraken to attack the Black Pearl. Realizing that the Kraken only wants Sparrow, Elizabeth tricks him by giving him a passionate kiss while chaining him to the mast to save the crew; Sparrow and the ship are dragged down to Davy Jones’s Locker.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), opens with Davy Jones’s heart now in Beckett's possession, and the nine pirate lords of the Brethren Court are summoned to convene at Shipwreck Cove to combat the combined threat of Beckett and Jones. Though taken to Davy Jones's Locker at the end of the previous film, Sparrow, who is the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean, must attend the meeting, as he failed to bequeath his "piece of eight
Spanish dollar

The Spanish dollar is a silver coin, worth eight Spanish real, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. It was legal tender in the United States until an Act of the United States Congress discontinued the practice in 1857....
", a pirate lord's identification marker, to an heir. The collective "pieces of eight" can free the sea goddess Calypso. A resurrected Barbossa leads Sparrow's crew to Davy Jones's Locker using the Singaporean pirate lord Sao Feng
Sao Feng

Captain Sao Feng is a fictional character introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
 (Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-Fat

Chow Yun-Fat Silver Bauhinia Star is a Hong Kong Film Awards-winning actor. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer , and Hard-Boiled; and to the West for his role as Rama IV in Anna and the King....
)'s navigational charts. There Sparrow has been hallucinating an entire crew comprised of himself, each representing a facet of his personality. After Barbossa
Hector Barbossa

Hector Barbossa is a fictional character in the popular Disney film trilogy Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the primary antagonist in the trilogy's first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
 and the crew find him, Sparrow deciphers a clue on the charts that indicates they must capsize the Black Pearl to escape the Locker; at sunset, the ship upturns back into the living world. Sparrow and Barbossa journey to the Brethren Court where they encounter Elizabeth, who was traded to Sao Feng, and was made a Pirate Lord by him just before he died. At the Brethren Court, she is elected "Pirate King" after Sparrow breaks a stalemate (the other lords always voted for themselves). During parley
Parley

Parley is a discussion or Meeting, especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parl?e, which is from the French verb parler "to speak"; specifically the conjugation parlez "you speak", whether as imperative or indicative....
, he is traded for Will, who was captured by Jones and Beckett. The Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman face off in battle during a maelstrom
Maelstrom

A maelstrom is a very powerful whirlpool; a large, swirling body of water. A free vortex, it has considerable downdraft. The Nordic word was introduced into English by Edgar Allan Poe in his story "A Descent into the Maelstr?m" ....
 created by Calypso, Sparrow steals Davy Jones’s heart to become immortal, but when Jones mortally wounds Will, Sparrow instead helps Will stab the heart, killing Jones and making Will the Flying Dutchmans new captain. Together, the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman destroy Beckett's ship. At the end of the film Barbossa again commandeers the Black Pearl and Feng's charts, stranding Sparrow in Tortuga. Fortunately, Sparrow has already removed the chart's center, and he sets sail in a dinghy
Dinghy

A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel. The term can also refer to dinghy racing or recreational Dinghy sailing....
, using his compass and the chart to guide him to the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Florida is often said to be its location, and stories of the fountain are some of the most persistent associated with the state....
.

Tie-ins

Outside films, Jack Sparrow first appeared as a companion character in the 2005 video game
Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II

is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Disney Interactive Studios and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation 2 video game console....
, where he was voiced by James Arnold Taylor
James Arnold Taylor

James Arnold Taylor is an United States voice actor....
 in the English version and Hiroaki Hirata
Hiroaki Hirata

is a male seiyu from Tokyo. He stands at 175 centimeters , and is a member of Gekidan Subaru.He is most known for the roles of Sanji , Sha Gojyo , and the Narrator of Digimon Adventure....
 in the Japanese version. Sparrow has since appeared in other video games,
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow is a video game by 7 Studios for the PS2 and Personal computer. It features playable levels based on the experiences of Captain Jack Sparrow after the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
where he was voiced by Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and Edward Scissorhands....
, the adaptation of
Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (video game)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a video game based on the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest developed by Griptonite Games and Amaze Entertainment for the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable....
and various game versions of At World's End
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (video game)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a video game published by Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and the Wii....
, where he was voiced by Jared Butler with motion capture movements provided by Johnny Paton. The character was also voiced by Jared Butler in Pirates of the Caribbean Online
Pirates of the Caribbean Online

Pirates of the Caribbean Online is an MMORPG created by The Walt Disney Company, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean and Pirates of the Caribbean of the same name....
, which takes place before the films.

