Captain Jack Sparrow is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" film series. The character was created by screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and is portrayed by Johnny Depp. The characterization of Sparrow is based on a combination of The Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards and Looney Tunes cartoon character Pepé Le Pew. He first appears in the 2003 film '. He later appears in the sequels ' (2006), ' (2007), ' (2011), and "" (2017).