Winona Ryder: Biography, Facts and Career

Winona Laura Horowitz ( wi-NOH-nə; born October 29, 1971), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention playing quirky characters in the late 1980s, she achieved success with her more dramatic performances in the 1990s. Ryder's many accolades include a Golden Globe, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and a Grammy Award. Following her film debut in Lucas (1986), Ryder rose to prominence when she starred in the comedy Beetlejuice (1988). Major parts in Heathers (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Mermaids (1990), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) came next. She earned two consecutive Oscar nominations—Best Supporting Actress and Best Actress—for her portrayals of a socialite in The Age of Innocence (1993) and Jo March in Little Women (1994), respectively. Her subsequent work included starring roles in Reality Bites (1994), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), The Crucible (1996), Alien Resurrection (1997), Celebrity (1998), Girl, Interrupted (1999), and Mr. Deeds (2002). After the significant negative media attention brought by her 2001 arrest for shoplifting, Ryder took a break from acting in the early 2000s. She returned with roles in films such as Star Trek (2009), Black Swan (2010), When Love Is Not Enough (2010), and The Dilemma (2011). She experienced a career resurgence for her role as Joyce Byers on the Netflix series Stranger Things (2016–2025), for which she received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (her third Golden Globe nomination). She has since starred in the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America (2020) and the Beetlejuice sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024).

Quick facts about Winona Ryder

• Full name: Winona Ryder
• Born: 1971-10-29
• Nationality: United States
• Known as: Actor
• Wikidata ID: Q101797

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