Amber Heard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amber Heard
Heard in 2018
Born	Amber Laura Heard (1986-04-22) April 22, 1986 (age 39) Austin, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Amber Laura Depp Amber van Ree
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Johnny Depp ​ ​ (m. 2015; div. 2017)​
Partner(s)	Tasya van Ree (2008–2012)
Children	1

Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She became well-known for her roles in movies like All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), The Ward (2010), and Drive Angry (2011). She also appeared in popular films such as Pineapple Express (2008) and Magic Mike XXL (2015).

From 2017 to 2023, Heard played Mera in the DC Extended Universe. This included the superhero movies Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). She has also acted in TV shows like Hidden Palms (2007) and The Stand (2020–2021).

Beyond acting, Amber Heard is a volunteer and ambassador for important causes. She has worked with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She was married to actor Johnny Depp from 2015 to 2017.

Early Life and Beginnings

Amber Heard was born in Austin, Texas. She was the middle of three daughters. Her father trained horses, and she grew up riding, hunting, and fishing with him. She also took part in beauty pageants when she was younger.

At sixteen, Heard decided to pursue acting. She left her high school and moved to Los Angeles. She later earned her diploma through a home-study program.

Acting Career

First Roles (2003–2007)

Amber Heard started her acting journey with appearances in music videos. She also had small roles in TV shows like Jack & Bobby (2004) and The O.C. (2005). Her first movie role was in Friday Night Lights (2004).

She then appeared in films such as North Country (2005) and Alpha Dog (2006). Heard got her first main role in the film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. This movie was shown at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2007, Heard played a main character in The CW's teen drama Hidden Palms. She also appeared in the short film Day 73 with Sarah and an episode of Californication.

Becoming Well-Known (2008–2016)

Heard at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

Heard became more widely known in 2008. She had supporting roles in the comedy Pineapple Express and the drama Never Back Down. Both movies did well at the box office. She also starred in The Joneses (2009) with David Duchovny and Demi Moore. Critics noted her strong performance in that film.

In 2011, Heard starred in Drive Angry with Nicolas Cage. She also acted alongside Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary (2011). That same year, Heard was featured in an advertisement campaign for the fashion brand Guess.

Heard in 2010 at the Toronto International Film Festival

She later appeared in the thriller Paranoia (2013) and the action film Machete Kills (2013). In 2014, Heard had a supporting role in the successful action-thriller 3 Days to Kill.

In 2015, Heard played a key supporting role in the comedy-drama Magic Mike XXL. She was the love interest of the main character, played by Channing Tatum. This film was very successful. Heard also had a small role in The Danish Girl (2015). She starred in One More Time, where she played a singer-songwriter. For this role, she took singing lessons and learned to play piano and guitar.

Heard played the main female role in London Fields, a movie based on a novel. It was shown at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film faced some release issues but was eventually released.

DC Extended Universe and Recent Projects (2017–Present)

Heard discussing Aquaman at the 2018 San Diego Comic-Con International

In 2017, Heard joined the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) as Mera. Mera is a princess from an Atlantean kingdom. She first appeared in the superhero film Justice League. Heard liked the role because Mera is a "strong, independent, self-possessed superhero."

She played Mera again in Aquaman (2018), starring with Jason Momoa. Aquaman was a huge success, earning over $1 billion worldwide. That same year, Heard became a global ambassador for the cosmetics brand L'Oréal Paris.

In 2019, Heard had supporting roles in the independent dramas Her Smell and Gully. Her project in 2020 was The Stand, a miniseries based on Stephen King's novel. She played Nadine Cross, a school teacher who survives an apocalyptic event. In 2021, Heard returned as Mera in Zack Snyder's Justice League.

Heard is also set to appear in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), the sequel to Aquaman. She is also attached to appear in the upcoming period drama, In the Fire.

Charity and Activism

Amber Heard is very active in charity and human rights work.

In 2010, she hosted a charity photo exhibition for her friend Tasya van Ree's artwork. Later that year, she joined a protest in Los Angeles against a law that banned same-sex marriage in California.

Starting in 2011, Heard worked with Amnesty International. She went on humanitarian missions to the Mexico-United States border. She helped with language translation and spoke up for Mexican immigrants.

Heard has also volunteered with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She became an ACLU Artist Ambassador, helping with their work on gender justice. She also served as a Human Rights Ambassador for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

In November 2016, Heard appeared in a public service announcement (PSA) about domestic violence. She talked about how important it is for women to support each other. She encouraged those affected by violence to "speak up."

In March 2017, Heard spoke about the lack of LGBTQ characters in Hollywood film industry. She believes Hollywood should challenge old ideas and include more diverse stories. She also talked about the gender pay gap in Hollywood. She urged women to stand up for themselves and fight for equality.

In April 2018, Heard visited the Al-Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). She met children with a condition called thalassemia and helped raise money for their medical treatments.

Heard was a speaker at the United Nations's 9th Annual Social Good Summit in September 2018. She spoke about the importance of fairness and justice for everyone. She encouraged people to use technology to support human rights. In October 2018, she gave a speech for HagueTalks, highlighting issues faced by immigrants and women.

In February 2019, Heard joined SAMS on another medical mission to Lebanon. She visited informal settlements and helped raise funds for programs supporting women and children there.

Heard is a Human Rights Champion for the Stand Up for Human Rights campaign by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. In May 2019, she gave a speech on Capitol Hill supporting the SHIELD Act.

Personal Life

Heard has spoken openly about her relationships. She has said, "I don't label myself one way or another – I have had successful relationships with men and now a woman. I love who I love; it's the person that matters."

She was in a relationship with photographer Tasya van Ree from 2008 to 2012.

After her marriage to Johnny Depp, Heard dated tech entrepreneur Elon Musk for about a year. She later had a relationship with actress and cinematographer Bianca Butti.

In April 2021, Amber Heard welcomed her first child through surrogacy. In December 2024, she announced she is expecting her second child. As of June 2023, Heard lives in Madrid, Spain.

Filmography

Key

Denotes works that have not yet been released

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2004	Friday Night Lights	Maria
2005	Side FX	Shay
	Drop Dead ***	Candy
	North Country	Young Josey Aimes
2006	Price to Pay	Trish
	Alpha Dog	Alma
	All the Boys Love Mandy Lane	Mandy Lane
2007	Spin	Amber
	Day 73 with Sarah	Mary	Short film
	Remember the Daze	Julia Ford
2008	Never Back Down	Baja Miller
	Informers, TheThe Informers	Christie
	Pineapple Express	Angie Anderson
2009	ExTerminators	Nikki
	Joneses, TheThe Joneses	Jenn Jones
	Zombieland	406
	Stepfather, TheThe Stepfather	Kelly Porter
2010	And Soon the Darkness	Stephanie	Also co-producer
	River Why, TheThe River Why	Eddy
	Ward, TheThe Ward	Kristen
2011	Drive Angry	Piper
	Rum Diary, TheThe Rum Diary	Chenault
2013	Syrup	Six	Also executive producer
	Paranoia	Emma Jennings
	Machete Kills	Miss San Antonio
2014	3 Days to Kill	Agent Vivi Delay
2015	The Adderall Diaries	Lana Edmond
	One More Time	Jude
	Magic Mike XXL	Zoe
	The Danish Girl	Ulla Paulson
2017	I Do... Until I Don't	Fanny
	Justice League	Mera
2018	Her Smell	Zelda E. Zekiel
	London Fields	Nicola Six	Filmed in 2013
	Aquaman	Mera
2019	Gully	Joyce
2021	Zack Snyder's Justice League	Mera
2023	Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom		Post-production

Television

Music videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Amber Heard para niños