Starting out as the star of several cult hits, Winona Ryder quickly forged a place in the heart of the liberal intelligentsia, as well as somehow retaining her status as teen heroine. Deliberately steering herself away from no-brain blockbusters and for the most part sticking to prestigious literary adaptations, she constantly sought to challenge herself as a professional and thus, like her more provocative peer Jennifer Jason Leigh, remained consistently worth watching. Her greatest challenge, though, would come in
She was born Winona Laura Horowitz on October 29th, 1971, Winona
being the name of her hometown in Minnesota. Her father, Michael, was an
atheist, writer and editor, who worked as
an archivist for psychedelic guru Dr Timothy Leary (Winona’s godfather) and ran a bookstore named Flashback. Her mother, Cindy, a Buddhist, was also a writer and editor, and later produced educational videos. Deeply involved in the counter-culture, the couple were friends of Allen Ginsberg and amongst their editing works included Shaman Woman Mainline Lady, an anthology of classic writings on drug experiences, including a piece by (amazingly) Louisa May Alcott. Cindy had two children by a previous marriage – daughter Sunyata and son Jubal – then had Winona and another son, Yuri, with Michael. They would marry when Winona was 12.
an archivist for psychedelic guru Dr Timothy Leary (Winona’s godfather) and ran a bookstore named Flashback. Her mother, Cindy, a Buddhist, was also a writer and editor, and later produced educational videos. Deeply involved in the counter-culture, the couple were friends of Allen Ginsberg and amongst their editing works included Shaman Woman Mainline Lady, an anthology of classic writings on drug experiences, including a piece by (amazingly) Louisa May Alcott. Cindy had two children by a previous marriage – daughter Sunyata and son Jubal – then had Winona and another son, