Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress who plays Joyce Byers in the Netflix original series, Stranger Things. Notable films Ryder has appeared in include Beetlejuice (1988), Heathers (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Reality Bites (1994) , A Scanner Darkly (2006) and Mermaids (1990).
Ryder has been nominated for two Academy Awards (Best Actress for Little Women, Best Supporting Actress for The Age of Innocence) and has won a Golden Globe.
Influences
She credits her whole career to Tim Burton. Billy Wilder and William Holden are two directors she has great respect.
Her favorite actress and as her influences are Barbara Stanwyck, Audrey Hepburn and Sigourney Weaver.
She is also into music and plays the guitar. Her favorite band is The Replacements, and she loves Tom Waits, Cocteau Twins, Wilco and Courtney Love.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Lucas | Rina |
| 1987 | Square Dance | Gemma Dillard |
| 1988 | Beetlejuice | Lydia Deetz |
| 1969 | Beth Karr | |
| Heathers | Veronica Sawyer | |
| 1989 | Great Balls of Fire! | Myra Gale Lewis |
| 1990 | Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael | Dinky Bossetti |
| Edward Scissorhands | Kim Boggs | |
| Mermaids | Charlotte Flax | |
| 1991 | Night on Earth | Corky |
| 1992 | Bram Stoker's Dracula | Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray |
| 1993 | The Age of Innocence | May Welland |
| The House of the Spirits | Blanca Treuba | |
| 1994 | Reality Bites | Lelaina Pierce |
| Little Women | Josephine "Jo" March | |
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt | Finn Dodd |
| 1996 | Boys | Patty Vare |
| The Crucible | Abigail Williams | |
| 1997 | Alien Resurrection | Annalee Call |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Nola |
| 1999 | Girl, Interrupted | Susanna Kaysen |
| 2000 | Autumn in New York | Charlotte Fielding |
| Lost Souls | Maya Larkin | |
| 2001 | Zoolander | Herself |
| 2002 | S1m0ne | Nicola Anders |
| Mr. Deeds | Babe Bennet | |
| 2004 | The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things | Psychologist |
| 2006 | The Darwin Awards | Siri Taylor |
| A Scanner Darkly | Donna Hawthrone | |
| 2007 | Sex and Death 101 | Gillian De Raisx |
| The Ten | Kelly LaFonda | |
| 2008 | The Last Word | Charlotte Morris |
| The Informers | Cheryl Laine | |
| 2009 | Star Trek | Amanada Grayson |
| The Private Lives of Pippa Lee | Sandra Dulles | |
| Stay Cool | Scarlet Smith | |
| 2010 | Black Swan | Beth MacIntyre |
| 2011 | The Dilemma | Geneva Backman |
| 2012 | The Iceman | Deborah Kuklinski |
| The Letter | Martine | |
| Frankenweenie | Elsa Van Helsing | |
| 2013 | Homefront | Sheryl Mott |
| 2015 | Experimenter | Sasha Menkin Milgram |
| 2018 | Destination Wedding | Lindsay |
| 2022 | Gone in the Night | Kath |
| 2023 | Haunted Mansion | Pat |
| 2024 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Lydia Deetz |
Television
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Simpsons | Allison Taylor |
| 1996 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Winona |
| 1998 | The Larry Sanders Show | Herself |
| 2000 | Strangers with Candy | Fran |
| 2001 | Friends | Melissa Warburton |
| 2002 | Saturday Night Live | Host |
| 2010 | When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story | Lois Wilson |
| 2013-2014 | Drunk History | Mary Dyer / Peggy Shippen |
| 2014 | Turks & Calcos | Melanie Fall |
| 2015 | Show Me A Hero | Vinni Restiano |
| 2016-present | Stranger Things | Joyce Byers |
| 2020 | The Plot Against America | Evelyn Finkel |
| Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine | Lacey Groin |
Music Videos
| Year | Artist | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper | “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child” |
| 1990 | Cher | “The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" |
| 1992 | Annie Lennox | “Love Song for a Vampire” |
| 1993 | Crowded House | “Locked Out” |
| 1998 | Jon Spencer Blues Explosion | “Talk About the Blues” |
| 2012 | The Killers | “Here With Me” |
Gallery
Trivia
- Winona suffers from aquaphobia because of a traumatic near-drowning at the age of 12. She also has insomnia.
- She was named after the nearby city of Winona.
- In 2000, Winona received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring her legacy in the film industry.
- When she was younger, she wanted to be a competitive skateboarder.
- She joined Amnesty International at age 12.
- Her godfather was Timothy Leary.
- She originally portrayed Mary Corleone in Frances Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part III (1990), she started filming her part, but dropped out a few weeks into production due to commitments with Mermaids (1990) and nervous exhaustion. She later reunited with Coppola, when she was cast as Mina Murray in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992).
- She was one of the actresses to turn down the role of playing Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic (1997).