Winona Ryder was born on October 29, 1971 in Winona, Minnesota (she was named after the town). Her birthname is Winona Laura Horowitz. She is the daughter of Cindy and Michael Horowitz and has 3 siblings: Sunyata, Jubal and Yuri. She was raised in Petaluma, California and attended the American Conservatory Theater. She dropped out of high school and opted for home schooling when she was mistaken for a gay boy by some schoolkids because of her androgynous looks - the kids beat her up. She graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade point (straight A's). Winona is also known for being a fan of J.D. Salenger's Catcher in the Rye as she takes a copy of the book wherever she travels. (She estimates she's read it 50 times). One particular cause that's very important to her is the Polly Klaas Foundation - Winona knew Polly Klaas and her family. Polly was kidnapped from her home in Petaluma and was later found murdered. She now serves on the board of directors for the Foundation. If you've also noticed that Little Women is dedicated to Polly, it is because that was Polly's favorite book. Winona has also received several nominations for her performances.

She was nominated twice for an Oscar - the first as Best Supporting Actress in The Age of Innocence and the second as Best Actress in Little Women. Among some of the other notable awards are Golden Globes for Best Supporting Actress in Mermaids and The Age of Innocence (which she won) and a Grammy nomination for her reading of The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank).