Amber Laura Heard was born in Austin, Texas, to Patricia
Paige Heard (née Parsons), an internet researcher, and
David C. Heard (David Clinton Heard), a contractor. She has English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Welsh ancestry.
Heard appeared in the Academy Award-nominated film,
North Country (2005), in which she played
Charlize Theron's character in flashbacks. Her other early film credits include:
Syrup (2013),
Drive Angry (2011) 3D,
The Joneses (2009),
Never Back Down (2008),
Alpha Dog (2006) and
Friday Night Lights (2004). On television, Heard starred on The CW drama,
Hidden Palms (2007), and had guest starring roles on Showtime's
Californication (2007) and CBS's
Criminal Minds (2005).
In 2009, Heard starred in the box office hit,
Zombieland (2009), opposite
Woody Harrelson,
Bill Murray and
Jesse Eisenberg. She also starred in the suspense thriller,
The Stepfather (2009), with
Sela Ward,
Dylan Walsh and
Penn Badgley. In 2008, she garnered attention for her role in the comedic hit,
Pineapple Express (2008), with
Seth Rogen and
James Franco. Heard received a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for her breakthrough performance in "Pineapple Express".
She appeared in
The Rum Diary (2011), opposite
Johnny Depp, and
John Carpenter's
The Ward (2010), which premiered at the 2010 Toronto Film Festival. She also starred in the independent film,
And Soon the Darkness (2010), in which she additionally served as a co-producer.
Heard starred in
Paranoia (2013), opposite
Harrison Ford,
Liam Hemsworth and
Gary Oldman. The film was released by "Relativity Media" on August 16, 2013. She also starred in
Robert Rodriguez's
Machete Kills (2013), which was released by "Open Road Films" on March 4, 2013, and
McG's
3 Days to Kill (2014), opposite
Kevin Costner and
Hailee Steinfeld, which was released in 2014.
Additionally, her film
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), which premiered at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, was released by The Weinstein Co. in theaters in the fall of 2013.
Heard resides in Los Angeles, where she is actively involved with Amnesty International. In 2015, she married actor
Johnny Depp, and the two divorced in 2017.