Pirates in pop culture

Captain Henry Morgan was a big deal long before he landed the gig of a lifetime as mascot of the Captain Morgan brands of spiced rum and spirits. As a Welsh privateer who fought for the English against the Spanish in the Caribbean in the 17th century, he amassed huge fleets and great wealth in raids along the Spanish Main. He was knighted by King Charles II of England and died a rich man in Jamaica.

Pirates in pop culture

Hollywood loves pirates. Dustin Hoffman delighted audiences as the titular character in "Hook," the 1991 film suggesting Peter Pan should have stuck to his plan to never grow up. When Captain Hook kidnaps his children, an adult Peter Pan played by Robin Williams must return to Neverland and reclaim his youthful spirit to challenge his old enemy.

Pirates in pop culture

Does it get more pirate camp than Johnny Depp channeling Keith Richards to play Captain Jack Sparrow in "Pirates of the Caribbean"? The successful film franchise, based on a Walt Disney World ride of the same name, has been going strong since 2003's "The Curse of the Black Pearl." The fifth installment, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" is set to hit theaters in July 2017.

Pirates in pop culture

Actor Geoffrey Rush plays Sparrow's rival Captain Hector Barbossa in "Pirates of the Caribbean." Once a ferocious pirate and deadly enemy of Sparrow, Barbossa enters an uneasy alliance with his rival.

Pirates in pop culture

Blackbeard, whose real name is thought to be Edward Teach, was a notorious English pirate. With his crew, he terrorized merchant ships in the Atlantic and the Caribbean in the early 18th century, a period known as the Golden Age of Piracy. The quintessential pirate, Blackbeard is a recurring character in pop culture, most recently in season 4 of the Starz television series "Black Sails."

Pirates in pop culture

Long John Silver also appears in "Black Sails," but the peg-legged pirate made his debut in the Robert Louis Stevenson novel "Treasure Island." Typically seen with a parrot on his shoulder, Long John Silver is another recurring character in pop culture, including the 1950 film "Treasure Island," played by actor Robert Newton.

Pirates in pop culture

Musician and restauranteur Jimmy Buffett embodies the swashbuckling spirit of a pirate with his bold entrepreneurial ventures and Margaritaville approach to downtime. Plus, his fans are known as parrotheads.

Pirates in pop culture

Cary Elwes played Wesley in "The Princess Bride." He was also known as the Dread Pirate Roberts, a title he was given by the previous Dread Pirate Roberts when he retired.

Pirates in pop culture

Jason Momoa, who will soon be playing Aquaman, appeared as pirate Jean Lafitte, who helped Andrew Jackson liberate New Orleans from the British, in a recent episode of Comedy Central's "Drunk History."

Pirates in pop culture

Actor Alan Tudyk as Steve the Pirate in the movie "DodgeBall."