Skip to content
MovieCove
Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder

Actor, also producer · Born October 29, 1971 (54) · Winona, Minnesota, USA

Golden Globe winner · Screen Actors Guild Award winner · Oscar nominee · 4 other major award bodies

Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. She is the recipient of several awards, including a Golden Globe Award, and has been nominated for two Academy Awards. She is known for taking on quirky roles in her earlier films, later playing 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 (1989), Mermaids (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), 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 (1998), 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. Her relationship with Johnny Depp in the early 1990s and a 2001 arrest for shoplifting were both subjects of tabloid journalism. She has been open about her personal struggles with anxiety and depression. In 2000, Ryder received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 29, 1971 (54)
From
Winona, Minnesota, USA
Works as
Actor, also producer
Titles
58 on MovieCove · 66 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 15% in 30 days

What are Winona Ryder's films like?

Across their 54 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy18 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Documentary6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Biography5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Animation2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 82nd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
29%
Bonds
25%
Society
12%
Morality
11%
Survival
11%
Ideas
8%
Power
6%
Identity18 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love11 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds12 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception9 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame6 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition5 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 52 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 24 · Serious 12 · Dark 16

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 24 · Stylized 17 · Heightened 11

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 17 · Charged 19 · Intense 16

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 22 · Shifting 19 · Whiplash 11

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 24 · Some laughs 19 · Funny 9

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 24 · Even-paced 26 · Relentless 2

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 21 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 7

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 22 · Affecting 18 · Heavy 12

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 35 · Open-ended 10 · Ambiguous 7

Roles they play

35 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 12 of 35 analyzed roles.

Hero
12 of 35
Ally
8 of 35
Shapeshifter
5 of 35
Threshold guardian
3 of 35
Shadow
3 of 35
Herald
2 of 35
Trickster
2 of 35
Show the 35 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
28
Melancholic
21
Contemplative
15
Warm
18
Dread
11
Other
55

How their films linger

Thought-provoking20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet31
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous11
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Winona Ryder's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 42 of their 58 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (17).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Winona Ryder's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

66 credits, 58 with a MovieCove page; 33 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Stranger Things: Tales from '85(2026)

    Show 18 episodes · Thanks

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all shows

  • Beetlejuice Beetlejuice(2024)

    as Lydia

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Haunted Mansion(2023)

    as Pat (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Gone in the Night(2022)

    as Kath

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine(2020)

    as Lacey Groin

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Plot Against America(2020)

    Show 6 episodes · as Evelyn Finkel

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Destination Wedding(2018)

    as Lindsay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Pacer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Actor

  • Stranger Things(2016)

    Show 42 episodes · as Joyce Byers

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Experimenter(2015)

    as Alexandra "Sasha" Milgram

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Show Me a Hero(2015)

    Show 6 episodes · as Vinni Restiano

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Turks & Caicos(2014)

    as Melanie Fall

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Homefront(2013)

    as Sheryl Marie Mott

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Drunk History(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Mary Dyer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Frankenweenie(2012)

    as Elsa Van Helsing (voice)

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Letter(2012)

    as Martine Jamison

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Iceman(2012)

    as Deborah Kuklinski

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Stay Cool(2009)

    as Scarlet Smith

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Black Swan: Metamorphosis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Thanks · as Self

  • The Dilemma(2011)

    as Geneva Brannen

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Black Swan(2010)

    as Beth Macintyre / The Dying Swan

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story(2010)

    as Lois Wilson

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Private Lives of Pippa Lee(2009)

    as Sandra Dulles

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Star Trek(2009)

    as Amanda Grayson

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Water Pills (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Carrie

  • The Informers(2008)

    as Cheryl Moore

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Last Word(2008)

    as Charlotte Morris

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Welcome (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Cynthia

  • The Ten(2007)

    as Kelly La Fonda

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Darwin Awards(2006)

    as Siri Taylor

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Sex and Death 101(2007)

    as Death Nell / Gillian De Raisx (#101)

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • A Scanner Darkly(2006)

    as Donna Hawthorne

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things(2004)

    as Psychologist

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Cabin Fever: Beneath the Skin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • The Day My God Died (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Producer · as Narrator (voice)

  • S1m0ne(2002)

    as Nicola Anders

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Mr. Deeds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    as Babe Bennett

  • Zoolander(2001)

    as Winona Ryder (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Lost Souls(2000)

    as Maya Larkin

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Autumn in New York(2000)

    as Charlotte Fielding

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Girl, Interrupted(1999)

    Executive Producer · as Susanna

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Strangers with Candy(1999)

    Show 1 episode · as Fran

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Celebrity(1998)

    as Nola

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Alien: Resurrection(1997)

    as Call

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Crucible(1996)

    as Abigail Williams

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Boys(1996)

    as Patty Vare

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • How to Make an American Quilt(1995)

    as Finn Dodd

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 1 episode · Additional Writing · as Winona (voice)

  • Little Women(1994)

    as Jo March

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Friends(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Melissa Warburton

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Reality Bites(1994)

    as Lelaina Pierce

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The House of the Spirits(1993)

    as Blanca Trueba

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • The Age of Innocence(1993)

    as May Welland

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Dracula(1992)

    as Mina Murray / Elisabeta

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Larry Sanders Show(1992)

    Show 1 episode · as Winona Ryder

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Night on Earth(1991)

    as Corky

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Mermaids(1990)

    as Charlotte Flax

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Edward Scissorhands(1990)

    as Kim

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael(1990)

    as Dinky Bossetti

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Simpsons(1989)

    Show 1 episode · as Allison Taylor (voice)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Great Balls of Fire!(1989)

    as Myra Gale Brown

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Heathers(1989)

    as Veronica

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • 1969(1988)

    as Beth Carr

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Beetlejuice(1988)

    as Lydia

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Square Dance(1987)

    as Gemma

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Lucas(1986)

    as Rina

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 66 titles from 1986 to 2026; peak year 1990.

Biggest box office

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

$452M worldwide

Highest rated

Black Swan (2010)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Stranger Things (2016)

Film career

MilestoneAward winNomination
19862026

Peak 1990 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 30 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

Show 4 more milestones

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting64 of 66: 61 only acting, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thProducing2 of 66: 0 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew3 of 66: 2 only other crew, 1 with another role

66 titles, 3 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1980s7 · acting1990s19 · 19 acting · 2 crew2000s18 · 18 acting · 1 crew2010s16 · 15 acting · 1 crew2020s6 · 5 acting · 1 crew

Billing

usually 2nd · top billed in 30% of 46 roles
8691960111

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

Awards

a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award from 16 major nominations, 1990–2021.

WinNomination
  1. 2021
    • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie Made for Television
  2. 2020
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  3. 2018
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
  4. 2017
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
  5. 2011
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
  6. 1996
    • Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by a Cast
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Grammy Award, nominated · Best Spoken Word Album for Children
  7. 1995
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Leading Role
  8. 1994
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Actress in a Supporting Role
    • Golden Globe, won · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Show 2 earlier years
  1. 1991
    • Golden Globe, nominated · Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
  2. 1990
    • Independent Spirit Award, nominated · Best Female Lead

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Winona Ryder's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 59th percentile, the median of all 49; across their 52 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 60th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 52

Approval · how many liked their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 52

Reach · how many have seen their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 52

Midcredits score across 58 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up21
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

23 of their 58 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved12
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser23
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed18

Most divisive · actor

The Letter (2012)

83rd percentile spread · 64% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Black Swan (2010)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 47 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 44. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Winona Ryder's work okay for kids?

Across up to 37 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore26 titles4–88 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity37 titles20–69 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity27 titles17–86 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs27 titles17–78 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense26 titles15–82 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Winona Ryder work with?

People who share at least 2 of Winona Ryder's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Keanu Reeves shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles