12 Celebrity Dads of the Year

by Shabana Adam | 30 December 2012

We love celebrity papas here at FemaleFirst, and there are certainly some great ones in celebville. Here's our top 12 best celeb dads of the year.

1. David Beckham

The number one spot goes to the world’s favourite footballer father, David Beckham. The dad-of-four tops the best celebrity papa list this year because of all those adorable pictures that show him spending quality time bonding with his beautiful children, Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, 10, Cruz, 7, and the most talked about tot in celebville, one-year-old Harper Seven. Remember the cute snap on twitter of David holding newborn Harper? Then there was the show of affection between the 37-year-old dad and his boys at the London Olympics and plenty more pics of the Armani model and little cutie Harper that sent the hearts of women all over the world into an envious frenzy.Quite the protective yet gentle father, David tells Askmen.com: "I've obviously got three amazing boys and with boys you can throw them around and Harper is obviously my first girl and I'm more careful. “Still now, I'm changing her diaper and I can't believe I've got a girl. Everything about her is feminine, the way she eats, the way she moves, and the way she looks. I love having a girl, but I'm glad she's got three older brothers and a dad to look after her," he said. Yes, if there’s one celebrity daddy that goes all out for his kids and isn’t afraid to show it, it’s definitely Becks, with lovely awww moments that we all love to see!

2. Gary Barlow

He was crowned Celebrity Dad of the Year back in June, and the Take That front man comfortably takes the runner-up spot on our list of celeb dads of the year. The British singer-songwriter is daddy to three kids, Daniel, 11, Emily, 10 and three-year-old Daisy. The X factor judge and wife Dawn, earlier this year lost their daughter Poppy who was stillborn. Gary, despite having faced such heartbreak, remained strong and stood united with his family in the face of such a tragic loss, and for that we believe the 41-year-old deserves great recognition for his role as a dad.Following his Dad of the year win, Gary said it felt “amazing’ to win the award. “I’ve been waiting for it for a long time," he said. "My kids are really excited and I don't think they can believe it. Being a dad is a really important part of my life and it means a lot to have won this award." Well, we think you sure deserve it Gary!

3. Ben Affleck

A true Hollywood super-dad, 40-year-old Ben Affleck is father to daughter Violet, 7, Seraphina, 3, and almost one-year-old son, Samuel. He manages to be one of Hollywood’s leading men and most successful directors while balancing the duties of being a father and a husband, and though he admits that it’s a challenge at times we think he’s doing a pretty great job. The Argo star is a deeply committed dad, often seen doing the school run, taking his daughters to ballet practice and play dates and attending their many tea parties.He and wife Jennifer Garner have said that if one of them is filming then the other always has their schedule free to be with the kids. Ben also admitted that he loves his work, but that now he has a family, his projects need to really be something special in order for him to be able to spend that time away from the family. He tells Details magazine: “Now everything has to compete with being with my family. I don't want to be a stay-at-home dad. Work is very important to me. I like to work. So does my wife. But I need my work to mean something to me in order for me to not be home with them.” Priorities, check. Multi-tasking, check. We think Ben’s doing just fine as a celeb daddy.

4. Peter Andre

Definitely one of showbiz’s most-respected and loving parents. Peter Andre is dad to Princess Tiaamii, 5, and Junior Savva, 7 – his kids with ex-wife Katie Price. From the many episodes of his reality TV documentary – Peter Andre: My Life – it is clear to se just how much of a doting daddy the Mysterious Girl hit maker is. Sharing a close bond with his kids, Peter is often heard giving them advice, listening to their stories, throwing them lavish parties and just being an all-round awesome father.He tells FemaleFirst: “The best thing about being a dad is just living and seeing life through your kids’ eyes, it’s very different than seeing it through your own.” And for this unique perspective on parenting, the 39-year-old takes the number four spot.

5. Orlando Bloom

Have you seen those adorable pictures of Orlando spending time with his son Flynn? The Lord of the Rings star has really embraced fatherhood and we think it suits him right down to the ground. The 35-year-old, who is married to Victoria Secrets model Miranda Kerr, is constantly pictured cradling his one-year-old son and treating the tot to a jet-setting lifestyle.The family took a long holiday on the Great Barrier Reef earlier this year when Orlando was pictured enjoying quality time with the little one. He’s such a great papa that even his wife has publically praised the Pirates of the Caribbean actor, Miranda tells PopSugar TV: “He’s incredible, he’s a great dad; he’s very hands-on and always helping with everything, so I feel very lucky.” And we are definitely jealous!

6. Will Smith

Possibly the most envied movie star father in Hollywood, Will Smith is dad to Jaden and Willow, and has a son called Trey from a previous relationship. The actor has gone to the moon and beyond to get his kids’ careers started, helping Willow with her music which gave way to the hit song ‘Whip my hair’, and mentoring Jaden through his newly-started acting career which has led the youngster to star in many blockbusters including Pursuit of Happiness and the Karate Kid.The 44-year-old Fresh Prince star was praised by his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith earlier this year. She tells perezitos.com that she is literally moved to tears when she watches how good her hubby is with their kids, especially with daughter Willow. Jada said: "For a little girl to be in partnership with her father in that way brings tears to my eyes every time because I feel like every little girl in the world deserves that. There are some men who feel like, 'Listen, I take care of the house and the home. That's all I need to do.' What makes Will the best father in the world to me is that he's there, not just there in a way that's traditional. The emotional support he offers his children is immeasurable." We’re so glad he’s such a great papa, and we love the Men in Black star even more now.