Sparrow's backstory in
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide indicates he was born on a pirate ship during a typhoon in the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
, and that he was trained to fence
Fencing

Fencing is a family of sports and activities that feature armed combat involving cutting, stabbing, or slapping Club ing weapons that are directly manipulated by hand, rather than shot, thrown or positioned....
 by an Italian. Rob Kidd wrote an ongoing book series entitled
Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow

The Adventures of Jack Sparrow is a series for young readers of nine to twelve years written by Rob Kidd. The series is published by Disney Press and was written to go with the Pirates of the Caribbean films....
, following a teenage Sparrow and his crew on the Barnacle as they battle sirens, mermaids and adult pirates while looking for various treasures. The first book, The Coming Storm, was published on June 1, 2006. On the website for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
, it is explained that Sparrow once worked for the East India Trading Company and captained the Wicked Wench. When he refused to transport slaves
African slave trade

The slave trade in Africa existed for thousands of years. The first main route passed through the Sahara, tying in to the Arab slave trade. After the European Age of Exploration, African slaves became part of the Atlantic slave trade, from which comes the modern, Western conception of slavery as an institution of African-descended slaves and...
, he was branded a pirate and his ship was ordered sunk by Lord Cutler Beckett, a company agent. Sparrow then bargained with Davy Jones to raise his ship, which he rechristened the
Black Pearl.

Concept and creation


Character creation

When writing the screenplay for
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a 2003 in film adventure film, based on the Pirates of the Caribbean at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
, Ted Elliott
Ted Elliott

Ted Elliott is an American screenwriter. Along with his writing partner Terry Rossio, Elliott has written some of the most successful American films of the past 15 years, including Aladdin , Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean ....
 and Terry Rossio
Terry Rossio

Terry Rossio is a screenwriter from Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating from Saddleback High School in Santa Ana, California, he went on to study at California State University, Fullerton where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with an emphasis in radio, television and film....
 envisioned Jack Sparrow as a supporting character, citing Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny

Bugs Bunny is a fictional rabbit who appears in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animation films produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions, which became Warner Bros....
 and Groucho Marx
Groucho Marx

Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx , was an American comedian and film star famed as a master of wit. He made 13 feature films with his siblings the Marx Brothers and also had a successful solo career, most notably as the host of the radio and television game shows You Bet Your Life and Tell it to Groucho....
 as influences. The producers saw him as a young Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster

Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an United States film actor and star, noted for his athletic physique, distinct smile and, later, his willingness to play roles that went against his initial "tough guy" image....
. Director Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski

Gregor "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director and writer....
 admitted, "The first film was a movie, and then Jack was put into it almost. He doesn't have the obligations of the plot in the same ways that the other characters have. He meanders his way through, and he kind of affects everybody else." Sparrow represents an ethical pirate, with Captain Barbossa as his corrupt foil
Foil (literature)

A foil is a character that contrasts with another character and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality. A foil usually has some important characteristics in common with the other character, such as, frequently, superficial traits or personal history....
. His true motives usually remain masked, and whether he is honorable or evil depends on the audience's perspective. This acts as part of Will Turner
Will Turner

William "Will" Turner, Jr., also known as Jules Turner, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series....
's arc, in which Sparrow tells him a pirate can be a good man, like his father.

Following the success of
The Curse of the Black Pearl, the challenge to creating a sequel was, according to Verbinski, "You don't want just the Jack Sparrow movie. It's like having a garlic milkshake. He's the spice and you need a lot of straight men....Let's not give them too much Jack. It's like too much dessert or too much of a good thing." Although Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest's
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
was written to propel the trilogy's plot, Sparrow's state-of-mind as he is pursued by Davy Jones
Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)

David Jones is a fictional character from the Pirates of the Caribbean and is loosely based on the old seaman's legend of Davy Jones? Locker....
 becomes increasingly edgy, and the writers concocted the cannibal sequence to show that he was in danger whether on land or sea. Sparrow is also perplexed over his attraction to Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Swann

Elizabeth Swann is a fictional character in the Walt Disney Pictures Pirates of the Caribbean films film franchise. She appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End ....
, and attempts to justify it throughout the film.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was meant to return it tonally to a character piece
Character piece

Character piece is a literal translation of the German language Charakterst?ck, a term, not very precisely defined, used for a broad range of 19th century piano music based on a single idea or Program music....
. Sparrow, in particular, is tinged with madness after extended solitary confinement
Solitary confinement

Solitary confinement, colloquially referred to in American English as "the hole", lockdown, M2030D, "the SHU" or "the pound" , is a punishment or special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is denied contact with any other persons, excluding members of prison staff....
 in Davy Jones’s Locker, and now desires immortality
Immortality

Immortality is the concept of life in a body or soul for an infinite or inconceivably vast length of time.As immortality is the negation of mortality?not dying or not being subject to death?it has been a subject of fascination to human since at least the beginning of history....
. Sparrow struggles with what it takes to be a moral person, after his honest streak caused his doom in the second film. By the end of
At World's End Sparrow is sailing to the Fountain of Youth
Fountain of Youth

