| Full Name: Amber Laura Heard Occupation: Actress / Model Date of Birth: April 22, 1986 Place of Birth: Austin, Texas, USA Age: 25 Height: 5' 8" Hair / Eyes: Blonde / Green Special skills: Proficient in American Sign Language, Spanish 3 student, shooting, dancing, horseback, lacrosse, swimming, varsity drama, certified lifeguard, rock climber, diver, and golfing. Family: Mother Paige (an internet researcher for the state of Austin, TX), father David (contractor) and sister Whitney Heard Marital Status: In a relationship with Tasya Van Ree Pets: Golden teacup Yorkie dog named Pistol |
» Life in Austin
Amber Laura Heard was born April 22, 1986. She was born and raised in
Austin, Texas by father David, a contractor, and mother Paige, an
Internet researcher for the state. As a child, Amber loved to go
hunting, fishing and camping with her father. She attended St. Michael's
Catholic Academy but has said that she felt trapped at school and
didn't relate to her contemporaries: "I didn't feel one bit of remorse
for missing prom; let's just put it that way." However, Amber embraced
her school's drama department as a teenager and appeared in local
commercials and campaigns. "When I read about the Greek stage, and how
magnificent it was, it changed my life," says Heard. "Eventually, drama
became the only class I would actually show up to."
At the mere age of 16, Amber lost her best friend in a fatal car crash. It was this accident that changed Amber's outlook in life. "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 declared herself an atheist. After the tragic 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." Amber dropped out of St. Michael's at the age of 17 and 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." Hence she next located to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
» Early Career
Once in Los Angeles, Amber Heard scored 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 sideFX (2005), an independent horror flick and had supporting roles in Drop Dead Sexy (2005), Price to Pay (2006) and You Are Here (2006). Amber turned heads with a more prominent part in Niki Caro's North Country
(2005) as young Josey (Charlize Theron in the adult form), which turned
out to be a big break for her. "I got to work with Niki Caro a couple
years ago in North Country", Amber later recalled. "That was the
one director who before I became an actor I said I would do absolutely
anything to work with." She also appeared as Alma in Nick Cassavetes' Alpha Dog
(2006). To play the part, Heard "tapped into a reckless, naive
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 Amber also starred as Lila in an
episode of Criminal Minds.
» Hidden PalmsAmber Heard was next cast in the CW Network's Hidden Palms. She portrayed the enigmatic free spirit Greta Matthews, who suffered the losses of both her mother and boyfriend, Eddie, and befriends Johnny, the anti-hero of the show. Despite her general dislike for the TV, Amber was immediately drawn to her character. "Greta is complicated," she says. "She's like I was when I was a teenager. It's why I relate to her." In order to get the part of Greta, Amber was asked to lose weight. It took her four months, daily workouts and a ban on carbs 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 in May 2007. Unfortunately The CW wrapped the summer series early - instead of the initial 12 episode arch only eight were aired. The show sang its swan song on July 4 - two weeks prior than originally planned.
» Actress on the Rise
Amber was next cast in the title role in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.
"I had just moved to LA from Texas, and was starting out in my career. I
got sent the script and, to be honest, on first glance it didn't seem
like the kind of thing I would necessarily want to kick off my film
career with. Of course, as soon as I read Mandy Lane I just fell
in love with the script and the character." The horror film premiered at
Toronto Film Festival in September 2006, immediately generating buzz
and landing a seemingly great deal with Harvey Weinstein. However, it is
now four years since its Toronto debut and the movie still has not
reached theaters in North America. It is available on DVD in Europe and
has already gathered a cult following. Amber has said that the role of
the enigmatic beauty Mandy Lane has been one of the most challenging
roles she has tackled to date. "It's as far from myself as you can get.
It takes focus, concentration, and understanding to prepare for taking
on someone else's life that's nothing like you."
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 2007 and opened in limited release in April 2008. She next filmed the Judd Apatow gang comedy The Pineapple Express and martial arts drama Never Back Down, both released in 2008, back-to-back. The latter opened in March and sees Amber Heard in the role of the free-spirited Baja Miller who falls for Sean Faris' Jake Tyler. "It's a very important role because Baja 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."
In The Pineapple Express, which was released in August 2008, she plays Seth Roger's neurotic high school girlfriend Angie Anderson. "My first big comedy, and I'm crying and screaming", Amber said. Both The Pineapple Express and Never Back Down did well in the box office and raised Heard's profile a great deal. She appeared in numerous magazines and promoted the films internationally. In April 2008 Amber received her first award; the Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance. Next Amber did a brief appearance for Showtime's Californication and joined the huge cast of The Informers, based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel of the same title. The Informers made it's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in the beginning of 2009 and was released in April of the same year. Unfortunately, the film ended up being both a critical and commercial disappointment. Says Amber: "I took a big risk and took a gamble and in this case I lost. The movie turned out to be a big flop." But Heard smiles when she says, "I'm okay with it. I don't regret any movie I have taken on."
