Winona Ryder

About Winona Ryder

Winona Laura Horowitz, known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention with quirky roles in the initial phase of her career, she achieved fame and critical success with her more diverse performances in various genres throughout the 1990s. Ryder's many accolades include a Golden Globe Award, 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), 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).

Ryder took a break from acting in the early 2000s, later returning with smaller appearances in films such as A Scanner Darkly (2006), Star Trek (2009), Black Swan (2010), and The Dilemma (2011). She portrayed Lois Wilson in the Hallmark television film When Love Is Not Enough (2010). Since 2016, she has played Joyce Byers on the Netflix series Stranger Things, for which she received her third Golden Globe nomination. Her other television projects include the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America (2020).

Ryder is of Ashkenazi Jewish, Romanian, and Ukrainian decent. She was engaged to Johnny Depp from 1989 to 1993. She dated Soul Asylum band member Dave Pirner and Helmet frontman Page Hamilton. She dated actor Matt Damon from 1998 to 2000. Since 2011, she has been in a relationship with fashion designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn.