Moscow, 07.26.2021, 01:11:34, editorial office of FTimes.ru, author Zoya Zharkova.
Winona Laura Ryder is a distinctive actress who became famous in the late 80s.
She has worked with Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands), Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence), Jim Jarmusch (Night on Earth), Francis Ford Coppola (Dracula). She starred in independent films (“Deadly Attraction”, “Big Fireballs”, “A Scanner Darkly”). She played the main role in the psychological drama Girl, Interrupted.
The latest high-profile project with the participation of Winona Ryder is the mystical sci-fi series “Stranger Things.”
Childhood and youth
Winona Laura Horowitz, or Winona Ryder, was born in October 1971 in Minnesota. The history of the name of the future actress is quite interesting. The name Winona was taken from the name of a neighboring town, and Laura was the name of the wife of the writer Aldous Huxley, with whom her father was friends. Winona's parents are writers and publicists. Michael Horowitz and his wife Cynthia have Russian and Romanian roots.
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Actress Winona Ryder
Once upon a time, their parents, Jews by origin, moved to America. Cynthia Horowitz was interested in Buddhism in her youth. Her two children from her first marriage are named Shunyata and Jubal. Michael Horowitz, whose ancestors bore the name Tomchin, owned a considerable library of psychedelic literature.
Friends of the Horowitz family were just as unusual: poets Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlinghetti are famous representatives of the Beat generation, and the godfather of the future actress was the American writer, developer of the first psychological tests on a computer, Timothy Leary. Winona has a brother, Uri Horowitz, named after Yuri Gagarin.
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Winona Ryder in her youth
In 1978, when Winona was 7 years old, the family moved to California, where they chose the agricultural hippie commune “Rainbow” as their place of residence. In addition to them, 7 more families lived in the settlement. There was no electricity or television here. On the territory, which occupied more than a kilometer, there was complete unity with nature. During that period of her life, Winona became addicted to reading. Her favorite book was Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye.
When she was 10 years old, the family moved again. This time to Petaluma, a Californian city. The girl went to school, where she was mistaken for a boy and immediately beaten. Winona studied at home for a year. At the age of 12, the girl attended acting classes at the Conservatory Theater in San Francisco while studying at Petaluma High School. She moved to this city in 1989, after graduating from school.
Biography
The actress's birth name is Winona Laura Horowitz. The girl was born in 1971 in Olmsted in the family of film producer Cynthia Palmer and antiquarian bookseller Michael Horowitz. Her father’s friend was the famous American psychologist Timothy Leary, who became Winona’s godfather.
The girl’s ancestors emigrated from Romania and Russia; they considered themselves Jews, just like Ryder herself. Most of her relatives were killed during the Holocaust, and her father, fearing persecution, changed his Jewish surname Tomchin to the Slavic Horowitz. The actress took the surname Ryder in honor of soul singer Mitch Ryder. Winona has a younger brother, Uri.
When the actress was 8 years old, her family moved to the Rainbow community in Mendocino County, where they lived with other families on the same common land. The settlers did not enjoy the benefits of humanity; they did not have television or electricity.
Ryder devoted her free time to reading, and her favorite work was “The Catcher in the Rye.” The girl told her mother about her desire to study acting, and the mother showed Winona several films on a projector in the barn. When the girl was 10 years old, her family moved to Petaluma, where the actress went to school. For the first week, she had difficulty communicating with the children, who teased her about her effeminate boy. At the age of 12, the actress entered the American Conservatory, where she began taking acting lessons.
Movies
In 1985, Winona took part in screen tests for a role in the film “Desert Flower.” Then the girl lost to another contender. But during the auditions, director David Seltzer noticed her and invited her to his project “Lucas”. The film was released in 1986. It was this year that Winona’s cinematic biography began. This film introduced viewers to a new actress who took the stage name Ryder - from the surname of her father's favorite performer, Mitch Ryder.
Winona Ryder (still from the movie "Beetlejuice")
The second film, entitled “Quadrille,” attracted attention to the aspiring artist. The Los Angeles Times called her appearance “a remarkable debut.” And in 1988, the rising movie star played in the film “Beetlejuice” a young seer who had the gift of recognizing ghosts. Alec Baldwin and Michael Keaton appeared here with her.
After the release of 1969, Deadly Attraction and The Heathers, The Washington Post called Winona "Hollywood's most impressive ingénue." The last film, although it failed at the box office, eventually became a cult favorite among American teenagers.
