Date of birth 29 October 1971 Birth place Winona, Minnesota, USA Birth name Winona Laura Horowitz Nickname Noni Height 5' 4" (1.63 m)   She is widely known for her work in the cult classic Heathers, and many other films such as Girl, Interrupted; Little Women; Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands.

Winona Ryder was born Winona Horowitz and named after her the town in which she was born, Winona Minnesota. She grew up in a ranch commune in Northern California where there was no electricity. She is the Goddaughter of Timothy Leary and her parents were friends of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg and once edited a book called "Shaman Woman Mainline Lady" an anthology of writings on the drug experience in literature - this included one piece by Louisa May Alcott. Winona Ryder was later to star as Jo in this author's Little Women (1994). She moved with her parents to Petaluma (near San Francisco) when she was ten and 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, who she believes to be "the best director in the world".

She is famous for her long engagements with actor Johnny Depp (three years), Soul Asylum's Dave Pirner (three years), and actor Matt Damon (three years). (During their relationship, Depp got a tattoo on his arm reading "Winona Forever," which he had altered to "Wino Forever" after their breakup.) According to various sources, most of them tabloids and gossip columns, Ryder has also dated actors David Duchovny, Val Kilmer, Jimmy Fallon, and Christian Slater, as well as musicians Ryan Adams, Evan Dando (The Lemonheads), Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, The Foo Fighters), Page Hamilton (Helmet), Beck, Jason Kay, Rhett Miller, Conor Oberst (bright eyes), and Pete Yorn.

On December 12, 2001, Ryder was arrested for shoplifting thousands of dollars' worth of designer clothes and accessories at Saks Fifth Avenue department store in Beverly Hills, California.

Los Angeles District Attorney Stephen Cooley set up a team of eight prosecutors and seized the opportunity to sue the actress aggressively and filed four felony charges against her in what was described by The Guardian (UK) as a show-trial since the prosecution demanded the trial be televised. During the trial, she was also accused of using drugs without valid prescriptions; according to a probation report that can be found on The Smoking Gun website, she had up to 37 prescriptions filled by 20 doctors, using six different aliases, in a three-year period.

Ryder was convicted of grand theft and vandalism, but the jury acquitted her on the third felony charge, burglary. In December 2002, she was sentenced to three years' probation, 480 hours of community service, $3,700 in fines, and $6,355 in restitution to Saks—and the judge ordered the actress to attend psychological and drug counselling. The charges were eventually reviewed, and the felonies reduced to misdemeanors, on June 18, 2004.