The Fountain of Youth is a legendary spring that reputedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks of its waters. Florida is often said to be its location, and stories of the fountain are some of the most persistent associated with the state....
, an early concept for the second film. Rossio has said they may write the screenplay for a fourth film, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer

Jerome Leon Bruckheimer , better known by his professional name Jerry Bruckheimer, is an United States film producer and television producer....
 has expressed interest in a spin-off
Spin-off

A spin-off is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one, such as a television series based on a pre-existing one, or a new company formed from a university research group or business incubator....
. Gore Verbinski concurred that "all of the stories set in motion by the first film have been resolved. If there ever were another
Pirates of the Caribbean film, I would start fresh and focus on the further adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow."

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and Edward Scissorhands....
 was looking to do a family film
Family film

A family film is a film genre that, like a children's film, is suitable for young children, but with the difference that a family film has been carefully written, directed, cast and acted so that it will appeal cross-generationally to parents, teenagers, older children, and small children....
 in 2001, and was visiting Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)

The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Los Angeles County, California, California, United States, serve as the international headquarters for media conglomerate The Walt Disney Company....
 when he heard there were plans to adapt the
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean (theme park ride)

Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Park theme parks.This was the last attraction in which Walt Disney himself participated in designing; it opened three months after his death....
ride into a film. Depp was excited by the possibility of reviving an old Hollywood genre, and was further delighted that the script met his quirky sensibilities: the crew of the Black Pearl
Black Pearl

The Black Pearl, originally EItC Wicked Wench, is a fictional ship in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End....
were not searching for treasure, but were instead trying to return it to lift their curse. In addition, the traditional mutiny
Mutiny

Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an existing authority....
 had already occurred. Depp was cast on June 10, 2002. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer

Jerome Leon Bruckheimer , better known by his professional name Jerry Bruckheimer, is an United States film producer and television producer....
 felt Depp was "an edgy actor who will kind of counter the Disney
Country Bears soft quality and tell an audience that an adult and teenager can go see this and have a good time with it."

At the first read-through
Read-through

The read-through, or "table-read" or "table-work" is a stage of film production and theatre production when an organized reading around a table of the screenplay or script by the actors with speaking parts is conducted....
, Depp surprised the cast and crew by portraying the character in an off-kilter manner. After researching 18th century pirates, Depp compared them to modern rock stars and decided to base his performance on Keith Richards
Keith Richards

Keith Richards is an England guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, Richards is mostly known for his innovative rhythm guitar playing....
. Verbinski and Bruckheimer had confidence in Depp, partly because Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom

'Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom' is an England actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean , and subsequently established himself as a lead in Hollywood films, including Troy , Elizabethtown and Kingdom...
 would be playing the traditional Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn

Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born film actor, known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle....
-type character. Depp also improvised the film's final line, "Now, bring me that horizon.", which is the writer's favorite line. Disney executives were initially confused by Depp's performance, asking him whether the character was drunk or gay
Gay

The term gay was originally used, until well into the mid-20th century, primarily to refer to feelings of being "carefree," "happy," or "bright and showy"; it had also come to acquire some connotations of "immorality" as early as 1637....
. Michael Eisner
Michael Eisner

Michael Eisner was chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company from September 22, 1984 to September 30, 2005....
 even proclaimed while watching rushes, "He's ruining the film!" Depp responded, "Look, these are the choices I made. You know my work. So either trust me or give me the boot." Many industry insiders also questioned Depp's casting, as he was an unconventional actor not known for working within the traditional studio system.

Depp's performance was highly acclaimed by film critics. Alan Morrison found it "Gloriously over-the-top... In terms of physical precision and verbal delivery, it's a master-class in comedy acting." Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert

Roger Joseph Ebert born June 18, 1942) is an United States film criticism and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and At the Movies , which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel....
 also found his performance "original in its every atom. There has never been a pirate, or for that matter a human being, like this in any other movie....his behavior shows a lifetime of rehearsal." Ebert also praised Depp for drawing away from the way the character was written. Although he disliked the film, critic Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan

Kenneth Turan is an American film critic and Lecturer in the Master of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California....
 enjoyed Depp's performance, but Mark Kermode
Mark Kermode

Mark Kermode is an England film criticism who regularly writes for Sight and Sound magazine and The Observer newspaper. He reviews films on Simon Mayo's BBC Radio Five Live show on Friday afternoons, and is the resident movie critic for The Culture Show, on BBC Two, and for Film 4, in the United Kingdom....
 wrote it was some of Depp's "worst work to date... under [director Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski

Gregor "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director and writer....
]'s slack direction Depp defaults to an untrammelled showiness not seen since the sub-Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton

Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an Academy Award-winning United States comic actor and filmmaker. Best known for his silent films, his trademark was physical comedy with a stoicism, deadpan expression on his face, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face" ....
 antics of
Benny & Joon
Benny & Joon

