Hollywood heart-throb Johnny Depp might be known for his offbeat, eccentric characters such as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series and Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but his tipping habits in restaurants show him to be just as eccentric when dining out.

Being on record as saying “Money isn’t the key to happiness”, the Golden Globe winning actor might find one Chicago waiter disagrees after receiving a $4,000 tip from the star.

In Chicago for the premier of their new gangster movie Public Enemies last week, Depp, co-star Marion Cotillard, director Michael Mann, and about a dozen others stopped at Gibsons Steakhouse around 11:30pm for a meal.

After dinning on shrimp cocktails, clams casino and some $US500 bottles of Italian wine, the star was obviously in good spirits three hours later when the bill for a reported $US4,400 was presented – adding a$US4,000 for the waiter who served the group .

Mohammaed A. Sekhani, owner of the restaurant, said Depp had “visited our restaurant several times before while he was filming Public Enemies and he promised me that he would return after the premiere.

According to Sekhani, “because he had visited us before he calls me ‘Mo’ and I know exactly the way he likes to be treated.

According to the waiter who received the bonanza, he may be one of the most famous actors in the world but he is a very ‘humble guy’ and a really cool dude.

“I have worked with a lot of stars like (sic) Sean Connery and Robert De Niro, but Johnny Depp is my favorite”, he added.