» A Hard Working ActressAmber Heard's career continued to show no signs of slowing down - quite the opposite! The versatile and hard-working actress filmed the horror pic The Stepfather and dark comedy ExTerminators back-to-back in 2008 while promoting the Never Back Down, Mandy Lane and Remember the Daze releases. The Stepfather, in which Amber co-starred as Kelly, Penn Badgley's supportive girlfriend, was released in October 2009. "I read the script and I thought it was a fun, cool, fresh psychological thriller, and I really enjoy making thrillers and making horror films. Anything of that genre, I have a really good time making, so I allow myself to do it, as much as I want." ExTerminators was released at South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2009. Amber co-stars as Nikki, an aggressive, sassy and brassy character in the female led flick, starring Heather Graham and Jennifer Coolidge.
In late 2008 she also made time to film The River Why and The Joneses; two independent features due out in 2010. The River Why was filmed in an environmentally conscious way. "We had no cell phones, no internet. We were out in the middle of nowhere and that's a beautiful thing. I've never slept so good. I'm proud to be a part of something that's respectful," Amber, who plays a tomboy fly-fisher named Eddy, said. The film is still awaiting wide release. The Joneses premiered at Toronto Film Festival in September 2009 and was released in April 2010. It is a drama with comedic elements, in which David Duchovny, Demi Moore and Amber Heard form the perfect family. Amber passionately pursued the role of Jenn by writing a letter to the director and making sure he met with her. "It's a really smart social commentary about the juxtaposition of the American dream versus the reality and the heart behind it," she says.
» And Soon the StardomAfter filming The Joneses, it was announced that Amber would take part in four new and exciting projects; Zombieland, And Soon the Darkness, The Rum Diary and The Ward - all of which she filmed back-to-back! "I was gone a year and shot five movies in that year without coming back to LA," Heard recalls. Zombieland, which opened in October 2009, saw Amber in a small role as the object of Jesse Eisenberg's affection who turns into a zombie. "I had a great time doing it and I'm glad I got to be a disgusting zombie because I'm so... You can only be the pretty girl so much, you know?"
The Rum Diary, filmed in Puerto Rico, is perhaps Heard's most exciting announcement to date as she is reported to have won out over Scarlett Johansson and Keira Knightley for the female lead. It will see her star opposite Johnny Depp and Aaron Eckhart. The adaptation is of the Hunter S. Thompson novel and Amber's Chenault will be at the center of a love triangle in the tale of a washed-up, hard-drinking journalist named Paul Kemp in 1950s Puerto Rico. "I fought really hard for that role. It was a long process - a grueling one. I wrote letters to the people involved. I committed myself to being this character and ultimately I had the opportunity to work on it, so I'm extremely happy for my hard work. It paid off," says Heard.
The Ward, directed by the legendary John Carpenter, promises to be a complex psychological thriller, full of suspense. It is about a young woman trapped in a mental institution with a malevolent ghost. "I am especially pleased to be working with Amber because I know she will create a powerful central performance," commented Carpenter. Both The Rum Diary and The Ward are aiming for a September 2010 release. Also for a 2010 release Amber stars in And Soon the Darkness, co-starring Odette Yustman and Karl Urban. The film marks Heard's very first venture into producing, which she said she enjoyed very much. "I want to produce my own films - it's important for women to make the creative decisions. I did a lot of writing and the budgets - the whole gig. I thoroughly enjoyed it and want to do more."
After working non-stop for years, Amber Heard took a breather after completing the filming of The Ward in September 2009. She went traveling and relished life's simple pleasures, like cooking, doing her own laundry and spending time with her Golden teacup Yorkie named Pistol. In March 2010 Heard began filming Drive Angry, in which she stars as Piper alongside Nicolas Cage. It is a 3D thiller about a vengeful father who chases after the men who killed his daughter. Amber's next project will be Jess Manafort's The Uncatchable Cowgirl Bandits of Nottingham, Texas, which is looking at a 2012 release. On April 2010 Amber Heard was on-hand to accept the Dallas International Film Festival Shining Star Award. "We couldn't have found a better person to receive the award," said Dallas Artistic Director James Faust. "Amber has put together an incredible string of films in a few short years, and is obviously just getting warmed up."
Amber is a talented rising actress with a variety of great roles already on her belt, and a passion to act and produce. "I would just love to work in films for the rest of my life. I don't care about famous or about being anything like that. All I care about is living my life, being able to do what I love, working project to project, city to city, in films I believe in. That's the only way to live." Remarkably talented and hardworking, charismatic and stunningly beautiful, she is magnetic to watch. One thing is for certain - Amber Heard is a name to remember!
Birthday:
7 October 1974, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
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