Winona Ryder's facts
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1. Winona Ryder was born on October 29, 1971, in Winona, Minnesota.
2. Her real name is Winona Laura Horowitz.
3. The name “Winona” comes from a Sioux Indian word that means “firstborn daughter.”
4. Ryder was named after the city she was born in, Winona, Minnesota.
5. She chose her stage surname “Ryder” after seeing a Mitch Ryder album in her father’s collection.
6. Ryder grew up with no electricity in a commune near Mendocino, California.
7. Ryder is of Jewish descent on her father’s side.
8. She began her acting career at the age of 15 in the film “Lucas” in 1986.
9. Ryder earned her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in the film “The Age of Innocence” in 1993.
10. She received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for “Little Women” in 1994.
11. Ryder has been a muse for director Tim Burton, starring in his films “Beetlejuice” (1988) and “Edward Scissorhands” (1990).
12. She produced and starred in “Girl, Interrupted” (1999), a role for which she received significant praise.
13. In 2001, Ryder was arrested for shoplifting over $5,000 worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.
14. Ryder took a hiatus from acting in the early 2000s following her shoplifting incident and returned to the screen in “A Scanner Darkly” (2006).
15. She’s been open about her struggles with anxiety and depression, having first sought treatment at the age of 19.
16. Ryder received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 6, 2000.
17. She is godmother to the son of former boyfriend Johnny Depp and his ex-partner Vanessa Paradis.
18. Her godfather was Timothy Leary, a psychologist and writer known for advocating the exploration of therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs.
19. She made a significant comeback with her role as Joyce Byers in the Netflix series “Stranger Things.”
20. Ryder was in a relationship with Johnny Depp in the early 1990s, during which Depp had “Winona Forever” tattooed on his arm.
21. After breaking up with Depp, he changed the tattoo to read “Wino Forever.”
22. She was engaged to actor Matt Damon in the late 1990s.
23. Ryder dated Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner from 1993 to 1996.
24. Her trademark is her large, expressive eyes.
25. She made her film debut in the movie “Lucas” (1986).
26. Ryder worked with James Franco in the film “The Letter” (2012).
27. She is fluent in Spanish.
28. Ryder is a vegan and has been since her teenage years.
29. She is an ardent film buff with an extensive knowledge of films and film history.
30. She was considered for the role of Marla Singer in the film “Fight Club” (1999).
31. Ryder voiced Elsa Van Helsing in Tim Burton’s animated film “Frankenweenie” (2012).
32. In “Star Trek” (2009), she played Spock’s human mother, Amanda Grayson.
33. She was friends with fellow actor and “Heathers” co-star Christian Slater.
34. She was originally cast as Mary Corleone in “The Godfather: Part III” but dropped out due to exhaustion.
35. She made a cameo appearance in Netflix’s “GLOW,” reuniting with her “Heathers” co-star Rob Lowe.
36. She is a supporter of the American Indian College Fund, a non-profit organization that helps Native American students.
37. She has shared that she has a fear of water, making the water-related scenes in “Stranger Things” challenging for her.