Winona Ryder Biography

She was born as Winona Laura Horowitz to Michael Horowitz and Cynthia Palmer on October 29, 1971. Her father is an author and publisher while her mother is an author and video producer. She has three siblings.

She enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater to receive acting lessons when she was twelve. She graduated from Petaluma High School in 1989.

Winona Ryder landed her first screen role in 1986, when she was chosen to play a small role in the coming-of-age film ‘Lucas’. It was during this time that she adopted the screen name Winona Ryder.

Her first substantial role came in the form of the character Veronica Sawyer in the black comedy 1988 ‘Heathers’ which parodied teenage suicides. Her performance was critically appreciated and the film soon achieved cult status.

She played Kim, the love-interest of an artificial man named Edward in the romantic fantasy film ‘Edward Scissorhands’ in 1990. The movie was directed by Tim Burton and starred Johnny Depp in the title role. The film was a big commercial hit.

She appeared in the Award winning movie ‘The Age of Innocence’ in 1993, which had been adapted from Edith Wharton’s novel of the same name. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting role.

In 1994, she played the tempestuous Jo in the movie ‘Little Women’ along with Trini Alvarado, Claire Danes and Kirsten Dunst. Ryder was nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Actress for this role.

Ryder was arrested on shoplifting charges in 2001, and was also accused of using drugs like Vicodin and oxycodone without valid prescriptions. She was convicted of grand theft and vandalism and sentenced to three years probation in 2002. She remained on probation till December 2005.

In 2010, she played Lois Wilson in the television movie ‘When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story’ which premiered on CBS. In the movie she portrayed the role of a college-educated woman who marries a man of modest means and how the two go about building their lives together.

Her role of May Welland in the movie ‘The Age of Innocence’ was much appreciated and earned her an Academy Award nomination. She played a beautiful yet conventional socialite in the movie whose fiance has second thoughts about marrying her.

She met Johnny Depp in 1989, and became engaged to him in 1990. The couple called off their engagement in 1993.

She was in a relationship with Dave Pirner, the lead singer of Soul Asylum for three years before dating actor Matt Damon for two years. Since 2011, she has been dating fashing designer Scott Mackinlay Hahn.