Benny & Joon is a 1993 in film romantic comedy film about how two misfits, Sam and Juniper/Joon , find each other and fall in love. The film is perhaps best known for Depp's humorous physical comedy routines and for popularizing in the U.S....
." Depp won a Screen Actor's Guild award for his performance, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, the first in his career. Film School Rejects argued that because of the film, Depp became as much a movie star
Movie star

A movie star is a celebrity or well known as who are well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in film. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a film in trailers and posters....
 as he was a character actor
Character actor

A character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading actor ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to leading actor....
. Johnny Depp returned as Jack Sparrow in 2006's
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
, the first time the actor ever made a sequel. Drew McWeeny
Drew McWeeny

Drew McWeeny , also known by his pseudonym Moriarty, is a film critic, screenwriter, and the former west coast editor of the Ain't It Cool News website....
 noted, "Remember how cool Han Solo
Han solo

Han solo, the sole member of genus Han, is a species of agnostid trilobite known only from fossils found in the Ordovician Zitai Formation of southern China....
 was in
Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
the first time you saw it? And then remember how much cooler he seemed when Empire
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 in film space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Leigh Brackett....
came out? This is that big a jump." Yet, Eric Vespe felt that "In the first movie he was playing a fool that was hiding a great pirate on the inside and in this one he's a great pirate hiding a cowardly fool." By At World's End, Peter Travers
Peter Travers

Peter Travers is an American film critic. He has been the regular film reviewer for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone magazines....
 felt it proved "there can indeed be too much of a good thing." Nonetheless, Depp received an MTV Movie Award and a Teen Choice Award for
Dead Man's Chest, and was also nominated for a Golden Globe. For his performance in At World's End, Depp won a People's Choice Award and a Kids' Choice Award. He has signed on to reprise the role another time.

Make-up and costumes

Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and Edward Scissorhands....
 wore a wig to portray Sparrow's dreadlocks
Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks, also called locks or dreads, are matted coils of hair which form by themselves eventually fusing together to form a single dread....
, an aesthetic influenced by Depp's rock n' roll approach to pirates. In addition to a red bandana
Bandana

Bandana can refer to:*Another name for a kerchief*Bandana *Bandana *Bandana, Kentucky, a small town in the United States...
 Sparrow wears numerous objects in his hair, influenced by Keith Richards
Keith Richards

Keith Richards is an England guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, Richards is mostly known for his innovative rhythm guitar playing....
' habit of collecting souvenirs from his travels; Sparrow's decorations include his "piece of eight
Spanish dollar

The Spanish dollar is a silver coin, worth eight Spanish real, that was minted in the Spanish Empire after a Spanish currency reform in 1497. It was legal tender in the United States until an Act of the United States Congress discontinued the practice in 1857....
". Sparrow wears kohl
Kohl (cosmetics)

Kohl is a mixture of soot and other ingredients used predominantly by Middle Eastern, African and South Asian women, and to a lesser extent men, to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes....
 around his eyes, which was inspired by Depp's study of nomad
Nomad

Nomadic people, , also known as nomads, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than Settler in one location....
s, whom he compared to pirates, and Depp also wore contacts that acted as sunglasses
Sunglasses

Sunglasses or sun glasses are a visual aid, variously termed spectacles or glasses, which feature lenses that are coloured or darkened to prevent strong light from reaching the eyes....
. Sparrow has several gold teeth, two of which belong to Depp, although they were applied during filming. Depp forgot to have them removed after shooting
The Curse of the Black Pearl, and decided to keep them throughout shooting of the sequels. Like all aspects of Depp's performance, Disney initially expressed great concern over Depp's teeth. Sparrow wears his goatee in two braids. Initially wire was used in them, but they were abandoned because they stuck up when Depp lay down. Sparrow also has numerous tattoos, and has been branded
Human branding

Human branding is the process in which a mark, usually a symbol or ornamental pattern, is burned into the skin of a living person, with the intention that the resulting scar makes it permanent....
 a pirate on his right arm by Cutler Beckett
Cutler Beckett

Lord Cutler Beckett is a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. First introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest as a secondary antagonist and returning in At World's End as main antagonist....
, underneath a tattoo of a sparrow
Sparrow

The "true sparrows", the Old World sparrows in the family Passeridae, are small passerine birds. As eight or more species nest in or near buildings, and the House Sparrow and Eurasian Tree Sparrow in particular inhabit cities in large numbers, sparrows may be the most familiar of all wild birds....
.