In 1990, Ryder played 13-year-old Myra, the cousin whom musician Jerry Lee Lewis married. This brilliant role in the film “Balls of Fire” brought the artist her first award – the Young Artist Awards.
Winona Ryder (still from the film "Edward Scissorhands")
The 1990s became a turning point in Ryder's career. During these years, she played the main role alongside Johnny Depp in the film “Edward Scissorhands.” This is the latest project where the fragile artist with expressive eyes reincarnated as a teenager. The film grossed $56 million and brought incredible popularity to the main performers. This was followed by the same brilliant role in the film “Mermaids”. For this work, Winona received a nomination for her first Golden Globe.
In the first half of the 1990s, the artist appeared as Mina Harker in the famous Francis Ford Coppola's film Bram Stoker's Dracula. She then played the niece of Salvador Allende in The House of the Spirits. Despite its star cast, the film failed at the box office. But participation in Martin Scorsese’s project “The Age of Innocence” brought the actress a Golden Globe and her first Oscar nomination.
Winona Ryder (still from the film “The Age of Innocence”)
In 1997, Ryder appeared in the thriller Alien 4: Resurrection. And in 1999 she played the main role in the dramatic film “Girl, Interrupted.” In this project she made her debut as a producer. Winona played the main role alongside Angelina Jolie. The film did not bring generous box office receipts to the creators, but received high marks from film critics.
In 2000, two films were released at once and failed at the box office. The melodrama “Autumn in New York,” where Ryder appeared in the title role along with Richard Gere, brought the actors the Golden Raspberry anti-award. Nevertheless, the film was warmly received by the audience. The second project, entitled “Lost Souls,” was less successful. In this film, Winona’s brother, Uri Horowitz, appeared on screen for the first time.
Winona Ryder (still from the film "Autumn in New York")
In October 2000, the actress received a personal star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 2002, she again received the Golden Raspberry anti-award for her role as Winona in the film The Reluctant Millionaire. Nevertheless, the film grossed more than $170 million worldwide.
After a considerable break, the actress again appears on the screen in the film “A Darkness Darkly” (2006) and the comedy films “The Darwin Award” and “The Ten Commandments.” In these projects, Winona Ryder's partners were Jessica Alba and the Dutchwoman Famke Boehmer Janssen.
Winona Ryder and David Harbor (still from the series "Stranger Things")
In 2009, two projects were released that attracted the attention of viewers and film critics. In the first film, Just Calm, Winona Ryder played with actress Hilary Duff, in the second, The Freak Lives of Pippa Lee, with Keanu Reeves. The following year, the artist pleased her fans with her appearance in the title role in the film “When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story.” For this work, Ryder was awarded the Screen Actors Guild of America Award.
One of the latest projects in the actress’s filmography was the main role in the mystical series “Stranger Things,” where Winona played the mother of a missing boy. The film, created in the style of the 80s, received high viewing ratings. As a result, Netflix renewed it for another season. For her work, Winona received a Screen Actors Guild Award and several prestigious nominations.
Actor career
At the age of 13, Winona Horowitz auditioned for a role in the film “Flower in the Desert,” but she was not accepted. However, the girl was noticed by director David Zeltser, who invited her to star in his film “Lucas” (1986). After her film debut, Winona took the pseudonym Ryder, in honor of the rock singer Mitch Ryder, whom her father loved very much.
"Lucas" - Winona Ryder's first role
In 1987, Ryder starred in the film Quadrille, where she played a 13-year-old girl suffering from the tyranny of her dissolute mother, who forced her daughter to move from a quiet ranch to a noisy metropolis. For her role, the actress received positive reviews from film critics, and The Los Angeles Times called her work a “wonderful debut.”
Cult actress of the 90s
The actress's notable participation was in the 1988 comedy Beetlejuice, where she was invited by director Tim Burton, impressed by Winona's performance in Lucas. She reincarnated as the Goth girl Lydia, endowed with the gift of seeing spirits. Famous actors starred with her in the film: Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin and Michael Keaton. The film was a commercial success and Ryder's performance was well received by critics.
Beetlejuice: Winona Ryder as Lydia
That same year, Winona appeared in the film 1969 alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Kiefer Sutherland as a young anti-war activist.
