Amber Heard's Real Name: Amber Laura Heard

Quick answer: Amber Heard was born Amber Laura Heard on April 22, 1986, in Austin, Texas. She acts under her birth name. The Library of Congress also records the forms Amber Laura Depp, from her marriage to Johnny Depp, and Amber van Ree. She is known for films including Pineapple Express, Zombieland, and Aquaman. In 2022 she and Depp received split verdicts in a Virginia defamation trial, and they settled later that year (Library of Congress; AP News).

Real name and early life

The Library of Congress name authority files her as "Heard, Amber, 1986-." Its citations give "b. April 22, 1986 in Austin, Texas, USA" and list "other names, Amber Laura Depp, Amber van Ree." Cross-references include "Depp, Amber," "Ree, Amber van," and "Van Ree, Amber."

Heard is her family surname and her professional name.

Career highlights

Heard's film credits include the stoner comedy Pineapple Express (2008), Zombieland (2009), The Rum Diary (2011), and The Danish Girl (2015). She played Mera, the undersea queen, in Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). AP described her marriage to Depp as brief.

Defamation trial

Depp sued Heard for libel in Fairfax County, Virginia, over a December 2018 Washington Post op-ed in which she described herself as "a public figure representing domestic abuse." The piece did not name him, but his lawyers argued it clearly referred to him. Heard countersued over statements by one of Depp's lawyers calling her allegations a "hoax." During the televised six-week trial in 2022, each accused the other of abuse, and each denied the other's allegations.

On June 1, 2022, AP reported, the jury found in Depp's favor on all three of his claims and awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. State law capped the punitive award, bringing his total to $10.35 million. In a split decision, the jury also found that one statement by Depp's lawyer had defamed Heard and awarded her $2 million. Depp said the jury "gave me my life back." Heard said she was "heartbroken" and called the verdict "a setback" for women.

AP also noted that a U.K. judge had ruled against Depp in 2020 in his libel suit against a British tabloid, concluding that Heard had been abused. Both sides appealed the Virginia verdicts. In December 2022 they settled; Depp's lawyers said the deal included a $1 million payment to him. Heard wrote, "I never chose this."

Name notes for searchers

Amber Heard is her birth name. "Amber Laura Depp" reflects her married name, and "Amber van Ree" is a further variant recorded by the Library of Congress. She is credited on screen as Amber Heard.