Depp collaborated with costume designer Penny Rose on his character's appearance, handpicking the tricorne
Tricorne

The tricorne is a style of hat that was popular during the late 17th century and 18th century, falling out of style shortly before the French Revolution....
 as Sparrow's signature leather
Leather

Leather is a material created through the tanning of rawhides and skins of animals, primarily cattlehide. The tanning process converts the putrescible skin into a durable, long-lasting and versatile natural material for various uses....
 hat: the other characters in the series could not wear leather hats, to make Sparrow's unique. For the scene when it floats on water in
Dead Man's Chest, a rubber version was used. Depp liked to stick to one costume, wearing one lightweight silk
Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from Pupa#Cocoons made by the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity ....
 tweed frock coat throughout the series, and he had to be coaxed out of wearing his boots for a version without a sole or heel in beach scenes. None of the costumes from
The Curse of the Black Pearl survived, which allowed the opportunity to create tougher linen shirts for stunts. It was a nightmare for Rose to track down the same makers of Sparrow's sash
Sash

A sash is a cloth belt used to hold a robe together, and is usually tied about the waist. The Japanese equivalent of a sash, obi , serves to hold a kimono or yukata together....
 in Turkey
Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in southwest Asia and Thrace in the Balkans region of Southern Europe....
. Rose did not want to silkscreen it, as the homewoven piece had the correct worn feel. Sparrow wears an additional belt in the sequels, because Depp liked a new buckle which did not fit with the original piece.

Sparrow's weapons are genuine 18th century pieces: his sword dates to the 1740s, while his pistol is from the 1760s. Both were made in London. Depp used two pistols on set, one being rubber. Both props survived after production of the first film. Sparrow's magic compass also survived into the sequels, though director Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski

Gregor "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director and writer....
 had a red arrow added to the dial as it became a more prominent prop. As it does not act like a normal compass, a magnet was used to make it spin. Sparrow wears four rings, two of which belong to Depp. Depp bought the green ring in 1989, and the gold ring is a replica of a 2400-year old ring Depp gave to the crew, though the original was later stolen. The other two are props which Depp gave backstories to: the gold-and-black ring is stolen from a Spanish widow Sparrow seduced, and the green dragon ring recalls his adventures in the Far East. Among Depp's additional ideas was the necklace made of human toes that Sparrow wears as the Pelegosto prepare to eat him, and the scepter was based on one a friend of Depp's owned.

During the course of the trilogy, Sparrow undergoes physical transformations. In
The Curse of the Black Pearl Sparrow curses himself to battle the undead Barbossa. Like all the actors playing the Black Pearl crew, Depp had to shoot scenes in costume as a reference for the animators, and his shots as a skeleton were shot again without him. Depp reprised the scene again on a motion capture
Motion capture

Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording motion and translating that movement onto a digital model....
 stage. In
At World's End, Sparrow hallucinates a version of himself as a member of Davy Jones’s crew, adhered to a wall and encrusted with barnacles. Director Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski

Gregor "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director and writer....
 oversaw that the design retained Sparrow's iconic look, and rejected initial designs which portrayed him as over 100 years old.

Characterization

"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, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly stupid."
— The unpredictable Sparrow betrays Barbossa
According to screenwriters Ted Elliott
Ted Elliott

Ted Elliott is an American screenwriter. Along with his writing partner Terry Rossio, Elliott has written some of the most successful American films of the past 15 years, including Aladdin , Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean ....
 and Terry Rossio
Terry Rossio

Terry Rossio is a screenwriter from Kalamazoo, Michigan. After graduating from Saddleback High School in Santa Ana, California, he went on to study at California State University, Fullerton where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Communications, with an emphasis in radio, television and film....
, Sparrow is a trickster
Trickster

In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spiritual being, man, woman, or anthropomorphism animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and norms of behavior....
 who uses wit and deceit to attain his goals, being a lesser swordsman compared to the other characters. He walks with a slightly drunken swagger and has slurred
Relaxed pronunciation

Relaxed pronunciation is a phenomenon that happens when the syllables of common words are slurred together. It is almost always present in normal speech, in all natural languages ....
 speech and flailing hand gestures. Will Turner initially believes Sparrow suffers from heatstroke, but notes later that Sparrow's actions are often preplanned. His tactics earned an admiring comment from the character of Lieutenant Groves (Greg Ellis
Greg Ellis (actor)

'Greg Ellis' is an England actor. He has worked on films such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,To End All Wars, and Mr....
), who asks Cutler Beckett: "Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" Sparrow usually prefers the strategies of non-violent negotiation
Negotiation

Negotiation is a dialogue intended to Dispute resolution, to produce an agreement upon courses of action, to bargain for individual or Collective bargaining, or to craft outcomes to satisfy various interests....
s and turning his enemies against each other as his swords skills are outclassed by other characters. He explains, "Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage." He will invoke parley and tempt his enemies away from their murderous intentions, encouraging them to see the bigger picture, as he does when he persuades Hector Barbossa
Hector Barbossa

Hector Barbossa is a fictional character in the popular Disney film trilogy Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Barbossa was first introduced in the series as the primary antagonist in the trilogy's first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
 to delay returning to mortal form so he can battle the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy

The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British Armed Forces . From the mid-18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early 1940s....
. He often uses complex wordplay and vocabulary to confound his enemies, and it is suggested that his pacifism may be one reason Barbossa and the
Black Pearl crew mutinied; Barbossa says in the first film, "That's the attitude that cost you the Pearl."

