Winona Ryder biography, husband, young, net worth, height, age, awards 2025

Winona Ryder biography

Winona Laura Ryder is an unconventional American actress who rose to popularity in the late '80s. Throughout her career, she's worked with established directors like Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands), Martin Scorsese (The Age of Innocence), Jim Jarmusch (Night on Earth) and Francis Ford Coppola (Bram Stoker's Dracula). She also starred in multiple independent and art-house films including Heathers, Great Balls of Fire! and A Scanner Darkly, along with psychological drama Girl, Interrupted. The hit American sci-fi horror series Stranger Things is Ryder's latest and most buzzworthy project. Net worth: $18 million.

Early life and family

Winona Ryder was born as Winona Laura Horowitz on October 29, 1971, in Olmstead County, Minnesota. She received this distinctive name in honor of the nearby city of Winona. Her parents, Michael D. Horowitz and Cynthia Palmer (nee Istas) were descendants from Russian and Romanian Jews. Her father's family was originally named Tomchin but adopted the surname Horowitz after immigrating to the United States. Winona has a younger brother Urie, named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, and two half-siblings from her mother's first marriage: sister Sunyata Palmer and brother Jubal Palmer.

Winona's parents made their living as writers and publishers, embracing an open and adventurous lifestyle. Her father was an avid collector of antique books with an impressive collection of psychedelic literature. Timothy Leary, a world-famous philosopher, psychologist, and psychedelic researcher, was Winona's godfather. Among the Horowitz family's friends were many hipsters and beatnik poets, including Allen Ginsberg. The future actress received her middle name, Laura, in honor of Laura Huxley, a wife of their close friend and famous writer Aldous Huxley. Winona's mother was a Buddhist and her father was an atheist, however, this created no religious conflicts since her parents wanted their children to maintain open minds and develop their own belief systems.

Winona was a pretty boyish girl in her childhood

Winona's parents lived together in a common-law relationship for years, only officially marrying when their daughter turned 11. The family moved frequently across the country, never settling in one place for long; they lived in Columbia County, in Mendocino, California, and later moved to Elk, California where they lived in a remote commune called Rainbow along with seven other families. Living in the countryside without electricity or television (though they had grassland for horses), Ryder devoted most of her free time to reading. Her favorite book in childhood was J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.

In 1981 they moved to Petaluma, California, where young Winona went to school. During her first week at the new school, local children bullied her, mistaking the short-haired girl in her worn Salvation Army clothes for a boy. Following this incident, Winona's parents switched her to homeschooling. When Ryder turned 12 she enrolled in American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, where she started to take her first acting lessons.

At twelve, the young actress nearly drowned, and this traumatic experience left her with aquaphobia. According to Winona, this condition caused significant problems during the filming of Alien Resurrection (1997), requiring multiple reshoots of underwater scenes.

Acting Career

At thirteen, Winona auditioned for her first role in the film Desert Bloom. Though she didn't land the part, writer-director David Seltzer took notice and cast the young actress in his 1986 film Lucas. Following her film debut, she chose to change her surname to Ryder, honoring rock singer Mitch Ryder—one of her father's favorites.

According to Zoomboola.com, in 1987, Ryder appeared in the drama Square Dance as a 13-year-old girl struggling to cope with her mother's questionable lifestyle and their move from a traditional farm to the big city. The young actress's performance earned universal critical praise, with The Los Angeles Times calling her work a remarkable debut.

In 1988, Winona starred in the comedy-fantasy Beetlejuice after legendary Tim Burton himself recruited her, impressed by her performance in Lucas. In the film, she played goth teenager Lydia Deetz, who could see spirits. The film also starred Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin, and Michael Keaton alongside Ryder. Beetlejuice became a commercial hit, with critics praising Ryder's acting abilities.

That same year, Winona appeared in the drama 1969 alongside Robert Downey Jr. and Kiefer Sutherland, playing a young anti-war activist.

In 1989, Winona Horowitz graduated from Petaluma High School with excellent grades. At that time, she was considered a real superstar in her town.

Later that year Winona appeared in the independent film Heathers, playing Veronica Sawyer, a teenage girl who, teams up with her friend Jason (Christian Slater) to plot the murder of their schoolmates, disguising the killings as suicides. Ryder's agent begged the actress to turn down the role, saying that this film would ruin her career. However, the movie was positively received and developed a cult following, with Ryder becoming an idol for American teenagers. Sometime later she appeared in Mojo Nixon music video for their Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child song.