Winona Ryder in the movie "Beetlejuice"
In 1989, Winona Horowitz graduated from Petaluma High School with the highest score. By that time she was the star of her hometown.
“Once a girl who humiliated me in the 7th grade ran up to me. “Winona, Winona!” Can I have your autograph?” And I tell her: “Remember how you beat me that time?” So go n****""
That same year, Winona starred in the film Deadly Attraction. Her heroine is schoolgirl Veronica Sawyer, who, together with her friend Jason (Christian Slater), decides to kill their classmates, framing the matter as suicide. The actress's manager strongly recommended that she turn down the role, believing that it would harm her career. But everything turned out the other way around - over the years, the picture acquired cult status, and Ryder became the favorite of American teenagers. A little later, she appeared in the video of the group Mojo Nixon for the song “Debbie Gibson is pregnant with my two-headed illegitimate child.”
Young Winona Ryder in Mojo Nixon's video
Already in the late 80s, Winona Ryder gained a reputation as an actress created for difficult roles: she was able to see emotions deeply and created memorable images. Like, for example, the 13-year-old bride (and part-time cousin) of Jerry Lee Lewis from the film “Big Balls of Fire,” for which the actress received the Young Artist Award.
Winona Ryder photo shoot for Vogue (1992)
In 1990, the 20-year-old actress received her first Golden Globe nomination for her role as Charlotte Flacks from the tragicomedy Mermaids. Winona's partners in the film were Christina Ricci and Cher. The same year, Ryder played the lead role in the film Edward Scissorhands in a duet with Johnny Depp. This marked the beginning of their romance. Read more about this page in the actress’s life in the “Personal Life” section.
"Edward Scissorhands": Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp
In 1991, she played the lead role - a young taxi driver - in Jim Jarmusch's film Night on Earth.
Still from the film “Night on Earth”
The actress was offered to star in the third part of Francis Coppola's The Godfather as the daughter of Don Corleone. But due to exhaustion, which threatened serious complications, she was forced to refuse. As a result, the girl was played by the daughter of director Sophie Coppola. However, later Winona’s dream of playing for the famous director came true - in 1992, he cast her in the role of Mina Harker in the Oscar-winning film “Dracula” with Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins.
Winona Ryder played in Coppola's Dracula
The actress’s next work was a role in the film “House of the Spirits” (1993), where she played the niece of Salvador Allende. The film also stars Meryl Streep, Antonio Banderas, Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons.
1994: Winona Ryder nominated for an Oscar
The same year, Winona starred in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. For her role as May Welland, the actress was nominated for the first time for an Oscar as “Best Supporting Actress.” The statuette went to Anna Paquin from “The Piano,” but the role still brought the young actress her first Golden Globe. The actress called Scorsese “the best director she ever worked with.”
Winona Ryder at the Oscars
Winona's amazing acting skills allowed her to endow each of her roles with charm, expressiveness and an unusually lively character. So, in 1994, she starred in the film based on Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women. The role of Josephine brought the actress another Oscar nomination.
Young Winona Ryder without makeup
In 1999, the actress starred with Sigourney Weaver in the film “Alien 4: Resurrection” (the role of the android Annalee). Then she played a role in the drama “Girl, Interrupted” - one of the best lines in Winona’s filmography. Her heroine, Suzanne Keyser, was admitted to a psychiatric clinic after attempting suicide. The film is based on real events, and filming took place in a real mental hospital. Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg and Vanessa Redgrave also took part in the filming of the film.
The actress managed to masterfully convey mental illness
Winona Ryder's first film in the new century was the melodrama Autumn in New York, where she played alongside Richard Gere. The film turned out to be a commercial failure, and the acting duo was nominated for the Golden Raspberry anti-award. The same year, the horror film Lost Souls was released, in which the actress starred with her brother Yuri. A rather banal horror film also did not gain success with both viewers and critics.
Winona Ryder and Sigourney Weaver on the set of Alien 4
In October 2000, Winona Ryder's star appeared on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Still from the film “Lost Souls”
Then the actress again faced failure - for the main female role in the Adam Sandler comedy “The Reluctant Millionaire” in 2002, she was again nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award.
