Johnny Depp is Best Autograph Signer
December 17, 2007

If you see Johnny Depp on the street and feel like trying to get an autograph for your collection, don't worry about it, but you might want to avoid Will Ferrell and Tobey Maguire. Reuters reports today that in their 15th annual survey of who's cool with the fan and the pen, Johnny Depp comes out on top as the best celebrity autograph signer for the third year in a row. The findings of who's cool and who's cruel to their biggest fans were rated by the collectors in Autograph magazine and Johnny Depp and Matt Damon came out on top. On the other end? Will Ferrell and Tobey Maguire.

Steve Cyrkin, the editor and publisher of Autograph Magazine, said in a statement published by Reuters, "It's the third consecutive year Depp has topped the list of the 10 best signers. Whether at a premier, in a restaurant or on location, Depp may just be the best Hollywood autograph signer of all time."

Despite the dominance of Johnny Depp at the top, the list does change a bit from year to year as celebrities watch their fame rise and fall and even as age mellows a man. Take for example Russell Crowe who was number ten on the worst list in 2006 to number ten on the best list in 2007. We guess the telephone incident must have mellowed him out. Cyrkin adds, "He may still be a bit grumpy at times, but now he signs pretty much anytime someone asks."

Cyrkin didn't pull punches when talking about the worst autograph signer, Will Ferrell. He said, "What's so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors, and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he'll taunt people asking for his autograph."

The ten best autograph signers in Hollywood, which is based on the observations of judges in Europe, New York, and California, are, in order, Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Rosario Dawson, John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, Jay Leno, Dakota Fanning, and Russell Crowe. The worst are Will Ferrell, Tobey Maguire, Joaquin Phoenix, William Shatner, Renee Zellweger, John Malkovich, Julie Andrews, Bruce Willis, Teri Hatcher, and Scarlett Johansson.