Young Winona Ryder in Mojo Nixon music video

By the end of the '80s, Winona Ryder had already built a reputation of an actress who can take a role of any difficulty; she possessed an instinctive understanding of human emotions and knew how to create memorable characters. Jerry Lee Lewis's 13-year-old bride (who was also his cousin) in Great Balls of Fire!, was one of those challenging roles that earned Winona a Young Artist Award.

Winona Ryder's photoset for Vogue (1992)

In 1990, the 20-year-old actress scored her first Golden Globe for her portrayal of Charlotte Flax in Mermaids. In this movie, Ryder starred alongside Christina Ricci and Cher. Later that year she starred in Edward Scissorhands along with magnificent Johnny Depp. This meeting sparked a relationship between the actors that blossomed into a romance that is covered in detail in the Personal life section.

Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp in Edward Scissorhands

In 1991, Winona starred as a young taxi driver in Jim Jarmusch's Night on Earth.

Ryder was initially cast to play Don Corleone's daughter in the third installment of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, but, she had to withdraw from the production due to exhaustion and anorexia. The role went to Sofia Coppola, the director's daughter. However, her dream of starring in a Coppola film came true when the director handpicked her for the role of Mina Harker in Bram Stoker's Dracula featuring Gary Oldman, Keanu Reeves and Anthony Hopkins.

Winona Ryder in Coppola's Bran Stoker's Dracula

In 1993 Winona starred in the historical drama film The House of Spirits in the role of Salvador Allende's niece. The film also featured Meryl Streep, Antonio Banderas, Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons.

Winona Ryder was nominated for 1994 Academy Awards

Later that year Ryder appeared in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence, joining Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. For her portrayal of May Welland, Winona received her first Academy Award nomination in Best Supporting Actress category. The prize went to Anna Paquin for The Piano, but Ryder's outstanding performance was rewarded with her first Golden Globe award. The actress later described Scorsese as the best director she ever worked with.

Winona Ryder's incredible and unique acting style let her bring charm, expression, and an almost mystical energy to every role she took on. Her performance as Jo March in the 1994 family drama Little Women, based on Louisa May Alcott's novel, was yet another showcase of her outstanding talent and earned her another Academy Award nomination.

In 1999, the actress joined Sigourney Weaver in the sci-fi sequel Alien: Resurrection, playing the android Annalee Call. Later, Winona starred in the psychological drama Girl, Interrupted, which became one of the most significant projects of her entire career. Her character, Susanna Kaysen, is locked up in a psychiatric hospital after a botched suicide attempt. The film was based on a true story and shot in an actual medical facility. The film's supporting cast included Angelina Jolie, Whoopi Goldberg and Vanessa Redgrave.

Ryder managed to masterfully translate her character's mental illness to the screen

Autumn in New York was Winona's first film of the new millennium, co-starring Richard Gere. The film received negative reviews, and the acting duo was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple. Later that year, she appeared in the horror film Lost Souls alongside her brother Urie. Corny and clichéd, the film was also a commercial failure and received harsh reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Winona Ryder and Sigourney Weaver during Alien: Resurrection filming

On October 6, 2000, Winona received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Unfortunately, her next big-screen appearance was yet another disappointment; her performance in Adam Sandler's 2002 comedy movie Mr. Deeds brought her another Razzie Award.

In 2002, the actress barely avoided jail time (see below), putting her career on temporary hiatus. She was able to return to the industry around 2006, when she, along with Keanu Reeves, appeared in Richard Linklater's animated sci-fi film A Scanner Darkly, based on Philip K. Dick's novel of the same name. A year later Ryder also starred in The Ten and The Darwin Awards. In 2009, Winona Ryder joined Hilary Duff in Stay Cool and took a role in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee. In 2010, the actress starred in When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story. For her outstanding performance as Lois Wilson, she received a Screen Actors Guild Award.

The critically acclaimed series "Stranger Things," which premiered on Netflix in 2016 starring young actors Finn Wolfhard and Millie Bobby Brown, stands as the most important and influential of her recent works. Ryder portrays Joyce Byers, mother of a boy who suddenly disappears. While police struggle to find the missing child, Joyce realizes her son is trying to contact her from another dimension. Viewers universally praised her portrayal of a woman destroyed by grief and teetering on the edge of madness, cementing her status as a world-class actress and the series' emotional anchor.

Another of Winona's recent projects is the 2018 romantic comedy Destination Wedding, where she plays Lindsay, a cynical and bitter woman who finds herself falling for Frank, portrayed by Keanu Reeves.

