Winona Ryder, born Winona Laura Horowitz, is a celebrated actress who hails from Winona County, Minnesota, where she was named after the city. Her parents, Cynthia (Istas) and Michael Horowitz, are both accomplished individuals - her mother is an author and video producer, while her father is a publisher and bookseller. Her paternal family boasts a rich heritage of Ukrainian Jewish and Romanian Jewish roots.
Winona spent her formative years in a ranch commune in Northern California, where she grew up without the luxury of electricity. Her parents' close friendship with the renowned Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, whom they once collaborated with on the anthology "Shaman Woman Mainline Lady", would later influence her career. This anthology, which featured a piece by Louisa May Alcott, would eventually inspire her to play the lead role of Josephine March in the film adaptation of Little Women (1994).
At the tender age of ten, Winona and her family relocated to Petaluma, California, where she enrolled in acting classes at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater. Her early aspirations in the entertainment industry were further fueled when she auditioned for the film Desert Bloom (1986),although she ultimately did not secure the role. However, director David Seltzer took notice of her talent and cast her in Lucas (1986).
Winona's name change from her birth name to Ryder is an interesting anecdote. When asked how she would like her name to appear on the credits of Lucas, she suggested Ryder, which was inspired by the background music of her father's Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels album.
Winona was initially selected to play the role of Mary Corleone in The Godfather Part III (1990),but unfortunately, she had to drop out of the production due to illness. This decision was motivated by her desire to avoid delivering a subpar performance. Instead, she went on to star in Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990) and Mermaids (1990) back-to-back, only to contract the flu. She later collaborated with acclaimed director Martin Scorsese on The Age of Innocence (1993),whom she regards as "the best director in the world".
