Johnny Depp and Amber Heard to divorce over ‘irreconcilable differences’

The news comes days after the death of Depp's mother

Depp’s latest film, Alice Through The Looking Glass, is due to be released on Friday (AAP/Reuters)

Johnny Depp’s wife Amber Heard has filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences.

The pair, who do not have children together, have been married for 15 months.

The actress, 30, filed for divorce at Los Angeles Superior Court and is seeking “spousal support” from the 52-year-old Hollywood actor. In the court papers, the actress listed the date of their separation as Sunday.

Celebrity news site TMZ reported Depp asked a judge to reject her claim for spousal support. According to the site, the couple has no prenup and Depp has hired one of Hollywood's most prominent divorce lawyers, Laura Wasser. The California-based lawyer has reportedly represented Kim Kardashian, Stevie Wonder, Britney Spears and Angelina Jolie. Wasser charges up to $850 per hour and clients generally must have at least $10million to hire her firm.

The breakup comes just days after the death of Depp’s mother, Betty Sue Palmer who died on 20 May in Los Angeles following a long illness. She was 81. The actor had a close relationship with his mother and she frequently accompanied him to Hollywood events over the years.

The couple has recently been involved in a legal case after Heard illegally smuggled their dogs Pistol and Boo into Australia. In April, Heard avoided conviction, after pleading guilty to making a false statement on her immigration card about the dogs.

Depp’s latest film, Alice Through The Looking Glass, is due to be released on Friday. He attended the film’s Los Angeles premiere alone on Monday.

Depp was previously married to the sister of his old bandmate, Lori Anne Alison, but they divorced in 1985. He has a daughter, model Lily-Rose Depp, and son, Jack, with former partner Vanessa Paradis. Depp married Heard after co-starring in the 2011 film The Rum Diary.

The couple's recent court case, which was dubbed 'War on Terrior' by the media, has resulted in an ongoing feud between Depp and Barnaby Joyce - the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia who first made headlines for threatening to kill the couple’s dogs.

After Depp and Heard released an official apology video for smuggling the Yorkshire terriers, Mr Joyce mocked the surreal video. “I don't think he'll get an academy award for his performance... He looked like he was auditioning for The Godfather,” he said.

Just yesterday, Depp discussed the saga on Jimmy Kimmel Live and said Mr Joyce looked “somehow inbred with a tomato”. Mr Joyce responded by claiming he had gotten inside Depp's head and comparing himself to Hannibal Lecter.

“I’m inside his head, I’m pulling strings and pulling little levers. Long after I’ve forgotten about Mr Depp, he’s remembering me. I’m turning into his Hannibal Lecter,“ he said.

A representative for Depp and Heard did not immediately respond to request for comment.