Guide Note

Winona Ryder is an award winning actress who stared in an eclectic mix of films in the 1990s. She became popular after playing a depressed teen in Tim Burton's 1988 dark-comedy Beetlejuice. In 1989 Ryder stared in the independent film Heathers with Christian Slater. The film became a cult classic. In 1999 she was the star and executive producer of Girl, Interrupted, a story about a woman institutionalized for 18 months after a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Co-star Angelina Jolie won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the film.

Fast Facts

1. Birth Name: Winona Laura Horowitz
2. Born: October 29, 1971
3. Birthplace: Winona, Minnesota
4. Godfather: Timothy Leary
5. Name Significance: Named after the town where she was born Winona, Minnesota
6. First Movie: Lucas in 1986
7. Awards: Won 1994 Golden Globe for The Age of Innocence, Oscar nominated for The Age of Innocence and Little Women
8. Has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Winona Ryder was named after the town where she was born in Minnesota. Her early years were spent in a ranch commune without electricity. Her godfather was LSD guru Timothy Leary, who was a close friend to her and her family.

She dated Johnny Depp for four years in the 1990s. The two remained friends after their breakup.

Ryder was arrested on December 12, 2001 for shoplifting from a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills, California.

1. "My father is an atheist. My mother is Buddhist. They encouraged my siblings and me to take the best part of other religions to make our own belief system."
2. "My godfather Timothy Leary coined the phrase 'question authority', it is one of my favorites. To question our government is the most important thing people can do right now in the US."
3. On Shoplifting: "I didn't have this tremendous sense of guilt because I hadn't hurt anyone. Had I physically harmed someone or caused harm to a human being, I think it would have been an entirely different experience."