Amber Heard turns 36 amidst scandalous Johnny Depp court case

Amber Heard's 36th birthday, April 22, was not a festive day this year. She is in the midst of a painfully revealing court case against her ex-husband, Johnny Depp.

Depp sued Heard for defamation because she'd written an op-ed in the Washington Post that suggested she had experienced "domestic abuse" in her recent relationship with the actor. In the Virginia court case, he testified that  he had never abused her and that, in fact, it was Heard who had hurt him on several occasions.

Amber Heard is a Hollywood star who, unfortunately, has featured far more in tabloids and gossip media than in the praises of award committees and critics. Here's the story of her continued search for success and happiness in Hollywood, despite many obstacles.

We know Amber Heard from her prototypical blonde hair, but she used to be a brunette. Born in 1986 in Austin, Texas in a middle-class family, she went to a Catholic school until she was 17.

Tired of Texas, the teenager moved to New York to pursue a modelling career. She would later return to 'on-screen' Texas with one of her first acting performances in the series 'Friday Night Lights.' That was in 2004, and the actress was 20 years old.

One personal incident in Texas must have greatly affected the young actress. Her best friend died in a car accident at the age of 16. Instantly, Amber Heard fell into a crisis of faith. Since then, she revealed, she's had no religious beliefs.

As far as personal relationships are concerned, Amber Heard has demonstrated more than once that she can fall in love with both women and men.

In 2006, Amber Heard chose definitively for a Hollywood life. She got movie parts like this one in 'Alpha Dog,' with her colleague Amanda Seyfried.

In the first decade of her acting career, Amber Heard played mostly small roles in movies like 'Zombieland' and series like 'Californication.' One of the movies that did not quite make it was 'The Joneses' in 2009, but Heard appeared among big stars like Demi Moore and David Duchovny and even "stole the show," Variety magazine determined.

Professionally and personally, Amber Heard's involvement in ''The Rum Diary'' in 2011 was important. In this adaptation of a novel by Hunter S. Thompson, the actress played a role that revealed her talent and charisma on camera. At the same time, she met Johnny Depp, who would become an important figure in her life.

Before her relationship with Johnny Depp, Amber Heard dated photographer Tasya van Ree between 2008 and 2012.

Then suddenly, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard appeared on the red carpets together. A smashing combination, also because of their age difference of 23 years.

The Hollywood supercouple married in 2015 on Johnny Depp's private island. They were the talk of the town, a beautiful couple.

By then, however, trouble in paradise had already begun. Johnny Depp was "generous" and "loving," Heard later recalled, but their relationship was stormy.

Amber's sister would later recall in court that she "felt sick" when she learned the actress was going to marry Johnny Depp. The BBC quoted her statement: "I wasn't aware of violence at the beginning, but I do remember Amber talking about them having big fights and being concerned for my sister."

By the end of 2015, Amber Heard was at her professional summum. She had played roles in the successful movies 'Magic Mike XXL,' 'The Danish Girl,' and 'The Adderall Diaries.' She laughed in talkshows and stunned the red carpet with her luscious blond hair and impeccable make-up. Yet, behind the smiles she was a deeply troubled woman.

In December 2015, one night in their Los Angeles apartment, a fight between Heard and Depp had gotten out of hand. Her witness statement, five years later, calls it "one of the worst and most violent nights of our relationship."

She claimed that her then-husband "slapped her, dragged her by the hair through their apartment... and then repeatedly punched her in the head," as the BBC reports.

"I had bruised ribs, bruises all over my body.... I had two black eyes, I had a broken nose, I had a broken lip... the really bad ones (bruises) were in my hairline, on my scalp," she told the London court.

The next night, Amber Heard appeared on James Corden's The Late Late Show as if nothing had happened. A make-up artist camouflaged the injuries, but you could still see that her lip was thick, she later said.

Amber Heard claims that Johnny Depp was jealous sometimes, and especially violently so when he had used alcoholic or other substances. One time in 2014, for example, he accused the actress of having an affair with her co-star in 'The Adderall Diaries:' James Franco.

Another accusation of infidelity involved Amber Heard's friend, the millionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk. The actress claimed that she had only asked him to give her "24/7 security" during the waning days of her marriage. Once the divorce was final, though, the two reportedly dated for a year.

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp finally divorced in 2017. The actress included references to physical and psychological abuse in her divorce complaint. It was the beginning of a never-ending battle in the courts and in the media.

Several legal battles between Heard and Depp centered on the depiction of their marriage in the media. Amber Heard had called her ex a "wife-beater" in the English newspaper 'The Sun,' for example, and Depp unsuccessfully sued her and the paper for it.

During the libel action of Johnny Depp against 'The Sun,' in 2020, Amber Heard said her ex could be "violent and crazy" sometimes. As the BBC reported, she presented photographs and other materials as evidence of the alleged domestic violence.

The actor has always denied everything. At most, he has admitted that alcohol disturbed his behavior during their relationship.

Moreover, Johnny Depp has claimed that it was, in fact, Amber Heard who used violence in the home. He gave particularly explicit descriptions of her alleged attacks against him as he testified in the 2022 libel trial in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Among other pieces of evidence, Johnny Depp has released to the media a recording of Amber Heard's voice in which the actress, among other things, said: "I can't promise that I won't get violent again." It was published in the Daily Mail.

The failing marriage was not the only scandal plaguing Amber Heard. Along with many other Hollywood stars, she became the victim of the iCloud hacking scheme of 2014. A number of the actress's intimate photos began to circulate online without her consent.

In addition, the producers of 'London Fields,' a film plagued by legal issues, violated the actress's nudity clause. Between 2016 and 2018, the director, producers, and actress were filing suits to and fro.

By 2017, it seemed to be going all downhill for Amber Heard.

Luckily, DC Comics and 'Justice League' arrived. Amber Heard became Mera, an oceanic superhero, and she rose to the spotlights in 'Aquaman' in 2018.

Besides acting, Amber Heard has become a spokesperson for LGBTQ communities and victims of domestic abuse. This way, she turns the hardships of her life into lessons for others.

The biggest media events for Heard have been her lawsuits against Johnny Depp, however. The libel suit in London was a big circus where several of Johnny Depp's exes testified for or against his case. Similarly, the proceedings in Virginia had an impressive list of celebrities to testify both for and against Amber Heard.

While Depp lost his case in London and even got fired from the 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise because of his tainted reputation, Heard does not seem to have gained much either. In the 2022 libel case she could actually lose as much as $50 million, the amount Johnny Depp has demanded of her.

Depp's fans have been trying to get the actress fired from 'Aquaman,' The Independent reports. Even though they were unsuccessful and part 2 is underway with Amber Heard in it, she still has a long way ahead for the ultimate Hollywood triumph in Hollywood that she has always sought.