Winona Ryder in the movie A Scanner Darkly
In 2002, the actress miraculously escaped prison (more on that later), and as a result there was a lull in her career. Only in 2006, after a long break, the actress starred in the animated film based on the novel by Philip K. Dick “A Scanner Darkly” with Keanu Reeves. In 2007, films with Ryder’s participation “The Ten Commandments” and “The Darwin Award” were released. In 2009, Winona Ryder starred in the films Just Peace of Mind along with Hilary Duff and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. In 2010, the actress starred in the film “When Love Isn’t Enough: The Lois Wilson Story.” For her role as Louis Wilson, the actress was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Winona Ryder in the series "Stranger Things"
Since 2021, Winona has been playing one of the main roles in the acclaimed mystical series Stranger Things, starring Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown. Ryder plays the mother of a boy who disappears without a trace. While the police are unsuccessfully trying to find even the slightest clue, it begins to seem to her that her son is talking to her from the other world. Many viewers agreed that by so skillfully playing a woman on the verge of madness, Winona became the main star of the series.
Personal life
In her youth, Winona was considered a true style icon. She was called the "godmother of '90s grunge" or the "goth princess" for her love of black in her wardrobe, as well as for her quirky, admirable outfits, in which Ryder's fragile figure looked especially vulnerable. Voluminous cardigans and dresses with thin straps made the actress, whose height reached 161 cm and weight 52 kg, especially attractive. Despite the performer's love for deep necklines, she did not participate in photo shoots in lingerie or a swimsuit.
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Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp
The artist’s impeccable taste was noted by her colleague, the legendary Audrey Hepburn, who once gave the rising star silk gloves. Not many people know that in fact Ryder is a blonde who has constantly dyed her hair brunette since her youth. As the screen star assures, in matters of fashion she always acts contrary to generally accepted opinion. When choosing a style of clothing, the performer is guided by Hollywood films of past years, this helps her perceive life as a film.
On the set of the film Edward Scissorhands, Winona met Johnny Depp. Their bright romance began in 1989 and ended in 1993. Then there were short romantic relationships with rock musician Dave Pirner and actor Matt Damon. The artist was even engaged to the latter.
Embed from Getty Images Winona Ryder and Matt Damon
Later, the press discussed her connections with actors Peter Yorn, Conor Oberst and Henry-Alex Rubin. Although Ryder’s personal life seemed eventful, it could hardly be called happy. The actress deliberately refuses to have children, believing that a child will become a hindrance in her career.
Ryder suffers from kleptomania. The scandal erupted in December 2001, when the actress was caught stealing jewelry and clothes. Ryder's fans organized a campaign in support of their favorite called “Free Winona.”
Winona Ryder shared that she finally met a real man. The designer is Scott McKinley Khan. The couple has been living in a civil marriage since 2011.
Embed from Getty Images Winona Ryder and Scott McKinley Hahn
However, as the actress herself jokingly assures, she has an official husband - Keanu Reeves, with whom Winona had a real wedding ceremony on the set of the film about Dracula. To film the wedding scene between Ryder and Reeves, a real priest was invited to perform the entire ritual from beginning to end.
The actress does not use social networks to increase her popularity, so she communicates only through her Facebook profile; there is a Ryder fan page on Instagram, where fans post photos of the artist related to her work.
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Winona Ryder now
In 2021, with the participation of Winona, the romantic comedy “How to Marry a Bachelor” was shown. This is a conversational melodrama in which the entire plot is focused on two main characters. The actress's on-screen partner was Keanu Reeves. This is the fourth collaboration between the two stars. Their characters become guests at a wedding, where instead of friendly communication they begin to bicker with each other.
Embed from Getty Images Winona Ryder in 2021
Now the actress is working on the creation of the 3rd season of the television series “Stranger Things”. The rating project will appear on screens in mid-2021. Ryder's fee for filming one episode of the new season increased by $200 thousand compared to the previous $150 thousand.
Filmography
- 1986 – “Lucas”
- 1988 – Beetlejuice
- 1989 – “Deadly Attraction”
- 1990 – “Edward Scissorhands”
- 1993 – “The Age of Innocence”
- 1993 – “House of Spirits”
- 1994 – “Reality Bites”
- 1995 – “Patchwork Quilt”
- 2000 – “Autumn in New York”
- 2006 – “Darwin Award”
- 2009 – “The Private Life of Pippa Lee”
- 2010 – “Black Swan”
- 2015 – “Experimenter”
- 2016-present V. – “Stranger Things”
- 2018 – “How to marry a bachelor”
