Amber Heard is an American actress, model, humanitarian and social activist.
Early Life
Heard was born April 22, 1986 in Austin, Texas, the middle child of three daughters of internet researcher Patricia Paige (née Parsons; 1956–2020) and construction company owner David Clinton Heard (born 1950). The family lived outside Austin. Heard’s father trained horses in his free time, and she grew up riding horses, hunting, and fishing with him. She also participated in beauty pageants, although as an adult she has said that she could no longer “support the objectification”.Raised Catholic, Heard began identifying as an atheist at the age of sixteen after her best friend died in a car crash. The following year, no longer comfortable in “conservative, God-fearin’ Texas”, Heard dropped out of her Catholic high school to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles. She eventually earned a diploma through a home-study course.
Career
She had her first leading role in the horror film All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006), and went on to star in films such as The Ward (2010), Drive Angry (2011), and London Fields (2018). She has also had supporting roles in films including Pineapple Express (2008), Never Back Down (2008), The Joneses (2009), The Rum Diary (2011), Paranoia (2013), Machete Kills (2013), Magic Mike XXL (2015), and The Danish Girl (2015). Heard is part of the DC Extended Universe franchise, playing Mera in Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and the forthcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). She has also acted in television series such as Hidden Palms (2007) and The Stand (2020).
In 2016, Heard became a volunteer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the capacity of an ACLU Artist Ambassador, a role reserved for individuals who advocate for civil rights and civil liberties. Heard also served as a Human Rights Ambassador for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Heard married actor Johnny Depp in 2015. The dissolution of the marriage in May 2016 garnered widespread media attention when Heard filed for a restraining order against Depp in which she alleged domestic violence. Depp later unsuccessfully sued British tabloid newspaper The Sun for defamation in London, for their publication of Heard’s domestic abuse allegations. The judgement in the suit rejected Depp’s claim against The Sun and ruled that it had been proven that he assaulted Heard in 12 of the 14 alleged incidents put forth by The Sun; Depp was subsequently refused leave to appeal. Depp filed another lawsuit, this time against Heard for an op-ed published in her name in the Washington Post discussing speaking up against “sexual violence” and becoming “a public figure representing domestic abuse” and stating that she witnessed “first-hand how institutions protect men accused of abuse.” The lawsuit—in response to which Heard filed her own countersuit over allegedly three defamatory statements made by Depp’s lawyer—became the subject of a televised and widely-publicized trial at the end of which the jury concluded that all three statements from Heard’s op-ed were defamatory, and found that Depp’s lawyer’s first and third statements were not defamatory, while finding that the lawyer’s second statement was defamatory. The judge ruled that Heard owed $10.35 million to Depp and that Depp owed Heard $2 million. Heard received backlash over her testimony, particularly on social media. Heard and Depp both appealed the Fairfax County Courthouse jury verdict in the Virginia lawsuit. Heard subsequently settled with Depp, with their lawyers announcing that Depp would receive $1 million in full settlement, the payment coming from Heard’s insurer.
Personal Life
Heard publicly came out in 2010, but has stated, “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.”
Heard was in a relationship with photographer Tasya van Ree from 2008 to 2012. Heard had her last name legally changed to van Ree during the relationship and reverted to her birth name in 2014. In 2009, Heard was arrested for misdemeanor domestic violence at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Washington state after allegedly hitting van Ree. Heard appeared the next day in King County District Court, Seattle but was not charged. The arrest was made public in 2016 during Heard’s divorce proceedings from actor Johnny Depp. A statement was then issued by Heard’s publicist in which van Ree said that Heard had been “wrongfully” accused and that the incident had been “misinterpreted and over-sensationalized”, while also recalling “hints of misogynistic attitudes toward us which later appeared to be homophobic when they found out we were domestic partners and not just ‘friends'” and adding that Heard and her “shared 5 wonderful years together and remain close to this day.” The female officer who conducted the arrest—herself a lesbian—subsequently posted on Facebook to say, “I am so not homophobic or misogynistic! The arrest was made because an assault occurred (I witnessed it).”
Heard was one of the victims of the 2014 celebrity nude photo leak, in which “more than 50 of [her] personal photos were stolen and released to the public” with Heard later both speaking and writing against such breaches of privacy.
Following her divorce from Johnny Depp, Heard dated tech entrepreneur and Tesla CEO and shareholder Elon Musk for a year, until early 2018. She later had a relationship with actress and cinematographer Bianca Butti from January 2020 to December 2021.
In April 2021, Heard had her first child, a daughter, via surrogacy.
Heard first met actor Johnny Depp in 2009 when she was cast in The Rum Diary opposite him. According to reports, the couple began dating in 2012 and were married in a civil ceremony in February 2015.
In April 2015, Heard and Depp breached Australia’s biosecurity laws when they failed to declare in customs the two dogs accompanying them when they flew into Queensland, where Depp was working on a film.[168] In May 2015, the dogs were flown out of the country hours before a euthanasia deadline.Later in July of the same year, only Heard was charged for this breach in the laws.
By December 2015, the case had been adjourned four times with Heard having instructed her lawyers to enter not guilty pleas and stating that she was “looking forward” to fighting the charges.In the court case in April 2016, Heard pleaded guilty to falsifying quarantine documents, stating that she had made a mistake due to sleep deprivation. While criminal charges were dropped, she was placed on a A$1,000 (US$752) one-month good behaviour bond for producing a false document; Heard and Depp released a video apologizing for their behavior and urging others to adhere to biosecurity laws.
Heard filed for divorce from Depp in May 2016 and obtained a temporary restraining order against him, releasing a statement saying that, “During the entirety of our relationship, Johnny has been verbally and physically abusive to me. I endured excessive emotional, verbal and physical abuse from Johnny, which has included angry, hostile, humiliating and threatening assaults to me whenever I questioned his authority or disagreed with him.” In response Depp’s council said that, “Amber is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse”, and that, “He is unable[b] to attend the hearing on this matter and has not heard Amber’s specific allegations against him. He nonetheless has every intention of staying away from Amber and will stipulate to mutual stay-away and personal conduct orders.”
A ruling on the scale of the settlement was achieved in August 2016, and Heard pledged to donate the proceeds equally between the ACLUand CHLA. Heard dropped her request for a continued restraining order, and they issued a joint statement saying that their “relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm”. The final terms of the settlement were agreed in January 2017 with Depp being required to complete the payment of $7 million to Heard by February 2018, contribute $500,000 towards Heard’s attorneys fees, and to give Heard custody of their two dogs, a horse and two cars. Depp was to retain all his real estate assets and 42 vehicles; no spousal support would be paid by either party. In her 2022 testimony, Heard stated that because they had no prenuptial agreement, she would have been entitled to half of Depp’s earnings of $65 million during the marriage had she requested it.
The Depp-Heard trial took place in Fairfax County, Virginia between April 11 and June 1, 2022. Over the course of the trial, online public sentiment was generally against Heard as she was made fun of and labeled “crazy” and as her testimony, which was mocked widely, was thought to be false. Heard said she was “harassed, humiliated, threatened every single day” and described online criticism of her testimony as “agonizing”. After the trial, Heard said that she did not “blame” the jury for the verdict, that they possibly favored Depp because of his celebrity, not the evidence, as he was a “fantastic actor” and “people feel they know him”. An interviewer hypothesized that the jury had reviewed the evidence and had not believed Heard’s testimony and Heard responded to this by questioning how the jury could have believed her by the time she got on the stand when they had already listened “to three-and-a-half weeks of testimony about how I was a non-credible person”.
The day after the verdict was read, Heard’s lawyer, Elaine Bredehoft, told interviewers that Heard could not afford to pay the damages owed to Depp and would appeal the verdict. A month later, one of Heard’s insurance providers, New York Marine, sued Heard in federal court, wanting to avoid paying up to $1 million for her legal defense fees in the Virginia case, arguing that the “jury’s factual findings establish that Heard’s liability is caused by the willful act(s) of Heard”, hence New York Marine is “not liable” for the loss.
After they both filed to appeal the verdict, Depp and Heard settled the case in December, 2022, with Heard publicly stating that even if her appeal succeeds, she “simply cannot go through” a retrial, while maintaining that the settlement was “not an act of concession.” Meanwhile, Depp’s lawyers stated that the “jury’s unanimous decision and the resulting judgement in Mr. Depp’s favor against Ms. Heard remain fully in place,” and that the settlement would result in $1 million being paid to Depp by Heard’s insurer, which “Depp is pledging and will donate to charities.”
Amber Heard’s Net Worth
Prior to the Depp-Heard verdict, Amber’s net worth was estimated at $2.5 million.
Testimony revealed that Amber had a 4-picture deal with Warner Brothers that paid her $450,000 for the first movie she appeared in for the studio. She then earned $1 million for her work in the first Aquaman. She was contractually guaranteed $2 million for the sequel and $3-4 million if there was ever a third Aquaman film.
Testimony revealed that Amber earned $200,000 per episode to star on the nine episode series “The Stand,” for a total payday of $1.8 million.
Testimony revealed that Amber had a $1.625 million two-year contract with L’Oreal that guaranteed the beauty company 20 days of Amber’s time.
The net result is roughly $8.35 million in damages owed by Amber to Johnny. According to a number of reports, Amber’s legal costs up to the point of the verdict were largely covered by her homeowners insurance. As of this writing it’s not clear if her insurance would also cover the full damages. It’s also possible that the damages could be reduced on appeal. If her insurance does not cover the damages, it’s our understanding that Amber would struggle mightily to afford the damages.
On the morning of June 2, 2022, the day after the verdict, Amber’s lawyer was asked point blank by Savannah Guthrie of “The Today Show” if Amber could afford to pay the judgement. Amber’s lawyer responded, “Oh no. Absolutely not.”
The 36-year-old has a net worth of $500 thousand.
Amber’s next move might be to file an appeal. However, before proceeding with an appeal, Amber may be forced to post a bond for the full $10.35 million judgement, which according to her own lawyer would not be possible with her own personal funds.
Another option if she can not afford the judgment and it is not covered by insurance, would be for Amber to file for bankruptcy. Though, due to a legal framework, it’s possible that a bankruptcy filing would not have any impact on the $10 million compensatory portion of the damages.
As it turns out, Amber agreed to pay Johnny a significantly reduced settlement of $1 million. Their agreement, which was announced in December 2022, settled the case once and for all. Technically, her insurance company agreed to foot the bill. Johnny reportedly is donating the $1 million to several charities.