The character is portrayed as having created, or at least contributed to, his own reputation. When Gibbs tells Will that Sparrow escaped from a desert island by strapping two sea turtles together, Sparrow embellishes the story by claiming the rope was made from hair from his own back. The video game
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow is a video game by 7 Studios for the PS2 and Personal computer. It features playable levels based on the experiences of Captain Jack Sparrow after the events of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
bases itself around these tall tale
Tall tale

A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it was true and factual. Some such stories are exaggerations of actual events, such as, "that fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely fictional tales in a familiar setting, such as the American Old West or t...
s, including the sacking of Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau is the Capital , largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 260,000 , nearly 80 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas ....
 port without firing a single shot. In a script draft of
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Will's guide says that he heard Sparrow escaped execution in Port Royal
Port Royal

Port Royal, Jamaica was the centre of shipping commerce in the islands of the Greater Antilles which make up the northeastern part of the outer ring of islands defining and enclosing the Caribbean Sea....
 by grabbing two parrots and flying away. Johnny Depp has said pirates were like rock stars in that their fame preceded them, which suggests a reason for the portrayal of Sparrow as having an enormous ego. Sparrow also insists on being addressed as "Captain" Jack Sparrow and often gives the farewell, "You will always remember this as the day you
almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow," which is sometimes humorously cut off. When accused by Norrington as being the worst pirate he has ever heard of, Sparrow replies, "But you have heard of me." In a deleted scene from The Curse of the Black Pearl Sparrow ponders being "the immortal Captain Jack Sparrow", and during the third film he seeks immortality, although his father, Captain Teague, warns it can be a terrible curse. Sparrow also ponders being "Captain Jack Sparrow, the last pirate," as the East India Trading Company purges piracy.

Despite his many heroics, Sparrow is a pirate and a morally ambiguous character. When agreeing to trade 100 souls, including Will, to Davy Jones
Davy Jones (Pirates of the Caribbean)

David Jones is a fictional character from the Pirates of the Caribbean and is loosely based on the old seaman's legend of Davy Jones? Locker....
 in exchange for his freedom, Jones asks Sparrow whether he can, "condemn an innocent man—a
friend—to a lifetime of servitude in your name while you roam free?" After a hesitation Sparrow merrily replies, "Yep! I'm good with it!" He carelessly runs up debts with Anamaria, Davy Jones, and the other pirate lords. Sao Feng
Sao Feng

Captain Sao Feng is a fictional character introduced in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl....
 (Chow Yun-Fat
Chow Yun-Fat

Chow Yun-Fat Silver Bauhinia Star is a Hong Kong Film Awards-winning actor. He is best known in Asia for his collaboration with filmmaker John Woo in heroic bloodshed genre films A Better Tomorrow, The Killer , and Hard-Boiled; and to the West for his role as Rama IV in Anna and the King....
), pirate lord of Singapore
Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country microstate located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It lies 137 kilometres north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands....
, is particularly hateful towards him. In a cowardly moment, Sparrow abandons his crew during the Kraken's attack, but underlying loyalty and morality compel him to return and save them. Sparrow claims to be a man of his word, and expresses surprise that people doubt his truthfulness. His morality is revealed in his official backstory in which he refused to transport slaves, nor is there murder
Murder

Murder as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide....
 or rape
Rape

Rape, also referred to as sexual assault, is an assault by a person involving sexual intercourse with or sexual penetration of another person without that person's consent....
 on his criminal record.

Depp partly based the character on Pepé Le Pew
Pepé Le Pew

Pep? Le Pew is an Academy Award-winning fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945....
, a womanizing
Womaniser

Womaniser or womanizer, can refer to:*Womanising, a promiscuous sex behaviour*Womanizer , a 2008 number 1 single by Britney Spears from her sixth studio album Circus...
 skunk
Skunk

Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to excrete a strong, foul-smelling #Anal scent glands. General appearance ranges from species to species from black and white to brown or cream colored....
 from
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes

Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series which ran in many movie theatres from 1930 to 1969. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and is Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series....
. Sparrow claims to have a "tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature", although his conquests are often left with a sour memory of him. Former flames, Scarlett and Giselle, usually slap him or anyone looking for him. His witty charm easily attracts women, and even has Elizabeth Swann
Elizabeth Swann

