• Name: Winona Ryder
  • Date of Birth: October 29, 1971
  • Place of Birth: Winona, Minnesota
Mini-bio: Ryder was born in Olmsted County, Minnesota and was named after the nearby city of Winona, and was given her middle-name, Laura, because of her parent's friendship with Aldous Huxley's wife, Laura Hux...( read more)ley. Her mother is author Cindy Horowitz (née Istas) and her father is author and editor Michael Horowitz. Her paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and her maternal grandparents from Romania. Records show her father's family were originally named Tomschin when they arrived on the Kroonland at Ellis Island in 1906 but went under the name Horowitz when they resided in Manhattan.
She is the Goddaughter of Timothy Leary and her parents were friends of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. She grew up in a ranch commune in Northern California, and later moved with her parents to Petaluma (near San Francisco). When she was ten she enrolled in acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater. At 13 she had a video audition to the film Desert Bloom (1986), but didn't get the part. Director David Seltzer, however, spotted her and cast her in Lucas (1986). When telephoned to ask how she'd like to have her name appear on the credits, she suggested Ryder as her father's Mitch Ryder album was playing the background. Ryder was selected for the part of Mary Corleone in The Godfather: Part III (1990), but had to drop out of the role after catching the flu from the strain of doing the films Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) and Mermaids (1990) back to back. She said she didn't want to let everyone down by doing a substandard performance. She later made The Age of Innocence (1993) which was directed by Martin Scorsese.
Post it anywhere Link it anywhere
Skin art by kimbermcleod. Unskin this page.

Winona Ryder Wiki Profile

Welcome to the Winona Ryder wiki profile. This page is created by Flixster users like you with the help of friendly community Flixster Experts.
No Expert yet! Want your picture here? Click here.

Adding your knowledge to this page is easy. Just click the "EasyEdit" button below. To become a Flixster Expert or find out more about the program, click here. And for general help on the wiki, click here.

Fan Pages
  • No pages yet
  • Add a page
(What's this?) What is the EasyEdit button? This website gets better when people like you add to it. Just click the EasyEdit button to start. (help)
What's going on here?
Flixster members are collaborating to create the definitive resource for Winona Ryder information on the Internet. We're adding all the images, info, and ideas that best tell this actor's unique story. To add your knowledge of Winona Ryder, just log in and click the EasyEdit button at the top of the wiki pages. (
Click here for help.)
flixster.actor.pane.162659115 - flixsterWinona Ryder mini-bio: Ryder was born in Olmsted County, Minnesota and was named after the nearby city of Winona, and was given her middle-name, Laura, because of her parent's friendship with Aldous Huxley's wife, Laura Huxley. Her mother is author Cindy Horowitz (née Istas) and her father is author and editor Michael Horowitz. Her paternal grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and her maternal grandparents from Romania. Records show her father's family were originally named Tomschin when they arrived on the Kroonland at Ellis Island in 1906 but went under the name Horowitz when they resided in Manhattan.
She is the Goddaughter of Timothy Leary and her parents were friends of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. She grew up in a ranch commune in Northern California, and later moved with her parents to Petaluma (near San Francisco). When she was ten she enrolled in acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater. At 13 she had a video audition to the film Desert Bloom (1986), but didn't get the part. Director David Seltzer, however, spotted her and cast her in Lucas (1986). When telephoned to ask how she'd like to have her name appear on the credits, she suggested Ryder as her father's Mitch Ryder album was playing the background. Ryder was selected for the part of Mary Corleone in The Godfather: Part III (1990), but had to drop out of the role after catching the flu from the strain of doing the films Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) and Mermaids (1990) back to back. She said she didn't want to let everyone down by doing a substandard performance. She later made The Age of Innocence (1993) which was directed by Martin Scorsese.

VITAL STATS

Winona Ryder Information:
Eye color: Brown
Height: 5' 4''
Nickname(s): Noni
Notable feature(s): Big brown eyes, pixie haircut
Education: Petaluma High School in Petaluma,
CA.Graduated in 1989 with 4.0 GPA. Studied
drama at American Conservatory Theatre in
San Francisco, CA
Family: Parents: Michael and Cindy Horowitz
Siblings: Sunyata (half-sister), Jubal (half-brother), Yuri (brother)
Personal interests/hobbies:Her favorite book is J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye." She says she owns every paperback edition and translations. She is also into music and plays the guitar. Her favorite band at one point was 'The Replacements', but she also loves Tom Waits, Cocteau Twins, Wilco and many others. She owns some of Hollywood's stars' most priceless possessions (Louis Armstrong's bongo drums among others). She also has a collection of vintage Hollywood costumes, including Russ Tamblyn's jacket from West Side Story (1961), Leslie Caron's dress from An American in Paris (1951), Claudette Colbert's gown from It Happened One Night (1934), Olivia de Havilland's blouse from Gone with the Wind (1939), and Sandra Dee's bikini from the "Tammy movies"
Charities/Causes:She dedicated the film Little Women (1994) to Polly Klaas, a young girl from her hometown of Petaluma, California, who was kidnapped and brutally murdered. She offered a $200,000 reward for anyone with information on the subject, and remains a strong supporter of the Polly Klaas Foundation. Raised money and organised a benefit night for a clinic her mother runs in San Francisco "It is the only clinic that does not turn anyone away - regardless of lack of money or insurance. Its patients mostly consist of young people with HIV, and the homeless" -Winona Ryder
Other:famously dated and was engaged to Johnny Depp. Courtney Love once remarked, 'You're no-one in music until you have feuded with me or until you sleep with Winona' referring to the number of musicians Ryder has dated. Suffers from insomnia, and aquaphobia due to a trauma she received when she nearly drowned at the age of 12.



Comments

  • butifultiger
    hi , i love ur style
    posted 78 days ago
  • phubbs1
    Just saw Bram Stokers Dracula again, long time. So strong and dark yet beautiful and sad, seeing it again brings back feelings for Winona I had when I was a teen haha she's so soft and gentle in the film,dare I say cute :) and looks lovely in her costumes. Makes you wanna be in Oldmans shoes I tell ya, if I were a vamp, she would be my choice for ever more x
    posted 101 days ago
  • SunSet1980
    i love you winona :)
    posted 133 days ago
  • humtuck82
    I hope that you will read this I would love to meet you one day as well that I have been a big fan of your for years. I would love a pic of yourto add to a gallery of photos that I have build just for myself that would be wounderful .

    I would like a reply if I may and I do check this site more then my E-mail which
    is humtuck82@yahoo.com. hope to hear from you.
    posted 174 days ago
  • amylynncox
    Hi, I'm a Huge fan of yours
    Your one of my top 50 fave Actress about the 5th fave Actress.
    posted 206 days ago
  • wanidanish
    hi
    posted 233 days ago
  • GoodPossum



    24 Videos/Trailers for Winona Ryder

    http://www.videodetective.com/actor/WINONA_RYDER/video/P00008598.htm
    posted 249 days ago
  • arbeit220
    BABES, I Love you
    posted 300 days ago
  • GoodPossum
    A up to date news site for Winona Ryder

    http://winona-ryder-news-channel.org/
    posted 307 days ago
  • samksi2001
    hello am sam 33 old single lawyer ilike be with u frends my adress is (sam_ksi2001@yahoo.com)or sam_ksi2002@hotmail.com)can we be frends
    posted 313 days ago

Filmography

Actor Skins

Actor Quizzes

Winona Ryder Quizzes