Amber Heard is an American actress born on April 22, 1986. She started with a leading role in the horror movie All the Boys Love Mandy Lane in 2006. After that, she appeared in various films like The Ward (2010), Drive Angry (2011), and London Fields (2018). She also played supporting roles in movies such as Pineapple Express (2008), Never Back Down (2008), and The Rum Diary (2011), among others.
From 2017 to 2023, Heard portrayed the character Mera in the DC Extended Universe, appearing in films like Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). She has also been part of TV shows like Hidden Palms (2007) and The Stand (2020–2021).
Apart from her acting career, Heard has been involved in activism. She started volunteering with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 2016 as an ACLU Artist Ambassador, advocating for civil rights and liberties. She also served as a Human Rights Ambassador for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Amber Heard was married to actor Johnny Depp in 2015, but they divorced in 2016. Their divorce was followed by accusations of domestic abuse from both sides, leading to two high-profile defamation cases: the Depp v. NGN trial and the Depp v. Heard trial.
| Full Name | Amber Laura Heard |
| Date of Birth | April 22, 1986 |
| Place of Birth | Austin, Texas, USA |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m) |
| Spouse | Johnny Depp (February 3, 2015 – January 13, 2017) |
| Children | Oonagh Paige Heard |
| Net Worth | $500 Thousand |
Amber Heard’s Early Life and Education
Amber Heard was born in Austin, Texas on April 22, 1986. She’s the second of three daughters to internet researcher Patricia Paige and construction company owner David Clinton Heard. They lived outside Austin where Amber’s dad enjoyed training horses and she grew up riding, hunting, and fishing with him. Amber also took part in beauty pageants although she later spoke out against the way they focus on looks.
When she was sixteen, Amber’s perspective on religion changed after her best friend died in a car accident. She stopped identifying with the Catholic faith she was raised in and became an atheist. Feeling out of place in the conservative atmosphere of Texas, she left her Catholic high school the next year to chase her dream of acting in Los Angeles. She eventually got her diploma through a home-study program.
Career
2003–2007: Early roles
Amber Heard started acting in music videos and small TV roles, like in Kenny Chesney’s There Goes My Life and Eisley’s I Wasn’t Prepared. She had bit parts in shows like Jack & Bobby, The Mountain, and The O.C. In 2004, she debuted in the movie Friday Night Lights, then had small roles in several films and a guest spot on Criminal Minds. Her first big role came in the movie All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, but it faced release delays.
In 2007, Heard was in Hidden Palms on The CW and appeared in the short film Day 73 with Sarah, the teen drama Remember the Daze, and on Californication.
2008–2016: Mainstream recognition
Amber Heard became well-known in 2008 for her roles in a couple of movies, including Pineapple Express and Never Back Down. She was also in a movie called The Informers and was praised for her performance in The Joneses. She appeared in some smaller films and a few not-so-great horror movies too.
In 2011, she was in a movie called Drive Angry with Nicolas Cage. Critics liked her acting, even though the movie didn’t do well. She also showed up on a British TV show called Top Gear and was in a series called The Playboy Club, which got canceled pretty quickly. She acted opposite Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary, which didn’t do great either.
After that, she was in a bunch of different movies like Paranoia, Machete Kills, and Syrup. One of her movies, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, was released in the US that year too. Critics said it was one of her best performances.
In 2015, she was in Magic Mike XXL and The Danish Girl. She also starred in The Adderall Diaries and One More Time. She even showed up on a reality show where they fixed up her car.
One movie she starred in London Fields had a lot of problems. It got pulled from theaters for a while because of issues with the director and producers. Heard even got sued over it. Eventually, they settled, but the movie got terrible reviews, and Heard said it was tough to make.
2017–present: DC Extended Universe and other projects
In 2017, Amber Heard acted in a couple of movies. One was a funny one called I Do… Until I Don’t where she was part of a group of actors, and the other was a superhero movie called Justice League where she played Mera, a strong princess from under the sea. The next year, she played Mera again in Aquaman, which was her first big role in a blockbuster movie. She liked playing Mera because Mera was a tough superhero in her own right, not just someone’s sidekick. Aquaman made a lot of money even though some people didn’t love it.
In 2019, Heard had smaller parts in some serious movies like Her Smell and Gully. She only had one project come out in 2020, a TV show called The Stand based on a Stephen King book. She played a character named Nadine Cross who survives a deadly plague. The show started in December 2020 and finished in February 2021. In 2021, she played Mera again in a special version of Justice League called Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
Heard played Mera again in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, a sequel to Aquaman, which came out in 2023. Some people tried to get her taken out of the movie because of her personal life, but she stayed in. There was some drama about how much she was in the movie with some critics saying it seemed like they cut out a lot of her scenes. Even one of her co-stars said that the original plan was different but the studio changed it.
After all that drama, Heard’s next movie was In the Fire, which premiered at a film festival in June 2023 and was released later that year.
Charity and activism
Amber Heard has been actively involved in several humanitarian efforts over the years. She’s teamed up with organizations like Amnesty International and the United Nations to raise awareness about immigration policies and human rights. In 2018, she spoke at the United Nations’ Social Good Summit, emphasizing fairness and justice, which are central to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
She’s also worked with groups like the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) to provide medical assistance to refugees. Heard visited refugee camps and helped finance treatments for children with thalassemia. Additionally, she’s supported Smile Train’s programs for children with cleft lip and palate.
Domestic violence awareness is another cause close to Heard’s heart. She’s appeared in public service announcements and written letters addressing the issue, urging survivors to come forward and advocating for societal change.
Heard has also spoken out about LGBTQ representation in Hollywood and the gender pay gap. She’s produced videos and participated in events highlighting these issues.