7. Brad Pitt

He may be an international superstar and one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, but he’s also a dad to six children – Shiloh, Maddox, Zahara, Knox, Pax and Vivienne – with his superstar other half, Angelina Jolie. Brad is seen out with the kids frequently and has a habit of even renting the family a property close-by to his filming locations. Angelina recently told Inquisitr that Brad has stepped up his bad cop parenting a little more since the birth of their twins and that he has been more involved with discipline.“I used to be the tougher parent but since the birth of the twins, Brad’s had to play bad cop more often,” Jolie explained. “It also depends on which of the children we are talking about. Brad has always had this incredible bond with Mad, who’s very smart, and Brad loves teaching him about history and art and culture – it’s an amazing thing to watch them together.” And the 49-year-old himself tells E! Online: “I’m painfully aware that my actions have an indelible mark on them in these formative years. I make sure I don’t bring my crap home. I want to keep them free. I want them to explore that innocence as long as possible and find out what’s interesting to them. I just don’t want to encumber them in any way.” We love his free-spirited and nurturing approach to being a dad, go Brad!

8. Ryan Phillippe

This dashingly handsome Hollywood papa is somewhat underrated for his parenting skills and we think he deserves praise this year. Ryan is dad to three beautiful kids, Ava and Deacon, whom he shares custody of with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon and daughter Kai Knapp with ex-girlfriend Alexis Knapp. The doting father is often captured by the paps spending quality time with his kids around many of Hollywood’s popular neighbourhoods. And it seems that no activity is too much to ask for the Cruel Intentions actor as he is even happy to take his daughter to the nail salon – now that’s a cool dad for sure.Ryan recently spoke of his mature parenting style: “Things are great. It is so important as divorced parents to keep that connection,” he says on the Ellen Degeneres show. ”It makes the kids feel better that the parents are interacting.…We go to all the school events together, and we’re there for each other….Sort of my emphasis right now is on the kids and career.” We love that he’s such an awesome father, and it doesn’t hurt that the 38-year-old is still looking very pleasing on the eye!

9. Barack Obama

The 44^th President of the USA deserves a nod for his attentive parenting despite being one of the world’s biggest and busiest celebrities for the past few years. His job consists of visiting foreign dignitaries, giving numerous speeches, attending Government meetings and lots of other serious business that we can only begin to imagine. This dad’s everyday life is far from normal but it seems that the 51-year-old and his wife, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, are doing a great job at raising their two daughters Malia, 14 and Natasha, 11.Though he might be the leader of a country, that does not mean that President Obama is immune to the worries of everyday parenting. He tells MTV news: "I'd worry about Facebook right now… I know the folks at Facebook obviously they've revolutionized, you know, the social networks. But Malia, because she's well known, I'm very keen on her protecting her privacy. She can make her own decisions obviously later as she gets older, but right now, even just for security reasons, she doesn't have a Facebook page. Dates, that's fine, 'cause she's got Secret Service protection.” Protective and caring as any father should be.

10. Peter Facinelli

His compassionate and caring fatherly role in the Twilight saga films is not just for camera as Peter Facinelli, aka Carlisle Cullen, carries these qualities into his off-screen parenting too. The papa-of-three says co-parenting doesn’t just happen overnight, but admits that he absolutely adores spending time with his three daughters Luca, Lola and Fiona with ex-wife, actress Jennie Garth. “When you’re going through it yourself, you have to take it day by day,” Peter tells People magazine. “Co-parenting takes two great parents to put their differences aside and focus on the children,” he says. “And that’s what I’ve been doing.”The 38-year-old loving father is an outdoor lover and enjoys taking his three girls on road-trips and other outdoorsy adventures. “I take the girls RV-ing all the time,” he says. “There’s a lot of s’mores-making and singing by the campfire. It’s something about being in the woods,” he adds. “It slows everything down and you’re a part of nature and just spending time with your family. It’s pretty great. They bring out my sensitive side and I toughen them up a little bit.” So so sweet!

11. Chris Hemsworth

Hands down, Hollywood’s hottest new papa, Chris Hemsworth is a joy to watch when he is spending time with baby daughter India Rose. The Thor star and actress-wife Elsa Pataky, are continuously pictured strolling the streets of LA and London with baby in tow, and the 29-year-old dad loves to take control, pushing the buggy, cradling his daughter in his arms and just highlighting how much of a proud father he is.He tells Prestige magazine in Indonesia that he loves being with the little one in his spare time: “At the moment, hang out with my little baby. It’s fascinating watching her; every day there’s something different. Now she’s becoming more and more aware of the world and that’s incredible.” We think you’re an incredible daddy Chris.

12. Matthew McConaughey

We love the Magic Mike stars approach to being a dad to two kids (with a third on the way) Vida and Levi. The Hollywood actor has fast-become one of our favourite celeb family mans with model wife Camila Alves, and the pair have been papped enjoying the family time before child number three arrives in 2013.The ever-sensitive dad recently went on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and said he’d love to have eight, or even a dozen, kids, but considering each baby takes his wife away for about two years - one year with pregnancy and another with breastfeeding - it’s something they’d have to give some thought to. Well we think he’d be a great father to a football team of kids!