Ryder, Winona (1971—)

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Ryder, Winona (1971—)

Actress Winona Ryder's ability to appear both vulnerable and sophisticated won her a devoted following among Generation X viewers. Born Winona Laura Horowitz, she is noted for such diverse roles as a death-obsessed teen (Beetlejuice, 1988); Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis (Great Balls of Fire!, 1989); a high school student involved in murder (Heathers, 1989); a vampire's love interest (Bram Stoker's Dracula, 1992); a struggling Gen Xer (Reality Bites, 1994); a vindictive Puritan (The Crucible, 1996); and an android (Alien: Resurrection, 1997). She received Academy Award nominations for her performances in The Age of Innocence (1993) and Little Women (1994).

—S.K. Bane

Further Reading:

Cawley, Janet. "Little Woman, Big Career." Biography. June,1997, 24-29.

Editors of US. Winona Ryder. Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1997.

Siegel, Scott, and Barbara Siegel. The Winona Ryder Scrapbook. Secaucus, New Jersey, Carol Publishing Group, 1997.

Thompson, Dave. Winona Ryder. Dallas, Taylor Publishing Company, 1996.