Amber Laura Heard (born April 22, 1986) is an American actress. She attended St. Michael's Catholic Academy in Austin, Texas until junior year, when she left to pursue a career in Hollywood. She has played minor roles in various television shows and movies. She is perhaps best known for her role of Greta Matthews on the CW television show, Hidden Palms. She plays the lead role (and title character) in All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and was released theatrically in 2008.
She has also been on the cover of Maxim and played Seth Rogen's character's girlfriend in Pineapple Express. She appears in the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel The Informers.
Personal life
Heard was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Her father David is a contractor and her mother Paige is an Internet researcher for the state. As a teenager Heard was active in her school's drama department and appeared in local commercials and campaigns.
At the age of 16 she lost her best friend in a car crash. Heard said of the accident "That was the hardest blow emotionally that I have ever had to endure. Suddenly, you realize tomorrow might not come. Now I live by the motto, 'Today is what I have.'" Heard, who was raised Catholic, now declares herself an atheist. After the death of her friend, Heard met her first serious boyfriend, who introduced her to the writings of Russian-born atheist Ayn Rand. "I've read all of her books," says Heard. "Ever since then, I have been obsessed with her ideals. All I've ever needed is myself." She dropped out of St. Michael's Catholic Academy at the age of 17 she went to New York to start a career in modeling — but she did not enjoy it. "There's no real talent involved in modeling. Acting has substance." She next located to Los Angeles to get into acting.
Career
Once in Los Angeles, Heard made appearances in various TV shows. She was cast as Liz in the pilot episode of The WB's Jack & Bobby (2004), as Riley in an episode of The Mountain (2004) and she had a brief cameo as a salesgirl in The O.C. (2005). Her first movie role was Maria in Friday Night Lights (2004). "When I was on the set, just doing day-playing work, I remember thinking, 'This is what I want to do forever'", she said. "Knowing that with such certainty at 17 was just life-altering." She next starred as Shay in Side FX (2005), an independent horror film, and had supporting roles in Drop Dead Sexy (2005), Price to Pay (2006) and You Are Here (2006). Heard had more prominent parts in Niki Caro's North Country (2005) as young Josey and as Alma in Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog (2006). To play the part in the latter film, Heard "tapped into a reckless, naïve teenager. It was difficult to channel but I had to completely disconnect any humane aspects she had. I've known girls like her... You don't have a lot of sympathy for them." In 2006 she starred as Lila in an episode of Criminal Minds.
Heard was next cast in the CW Network's Hidden Palms. On the show she portrayed Greta Matthews, who suffered the losses of both her mother and boyfriend, Eddie, and befriends Johnny, the anti-hero of the show. Heard was immediately drawn to her character: "Greta is complicated. She's like I was when I was a teenager. It's why I relate to her." In order to get the part, Heard was asked to lose weight. It took her four months, daily workouts and a ban on carbohydrates to lose 25 pounds. "At first I said no, but it's about the work. I cared about the project and the character, so I was willing to do it. It's called dedication." Hidden Palms premiered in the US on May 30, 2007. Ultimately, The CW wrapped the summer series early; instead of the initial 12 episode arc, only eight were aired. The show ended on July 4, two weeks prior than originally planned.
She was next cast in the title role in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. The horror film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2006, immediately generating buzz and landing a deal with Harvey Weinstein. However, nearly a year after its Toronto debut, the movie had not reached theaters. In July 2007, Mandy Lane found a new distribution home and the film finally was released in 2008 with a February UK release and DVD release in June.
In 2007, Heard also appeared in the short movie Day 73 with Sarah and Jess Manafort's indie drama Remember the Daze (aka The Beautiful Ordinary), which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and opened in limited release in April 2008. She then appeared in the Judd Apatow comedy Pineapple Express and the martial arts drama Never Back Down, released in 2008, back-to-back. The latter opened in March and Heard played the role of the free-spirited Baja Miller who falls for Sean Faris' Jake Tyler. "I play Baja Miller in the movie and it's a very important role because she serves as a mirror to society; to all those young girls that either you knew or you were. I believe that it's really important to address that. Art should and does imitate life. If we do it in a truthful manner, you'll walk away with a message." The film did well in the box office and raised Heard's profile a great deal. She appeared in numerous magazines and promoted the film internationally.
Heard also made a brief appearance in Showtime's Californication and joined the ensemble cast of The Informers, based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same title, set to be released in 2009. "I hope the audiences have a really difficult time with it. That's why I'm in this industry. I want to challenge people. I want people to think. I don't want people to just zone out and get everything that expected when they walked into the movie. The novel by Bret Easton Ellis I was a big fan of. It's dark and it's real and it's gritty and it's hard to swallow." She also filmed the horror film The Stepfather and the comedy film Ex-Terminators back-to-back in 2008 while promoting Never Back Down, Mandy Lane and Remember the Daze.
In late 2008 she filmed The River Why and The Joneses; two independent features due out later this year. At the beginning of 2009 The Informers made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The reviews were mostly negative. It was also announced in early February that Heard would take part in three new projects. Zombieland, aiming for an October 9, 2009 release where Heard will play the small role of the object of Jesse Eisenberg’s affection who turns into a zombie. She will then appear in John Carpenter's The Ward. "I am especially pleased to be working with Amber because I know she will create a powerful central performance," says Carpenter. In March Heard begins filming The Rum Diary, opposite Johnny Depp, in Puerto Rico. Heard's is reported to have won the role out over Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley. In 2010, she will star in and produce And Soon the Darkness.
