Winona Ryder is an American actress who is known for taking on challenging roles in her earlier films, after which she went on to play more prominent roles in the 1990s. After Ryder's film debut in Lucas (1986), she gained attention with her performance in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). She further rose to prominence with major roles in Heathers (1988), Mermaids (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), Night on Earth (1991), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). She garnered critical acclaim and two consecutive Academy Award nominations for her portrayals of socialite May Welland in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993) and Jo March in the fifth film adaptation of Little Women (1994). Her other films during this period were Reality Bites (1994), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), The Crucible (1996), Alien Resurrection (1997), Celebrity (1999), and Girl, Interrupted (1999), which she also executive-produced.
In 2002, Ryder starred in the critically panned box office hit Mr. Deeds, after which her career declined and she took a break from films. In 2009, she returned in the high-profile film Star Trek. In 2010, she was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards: as the lead actress in the television film When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story and as part of the cast of Black Swan. She also reunited with Burton for Frankenweenie (2012). She has starred as Joyce Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things (2016–2025), for which she has received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations; and in 2020, she starred in the HBO drama miniseries The Plot Against America.
Filmography +Key Denotes works that have not yet been released Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 Lucas Rina Anderson Film debut 1987 Square Dance Gemma Dillard 1988 Beetlejuice Lydia Deetz 1969 Beth Carr1989 Heathers Veronica Sawyer 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 Segment: "Los Angeles" 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray 1993 May Welland The House of the Spirits Blanca Trueba 1994 Reality Bites Lelaina Pierce Little Women Josephine "Jo" March 1995 How to Make an American Quilt Finn Dodd 1996 Boys Patty Vare Looking for Richard Lady Anne Documentary The Crucible Abigail Williams 1997 Alien Resurrection Annalee Call 1998 Celebrity Nola Newman 1999 Girl, Interrupted Susanna Kaysen Also executive producer Being John Malkovich Herself Archive footage 2000 Autumn in New York Charlotte Fielding Lost Souls Maya Larkin 2001 Zoolander Herself Uncredited cameo 2002 Mr. Deeds Babe Bennett / Pam Dawson S1m0ne Nicola Anders 2003 The Day My God Died Narrator Documentary; also producer 2004 The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things Psychologist Uncredited 2006 The Darwin Awards Siri Taylor A Scanner Darkly Donna Hawthorne 2007 The Ten Kelly LaFonda Sex and Death 101 Gillian De Raisx / Death Nell Welcome Cynthia Short film 2008 The Last Word Charlotte Morris The Informers Cheryl Laine 2009 Water Pills Carrie Short film The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Sandra Dulles Stay Cool Scarlet Smith Star Trek Amanda Grayson 2010 Black Swan Beth MacIntyre / The Dying Swan 2011 The Dilemma Geneva Backman 2012 Frankenweenie Elsa Van HelsingVoice The Letter Martine 'The Stare': James Franco, Winona Ryder In New Film The Huffington Post. 18 April 2011 The Iceman Deborah Kuklinski Ben Lee: Catch My Disease Herself Documentary 2013 Homefront Sheryl Mott 2015 Experimenter Sasha Menkin Milgram 2018 Destination Wedding Lindsay 2022 Gone in the Night Kath 2023 Haunted Mansion Pat Uncredited 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Lydia Deetz
Television Year Title Role Notes 1994 The Simpsons Allison Taylor Voice, episode: "Lisa's Rival" 1996 Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist Winona Voice, episode: "Monte Carlo" 1998 The Larry Sanders Show Herself Episode: "Another List" 2000 Strangers with Candy Fran Episode: "The Last Temptation of Blank" 2001 Friends Melissa Warburton Episode: "The One with Rachel's Big Kiss" 2002 Saturday Night Live Herself / Host Episode: "Winona Ryder/Moby" 2010 When Love Is Not Enough Lois Wilson Television film 2013–2014 Drunk History Mary Dyer / Peggy Shippen 2 episodes 2014 Turks & Caicos Melanie Fall Television film 2015 Show Me a Hero Vinni Restiano 4 episodes 2016–2025 Stranger Things Joyce Byers Main role 2020 The Plot Against America Evelyn Finkel Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine Lacey Groin Television special 2027 Wednesday Tabitha Main role
Music videos Year Title Artist Role 1989 "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child" Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper Pregnant Bride Debbie Gibson 1990 "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's in His Kiss)" Cher Herself / Charlotte Flax 1992 "Love Song for a Vampire" Annie Lennox Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray 1993 "Locked Out" Crowded House Herself 1998"Talk About the Blues" Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Jon Spencer 2012"Here with Me" The Killers Wax Girl 2026"Punk Rocky" ASAP Rocky A Neighbor
See also List of awards and nominations received by Winona Ryder
References