Who is the best celebrity autograph signer?

NEW YORK (AP) -- Want an autograph from Johnny Depp? Chances are, he'll sign something for you -- and not be a jerk about it.

The 44-year-old actor is the most gracious celebrity -- for the third year in a row -- on Autograph magazine's annual list of the "10 Best and 10 Worst Hollywood Signers."

Depp is " 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' on film, and Johnny and the Signing Factory in person," the magazine said.

"Though soft-spoken and laid-back, [Depp] likes to talk to fans and get to know them while signing," New York autograph dealer Anthony Risi explains in the December issue, now on newsstands. "He'll sign more than one item when he has time, too." Watch Depp muse on his murderous new movie »

The magazine said editors compiled input from autograph-collecting judges based in Europe, New York and California in ranking the celebs.

Matt Damon is second on the list, followed by George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Rosario Dawson, John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, Jay Leno, Dakota Fanning and Russell Crowe -- wait, Russell Crowe?

Crowe, who has a history of throwing temper tantrums, ranked among the worst signers on last year's list. But in a turnaround, the magazine said, the 43-year-old actor "started treating fans great, signing, taking pictures and chatting them up."

Will Ferrell is deemed the worst celebrity signer, followed by Tobey Maguire, Joaquin Phoenix, William Shatner, Renee Zellweger, John Malkovich, Julie Andrews, Bruce Willis, Teri Hatcher and Scarlett Johansson.

However, "keep in mind that even the best signers don't sign sometimes, the worst sometimes do, and that just because they're on the worst list doesn't mean they're bad people," the magazine said. E-mail to a friend

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