Elizabeth Swann is a fictional character in the Walt Disney Pictures Pirates of the Caribbean films film franchise. She appears in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its two sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End ....
 questioning her feelings. Director Gore Verbinski
Gore Verbinski

Gregor "Gore" Verbinski is an American film director and writer....
 noted phallic connotations in Sparrow's relationship with his vessel, as he grips the steering wheel. The
Black Pearl
Black Pearl

The Black Pearl, originally EItC Wicked Wench, is a fictional ship in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End....
is described as "the only ship which can outrun the Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman (Pirates of the Caribbean)

The Flying Dutchman, or simply referred to as the Dutchman, is a fictional ghost ship in Pirates of the Caribbean films. The ship made its first appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest under the command of the fictional captain, Davy Jones ....
". The Freudian overtones continue in the third film when Sparrow and Barbossa battle for captaincy of the Black Pearl, showing off the length of their telescopes, and in a deleted scene, they fight over the steering wheel. Sparrow claims his "first and only love is the sea," and describes his ship as representing freedom. Davy Jones’s Locker is represented as a desert, symbolising his personal hell
Hell

In many religious traditions, Hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife, often in the underworld. Religions with a linear Divinity history often depict Hell as endless ....
.

Sparrow also has bad personal hygiene, a trait of Pepé Le Pew. Verbinski described Sparrow's breath as "a donkey's ass". Sparrow knocks Will off his ship simply by huffing at him. Lastly, Sparrow has an insatiable thirst for rum
Rûm

R?m, also Roum or Rhum , is a very indefinite term used at different times in the Muslim world to refer to the Balkans and Anatolia generally, and for the Byzantine Empire in particular, for the Seljuk Sultanate of R?m in Asia Minor, and for Greeks inhabiting Ottoman Empire or modern Turkey territory as well as for Greek Cypriots....
, which can confuse his magic compass as to what he wants most. According to his criminal record on the
At World's End website, he even sacked a shipment of rum to quench his thirst.

Popular culture

When
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 in film adventure film of the Pirates of the Caribbean , the sequel to the 2003 in film film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and the first film from Walt Disney Pictures to feature the current logo....
grossed over $1 billion worldwide, Ian Nathan attributed this to Sparrow's popularity: "Pirates, the franchise, only had to turn up. There was a powerful holdover from the cheeky delights of its debut, something we hadn't felt since the Clone Wars
Clone Wars (Star Wars)

The 'Clone Wars' are a series of fictional Star Wars galaxy battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , but no details are given, and the wars themselves are not featured until the second and third episodes of the six-part Star Wars film series: St...
 called it a day."
Empire
Empire (magazine)

Empire is a United Kingdom film magazine published monthly by Bauer Verlagsgruppe. From the first issue in July 1989, the magazine was edited by Barry McIlheney and published by Emap....
declared Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp is an American actor known for his portrayals of offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series and Edward Scissorhands....
's performance to be the seventy-fourth "thing that rocked our world" in 2006 when celebrating 200 issues. A survey of more than 3,000 people showed Jack Sparrow was the most popular Halloween
Halloween

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic mythology of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints. It is largely a Secularity celebration, but some Christians and Paganism have expressed strong feelings about its religious overtones....
 costume of 2006, and a 2007 poll held by the Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database

The Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to film, actors, Television program, production crew personnel, video games, and most recently, fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media....
 showed Sparrow to be the second most popular live action
Live action

In film, theatre and video, live-action refers to works that are acted out by human actors, as opposed to by animation. As it is the norm, the term is usually superfluous, but it makes an important distinction in situations in which one might normally expect animation, as in a Pixar film, a video game or when the work is adapted from an anim...
 hero, after Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones

Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr. is a fictional character adventurer, soldier, professor of archaeology, and the main protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise....
. In a 2007 Pearl & Dean
Pearl & Dean

Pearl & Dean is primarily known as a United Kingdom movie theater advertising company. It was founded in 1953 by brothers Ernie and Charles Pearl, and Bob Dean....
 poll, Jack Sparrow is Depp's most popular performance.

Emanuel Levy feels the character is the only iconic film character of the 2000s, while Todd Gilchrist feels Sparrow is the only element of the films that will remain timeless. According to Sharon Eberson, the character's popularity can be attributed to being a "scoundrel whose occasional bouts of conscience allow viewers to go with the flaws because, as played to the larger-than-life hilt by Depp, he owns every scene he is in." Film history professor at UCLA Jonathan Kuntz also attributed his popularity to the increased questioning of masculinity
Masculinity

Masculinity is manly character. It specifically describes men and boys , that is personal and human, unlike male which can also be used to describe animals, or masculine which can also be used to describe noun classes....
 in the 21st century, and Sparrow's personality contrasts with action-adventure heroes in cinema. Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin

Leonard Maltin is an United States film critic and film historian. He has authored numerous mainstream books on the cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives....
 concurs that Sparrow has a carefree attitude and does not take himself seriously. Mark Fox also noted Sparrow is an escapist fantasy figure for women, free from much of the responsibility of most heroes. Sparrow is listed by
IGN
IGN

IGN is a multimedia news and reviews website that focuses heavily on video games. Its corporate parent is IGN Entertainment, which owns and controls separate sites such as GameSpy, GameStats, Rotten Tomatoes and AskMen....
as one of their ten favorite film outlaws, as he "lives for himself and the freedom to do whatever it is that he damn well pleases. Precious few film characters have epitomized what makes the outlaw such a romantic figure for audiences as Captain Jack Sparrow has."

