Feature for The Libertine

He's been crowned the world's coolest celebrity, People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive and this year's Best Actor at the prestigious Screen Actor's Guild awards - but Johnny Depp's proudest achievement to date is becoming a father.

The Hollywood heartthrob is such a devoted dad to Lily Rose, five, and Jack, two, whose mother is beautiful French singer Vanessa Paradis, that he has completely turned his back on his notorious hell-raising lifestyle.

Since moving to France six years ago, the handsome star has transformed from a heavy-drinking depressive to a clean-living, caring partner and father.

He recently revealed to Britain's Sunday Times Magazine: "I haven't had so many black periods lately. Becoming a dad, you don't. It was not just the greatest thing that's ever happened to me - it's the only thing that's ever happened to me. I helped give our daughter life, and I feel she gave me life.

"My whisky days are pretty much over. No substance abuse, no drugs, no hard liquor. I have a glass of wine now and again. Hence my 'Wino Forever' tattoo."

Johnny refers to the tattoo he had done during his engagement to his stunning 'Edward Scissorhands' co-star Winona Ryder, which originally read 'Winona Forever'.

But when the couple split, Johnny had the 'n' and the 'a' surgically removed so the tattoo read 'Wino Forever'.

Winona was just one of Johnny's four fiancées - which even spawned the American bumper sticker which read 'Honk if you haven't been engaged to Johnny Depp'.

He has previously been betrothed to actresses Sherilyn Fenn and Jennifer Grey, as well as supermodel Kate Moss, with whom he had a tempestuous three-year relationship.

However, despite his numerous engagements, Johnny insists he has no plans to walk down the aisle with sexy Vanessa, who he fell for while making 'The Ninth Gate' six years ago.

The actor, who claims it was love at first sight between the two, recently said: "Vanessa and I have considered ourselves husband and wife since the day we moved in together. We just haven't gone through the formalities of legalising our union."

Vanessa is also in no hurry to get married, saying once: "We've never said we don't want to get married, but we're neither opposed to it nor excited about it. We might do it for the kids one day. But we are more than married: we have two children."

The pair live happily together in Vanessa's native France and Johnny claims he has no plans to move back to Hollywood - which is probably a good thing, as he attracted a wave of criticism after criticising America over the Iraq war.

The 41-year-old star caused huge controversy in his native country when he was quoted as saying the US was like "a dumb puppy that has big teeth - that can bite and hurt you, aggressive."

However, Johnny - who was sent hate mail after the comments appeared in German magazine Stern - insists his words were misinterpreted, saying: "I would never insult the American people. I used the metaphor of a puppy dog, but I never said ignorant puppy dog. "I said it's a very young country compared to old Europe, or Asia."

Despite his intentions to continue living in France, Johnny has not completely turned his back on Hollywood, where he first shot to fame in the TV series '21 Jump Street' before being killed by Freddie Kruger in the 1984 horror classic 'A Nightmare On Elm Street'.

He is still making hit movie after hit movie, and, after years of being dismissed as nothing more than a Hollywood pin-up, Johnny finally received the acting credibility he deserved with his role as eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney blockbuster 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'.

Johnny, who famously based the crazy character on Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards, received prestigious Oscar, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and won the Best Actor prizes at the Screen Actors Guild awards, the MTV Movie Awards and the Empire magazine Awards, as well as being named Actor of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival. The chisel-jawed star - whose hit movies include 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?', 'Sleepy Hollow' and 'Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas' - is now looking forward to reprising the role in the upcoming 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequel, saying: "I went through a decompression period after the first film. If you're really connected with a character you always do. You miss the guy. You miss being that person. "In the back of my mind was the hope that there would be a sequel one day, so I could meet him again."

Captain Jack Sparrow is not the only hell-raising role Johnny has in the pipeline - Sharon Osbourne is desperate for the actor to play her husband, wild rocker Ozzy Osbourne, in a movie of his life. She recently revealed: "We're talking to Johnny, though it's not 100 per cent yet. He would be perfect."

His latest film, 'The Libertine', sees the actor taking on another risqué part and he recently revealed he had banned his children from watching the movie because it's too raunchy.

Johnny, who plays a sex-crazed poet in the movie, joked his two children will have to wait years before he allows them to see it, saying: "I think they'll have to wait to see 'The Libertine'. Something like 40 years."

But Lily Rose and Jack will be able to see their dad's other favourite film which he has starred in, 'Finding Neverland' - in which he plays 'Peter Pan' author JM Barrie.

Johnny said: "When I was approached to do 'Finding Neverland' it was certainly a plus being a film my kids could watch."

Depp remains one of Hollywood’s top actors, despite his refusal to live their, and is constantly adding to his reputation by taking on more varied and challenging roles with every new project he undertakes.

‘The Libertine’ is already being tipped for box-office success after impressing critics, and with the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ sequel - starring Rolling Stone Keith Richards as Depp’s character’s father - set to wow audiences once again next year Depp will remain the outstanding actor of his generation.