Personal life

In 1989, 18-year-old Winona began her relationship with Johnny Depp. Despite her liberal upbringing, Depp was the first serious passion in her life. Every tabloid and media outlet followed the love story of these two star actors, made even more captivating by Depp's reputation as an eccentric and flamboyant personality who was nearly 10 years older than Ryder.

Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp met each other on a movie set

Just two months after they officially announced their relationship, Depp proposed to Winona. As if that wasn't enough, he got a tattoo reading "Winona Forever" on his arm.

Unfortunately, the intense press attention did more harm than good for the young couple. Tabloids exploded with false reports claiming the actors weren't faithful to each other, which obviously put a strain on their relationship. Finally, while working on Bram Stoker's Dracula, Winona broke up with Depp. The breakup wasn't easy for either of them; Depp dealt with their separation by telling every outlet that he had clearly mistaken being in love with Winona for true love. They managed to remain friends after the breakup and supported each other over the years. When Johnny Depp was accused of domestic violence against Amber Heard in 2016, Winona was the first to defend her ex-boyfriend, stating: "I only know him as a really good, loving, caring guy who is very, very protective of the people that he loves."

Winona Ryder and Johnny Depp's divorce was caused by mass media unhealthy attention

In 1993, on MTV Live show Winona met Dave Pirner, frontman of Soul Asylum band. They immediately fell for each other, though they managed to keep their romance away from the press. They lived together happily for over three years, and the reason for their breakup remains unclear to this day.

In 1997, the actress attended a New Year's party hosted by Gwyneth Paltrow, where she met another up-and-coming star - Matt Damon. A year later the couple started to live together. Eagle-eyed fans spotted a luxurious ring on the actress's ring finger, which could only mean one thing – Damon and Ryder were engaged. However, in early 2000, Winona began to suspect Damon was having an affair with Penelope Cruz. The rumors proved to be true, and Matt Damon joined the ever-growing list of Winona's ex-boyfriends.

Matt Damon chose Penelope Cruz over Winona Ryder

Later on, the actress was spotted with Mark Wahlberg (at the same time, the press actively speculated that this relationship was only a distraction to the fact that Winona changed her preference in favor of women).

Infamous kiss between Winona Ryder and Jennifer Aniston in Friends

December 12, 2001, marked the beginning of Ryder's downward spiral: she was caught shoplifting with more than $4,500 worth of stolen clothes and accessories in her bags. Immediately after the incident, Winona claimed it wasn't actually a crime, but preparation for her next role (she never specified which role) and that her director had instructed her to commit the crime. During the search of her handbag, police found oxycodone pills – a strong painkiller – without a prescription. The trial lasted over two years and resulted in the actress being sentenced to three years of probation, a hefty fine, and 480 hours of community service, despite many experts considering the case unnecessarily bloated and unreasonable.

Winona Ryder's shoplifting incident

Due to the trial and media attention, the actress began rarely appearing in public and her career started to fade. She only started getting noticed again around 2006, when she was spotted with Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett. After that, she was also spotted with Pete Yorn, Conor Oberst, and Henry Alex Rubin.

The actress has been in a relationship with fashion designer Scott Mackinley Hahn since 2011, with the press reporting that the couple is planning their marriage in the near future.

Winona Ryder now

Winona continues to work in the movie industry. In 2019, the thriller mini-series "The Plot Against America" premiered. In it, Winona Ryder starred as Evelyn Finkel. In 2020, Winona was also busy filming Bram Stoker's Dracula, where Keanu Reeves was her co-star. The director of the long-awaited picture was Francis Ford Coppola.

Cynthia Allen

I was so surprised when I saw Winona Ryder in Stranger Things. It was really nice to see this actress in such a cool modern TV series

2021-05-15 12:58:35
Perry Hart

What a beauty! For me, the moment when everyone booed Depp was very indicative, and she did not fit into this circus. And she honestly said that he was no psycho and rapist. Respect :)

2021-05-07 12:27:59
Jason Fox

Probably the first of the films where I saw Winona was «Edward Scissorhands». Well, a few more fine films for this actress can be noted.

2021-03-23 17:10:55
Melanie Evans

At the time, Winona won the hearts of many :) The last time I saw her in Very Strange Deeds, she is still the same beauty

2021-02-25 16:24:37
Kyle Jordan Bryant

Pretty Winona, she is an icon of all time

2021-01-23 16:40:10

Photos: Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder biography

Early life and family

Acting Career

Personal life

Winona Ryder now