She has also been on the cover of Maxim and played Seth Rogen's character's girlfriend in Pineapple Express. She appears in the film adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel The Informers.
Personal life
Heard was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Her father David is a contractor and her mother Paige is an Internet researcher for the state. As a teenager Heard was active in her school's drama department and appeared in local commercials and campaigns.
At the age of 16 she lost her best friend in a car crash. Heard said of the accident "That was the hardest blow emotionally that I have ever had to endure. Suddenly, you realize tomorrow might not come. Now I live by the motto, 'Today is what I have.'" Heard, who was raised Catholic, now declares herself an atheist. After the death of her friend, Heard met her first serious boyfriend, who introduced her to the writings of Russian-born atheist Ayn Rand. "I've read all of her books," says Heard. "Ever since then, I have been obsessed with her ideals. All I've ever needed is myself." She dropped out of St. Michael's Catholic Academy at the age of 17 she went to New York to start a career in modeling — but she did not enjoy it. "There's no real talent involved in modeling. Acting has substance." She next located to Los Angeles to get into acting.
Career
Once in Los Angeles, Heard made appearances in various TV shows. She was cast as Liz in the pilot episode of The WB's Jack & Bobby (2004), as Riley in an episode of The Mountain (2004) and she had a brief cameo as a salesgirl in The O.C. (2005). Her first movie role was Maria in Friday Night Lights (2004). "When I was on the set, just doing day-playing work, I remember thinking, 'This is what I want to do forever'", she said. "Knowing that with such certainty at 17 was just life-altering." She next starred as Shay in Side FX (2005), an independent horror film, and had supporting roles in Drop Dead Sexy (2005), Price to Pay (2006) and You Are Here (2006). Heard had more prominent parts in Niki Caro's North Country (2005) as young Josey and as Alma in Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog (2006). To play the part in the latter film, Heard "tapped into a reckless, naïve teenager. It was difficult to channel but I had to completely disconnect any humane aspects she had. I've known girls like her... You don't have a lot of sympathy for them." In 2006 she starred as Lila in an episode of Criminal Minds.
Heard was next cast in the CW Network's Hidden Palms. On the show she portrayed Greta Matthews, who suffered the losses of both her mother and boyfriend, Eddie, and befriends Johnny, the anti-hero of the show. Heard was immediately drawn to her character: "Greta is complicated. She's like I was when I was a teenager. It's why I relate to her." In order to get the part, Heard was asked to lose weight. It took her four months, daily workouts and a ban on carbohydrates to lose 25 pounds. "At first I said no, but it's about the work. I cared about the project and the character, so I was willing to do it. It's called dedication." Hidden Palms premiered in the US on May 30, 2007. Ultimately, The CW wrapped the summer series early; instead of the initial 12 episode arc, only eight were aired. The show ended on July 4, two weeks prior than originally planned.
She was next cast in the title role in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. The horror film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2006, immediately generating buzz and landing a deal with Harvey Weinstein. However, nearly a year after its Toronto debut, the movie had not reached theaters. In July 2007, Mandy Lane found a new distribution home and the film finally was released in 2008 with a February UK release and DVD release in June.
In 2007, Heard also appeared in the short movie Day 73 with Sarah and Jess Manafort's indie drama Remember the Daze (aka The Beautiful Ordinary), which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and opened in limited release in April 2008. She then appeared in the Judd Apatow comedy Pineapple Express and the martial arts drama Never Back Down, released in 2008, back-to-back. The latter opened in March and Heard played the role of the free-spirited Baja Miller who falls for Sean Faris' Jake Tyler. "I play Baja Miller in the movie and it's a very important role because she serves as a mirror to society; to all those young girls that either you knew or you were. I believe that it's really important to address that. Art should and does imitate life. If we do it in a truthful manner, you'll walk away with a message." The film did well in the box office and raised Heard's profile a great deal. She appeared in numerous magazines and promoted the film internationally.
Heard also made a brief appearance in Showtime's Californication and joined the ensemble cast of The Informers, based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same title, set to be released in 2009. "I hope the audiences have a really difficult time with it. That's why I'm in this industry. I want to challenge people. I want people to think. I don't want people to just zone out and get everything that expected when they walked into the movie. The novel by Bret Easton Ellis I was a big fan of. It's dark and it's real and it's gritty and it's hard to swallow." She also filmed the horror film The Stepfather and the comedy film Ex-Terminators back-to-back in 2008 while promoting Never Back Down, Mandy Lane and Remember the Daze.
In late 2008 she filmed The River Why and The Joneses; two independent features due out later this year. At the beginning of 2009 The Informers made its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The reviews were mostly negative. It was also announced in early February that Heard would take part in three new projects. Zombieland, aiming for an October 9, 2009 release where Heard will play the small role of the object of Jesse Eisenberg’s affection who turns into a zombie. She will then appear in John Carpenter's The Ward. "I am especially pleased to be working with Amber because I know she will create a powerful central performance," says Carpenter. In March Heard begins filming The Rum Diary, opposite Johnny Depp, in Puerto Rico. Heard's is reported to have won the role out over Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley. In 2010, she will star in and produce And Soon the Darkness.