In 2016, Heard pledged to donate her divorce settlement from Johnny Depp to charities, including the ACLU and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Despite allegations questioning her donations, Heard has maintained her commitment to fulfilling her pledge, though legal fees from Depp’s lawsuit have delayed her contributions.
In 2019, Heard spoke on Capitol Hill in support of legislation to protect privacy rights, drawing from her own experience with nonconsensual photo leaks. She’s also written op-eds and received awards for her activism, including recognition for her work with disenfranchised youth.
Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, Heard supported Planned Parenthood and participated in voter registration campaigns. Throughout her various endeavors, Heard has remained dedicated to using her platform for positive change.
Personal life
In 2010, Amber Heard publicly shared that she’s attracted to both men and women, saying she doesn’t like labels and loves whoever she loves, regardless of gender.
She was with photographer Tasya van Ree from 2008 to 2012. They were serious enough that Heard legally changed her last name to van Ree during that time, but later went back to her original name in 2014. In 2009, there was an incident where Heard was arrested for allegedly hitting Van Ree, but no charges were filed. This only became widely known in 2016 during Heard’s divorce from Johnny Depp. Van Ree defended Heard, saying the situation was blown out of proportion, and hinted that some people reacted badly when they found out they were more than just friends.
Heard was also one of the victims of a big celebrity photo leak in 2014, where lots of personal pictures were stolen and shared online without her permission. She spoke out against this invasion of privacy.
After splitting up with Johnny Depp, she dated Elon Musk for about a year until early 2018. Then, from January 2020 to December 2021, she was with actress Bianca Butti.
In April 2021, Heard became a mom to a daughter through surrogacy. And as of June 2023, she’s living in Madrid, Spain.
Relationship with Johnny Depp
Amber Heard and Depp first crossed paths in 2009 during the filming of The Rum Diary. They hit it off and started dating around 2012. They tied the knot in a simple ceremony in February 2015.
Australian customs incident
In April 2015, Amber Heard and Depp got in trouble in Australia because they didn’t tell customs officials about their two dogs when they arrived in Queensland. Depp was working on a movie there. In May 2015, their dogs were taken out of the country just before they were supposed to be put down. Only Heard was charged with breaking the law.
By December 2015, the case had been postponed four times. Heard said she didn’t do anything wrong and was ready to fight the charges. In April 2016, she admitted she had lied about some paperwork because she was really tired. She didn’t have to face criminal charges, but she had to pay a fine of A$1,000 (US$752) and behave well for a month. Heard and Depp made a video saying sorry for what happened and telling people to follow the rules about bringing animals into the country.
Divorce
Amber Heard asked for a divorce from Johnny Depp in May 2016. She said he was mean to her, both in words and physically, throughout their relationship. She asked for $50,000 each month to help her during the divorce. Depp’s lawyers said Heard was trying to get money by saying Depp hurt her, but they agreed she should have a restraining order to keep him away.
They settled their divorce in August 2016. Heard said she’d give the money she got to two charities. She also dropped the restraining order. They said their relationship was sometimes good, sometimes bad, but they still loved each other. They both said they didn’t lie to get money.
They agreed on all the details by January 2017. Depp had to pay Heard $7 million by February 2018 and give her some other things like their pets and cars. He kept his houses and cars. They didn’t have to pay each other anything monthly. Heard said in 2022 that if they had agreed before they got married, she could have gotten half of Depp’s money from when they were together.
Depp v News Group Newspapers Ltd
In June 2018, Johnny Depp sued a UK newspaper called The Sun because they called him a “wife beater” in an article from April 2018. The trial happened in July 2020, and Amber Heard, his ex-wife, was a main witness for the newspaper.
In November 2020, the judge decided that Depp lost the case and said that most of the times Depp was accused of hurting Heard were proven true. The court didn’t believe Depp’s claim that it was all made up, and they agreed that Heard’s accusations harmed her career and activism. Depp tried to appeal the decision, but it was turned down in March 2021.
Depp v. Heard
In February 2019, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for saying things that he believed hurt his reputation. He said she made up stories about him being abusive. Then in August 2020, Heard said Depp was trying to get her fired from acting jobs by harassing her online.
They went to court in 2022. The jury decided that Heard’s statements were lies and made Depp look bad. So, they said Depp should get $10 million from Heard. But because of a law, he only got $350,000. Heard also said things about Depp, but the jury didn’t think they were all bad. They said Depp should pay her $2 million.
During the trial, many people online didn’t like Heard and made fun of her. Heard said it was hard for her. After the trial, she thought maybe the jury liked Depp more because he was famous.
Heard’s lawyer said she couldn’t afford to pay Depp, so she wanted to appeal. Then another company sued her, saying they shouldn’t have to pay for her legal fees because she did something wrong.
In the end, Depp and Heard settled the case in December 2022. Heard said even if she wins on appeal, she can’t handle going through it all again. Depp’s getting some money, which he plans to give to charity.
Net Worth
Amber Heard’s Net Worth is estimated to be $500 Thousand as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth. which is a big drop from the millions she used to have before her legal battles. Most of her cash comes from acting gigs and deals with makeup and jewelry brands. But a lot of what she would’ve saved up got tied up in lawsuits and settlements, like the messy stuff with her ex Johnny Depp and a lawsuit over a movie that tanked at the box office.
Amber has been open about her money troubles, especially when it comes to donations she promised to charities from her divorce payout. Court papers from her split with Depp showed she was spending big time, over $43,000 every month. That includes $10,000 on rent, $3,000 on healthcare, $2,000 on clothes, and a whopping $10,000 on fun stuff like vacations.
All this legal drama has hit her career too. She says it’s been tough to find work with all the public fighting. After everything settled down, she sold her house in California for $1.05 million and moved to Spain. She made a profit on the sale but still took a hit.