Kingdom Hearts series

Jack Sparrow appears as an available party member in Kingdom Hearts II
Kingdom Hearts II

is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Disney Interactive Studios and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation 2 video game console....
. He makes his first appearance when Sora, Donald
Donald Duck

Donald Duck is a cartoon fictional character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphism duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet....
, Goofy
Goofy

Goofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe. He is an anthropomorphic dog and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends....
, and Will try and fail to intercept Pete and Barbossa's crew before they escape with Elizabeth, and, mirroring his film role, only decides to help them in order to get back the
Black Pearl. When they reach the Isla de Muerta, Jack tells Sora, Donald, and Goofy to stay behind and watch over the Interceptor while he and Will rescue Elizabeth, but Will, distrusting Jack, knocks him unconscious and saves Elizabeth himself. Soon afterwards, he is found by Barbossa and taken prisoner. When they manage to catch up to the Interceptor, Barbossa takes Elizabeth hostage and uses both her and Jack in an attempt to blackmail
Blackmail

Blackmail is the crime of threatening to reveal Substantial truth information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand made upon the victim is met....
 Sora into giving him the last medallion, though Will reveals the identity of his father and threatens to kill himself unless Barbossa lets Elizabeth and Sora's group go and leaves (despite Jack's non-verbal pleading, Will doesn't include him in the bargain), but Barbossa summons the Heartless, and Elizabeth, Jack, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are tied up and locked in the hold of the
Interceptor as the Heartless rig the ship with gunpowder
Gunpowder

Gunpowder, also called black powder, is an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate, KNO3 that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks....
. They manage to break free, however, and catch up to Barbossa just before he is about to break the curse. While Sora, Donald, and Goofy deal with Barbossa's crewmates, Jack deals with Barbossa himself in a swordfight. Jack at first seems to have the upper hand, but then he is momentarily distracted by Sora cheering him on and impaled by Barbossa only to reveal that he is cursed as well, having stolen a medallion while the others weren't looking. In the end, Jack fatally shoots Barbossa just as Will uses his own blood to break the curse, and, no longer immortal, Barbossa falls dead.

When Sora's group returns to Port Royal, they find Jack being attacked by more undead pirates and assist him. Soon, after sailing and discovering an injured Will aboard the
Interceptor, they encounter the Organization XIII
Organization XIII

File:Org XIII.jpg is a fictional group of characters featured in Square Enix and Buena Vista Games' Kingdom Hearts video game series. Kingdom Hearts is a Fictional crossover of various The Walt Disney Company settings based in a Parallel universe made specifically for the series....
 member Luxord, who invokes parley
Parley

Parley is a discussion or Meeting, especially one between enemies over terms of a truce or other matters. The root of the word parley is parl?e, which is from the French verb parler "to speak"; specifically the conjugation parlez "you speak", whether as imperative or indicative....
; as an "honorable" pirate, Jack has no choice but to comply with his demands. Luxord steals four of the medallions, and then summons a giant Heartless known as the Grim Reaper, who uses wind power to knock Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack over to the
Interceptor. Luxord proceeds to use the Black Pearl's cannon's to destroy the Interceptor, though it drifts to a ship graveyard before sinking; in the process, Jack is cursed by the Heartless (though Sora, Donald, and Goofy are unaffected for an unknown reason), and assists Sora's group in tracking down the medallions and defeating the Grim Reaper, which also breaks his own curse. After disposing of the medallions, Jack asks for Sora's Keyblade as a reward, though he isn't surprised when the Keyblade leaves his hand and returns to Sora. Goofy notes that Jack may be able to use the Keyblade one day, as he and Sora are somewhat alike; in a humorous scene, Jack and Sora both deny this simultaneously, thus proving Goofy's point.

As Johnny Depp was unavailable due to filming
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, in Kingdom Hearts II, Jack is voiced by James Arnold Taylor
James Arnold Taylor

James Arnold Taylor is an United States voice actor....
.

External links

  • at the Internet Movie Database
    Internet Movie Database

    The Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to film, actors, Television program, production crew personnel, video games, and most recently, fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media....
  • at the