She also appeared as part of an ensemble cast in an adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis's novel The Informers (2008), but the film was a critical failure. Heard gained mainstream recognition in 2008 with supporting roles in the Judd Apatow-produced stoner comedy Pineapple Express and the martial arts drama Never Back Down, both of which were box office successes. Heard at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
The same year, Heard also appeared in the short movie Day 73 with Sarah, in the teen drama Remember the Daze, and in an episode of the Showtime series Californication. The series premiered in the US in May 2007 to mixed reviews and poor ratings, leading the CW to air only eight of the planned 12 episodes before canceling it. In 2007, Heard played the love interest of the main character in The CW's teen drama Hidden Palms, which the network aired to replace summer reruns of other series aimed at teenage audiences. Heard received her first leading role in the unconventional slasher film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, but was not released in Europe until 2008 and in the US until 2013 due to distribution problems. She made her film debut in a minor role in the sports drama Friday Night Lights (2004), followed by brief supporting roles in films Drop Dead Sexy (2005), North Country (2005), Side FX (2005), Price to Pay (2006), Alpha Dog (2006), and Spin (2007), and a guest-starring spot in an episode of the police procedural crime drama television series Criminal Minds. Heard's earliest acting work included appearances in two music videos, Kenny Chesney's " There Goes My Life" and Eisley's "I Wasn't Prepared", and small supporting roles in the television series Jack & Bobby (2004), The Mountain (2004), and The O.C. She eventually earned a diploma through a home-study course. The following year, Heard said she no longer felt comfortable in "conservative, God-fearin' Texas" and dropped out of her Catholic high school to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles. Heard was raised as Catholic but began identifying as an atheist at sixteen after her best friend died in a car crash. She also participated in beauty pageants, although as an adult she has said that she could no longer "support the objectification".
Heard's father trained horses in his free time, and she grew up riding horses, hunting, and fishing with him. Heard was born in Austin, Texas, to Patricia Paige ( née Parsons), an internet researcher (1956–2020), and David Clinton Heard (born 1950), who owned a small construction company. 2.3 2017–present: DC Extended Universe and other projects.Heard began in Virginia in April 2022 and has been met with intense media scrutiny. In 2020, Heard filed a countersuit against Depp. In early 2019, Depp sued Heard for defamation over an op-ed she had written on sexual and domestic abuse in The Washington Post. In 2020, the presiding judge found that the printed article, which alleged that Depp had abused Heard, was "substantially true". In 2018, Depp sued the publishers of British tabloid The Sun for libel, accusing Heard of abuse. Their divorce drew media attention when Heard alleged that Depp had been abusive throughout their relationship. Heard was married to actor Johnny Depp from 2015 to 2017.
She is a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris and a human rights activist.
Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress known for her roles in the films Never Back Down (2008), Drive Angry (2011), The Rum Diary (2011) and in playing Mera in Aquaman (2018) and its upcoming 2023 sequel in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).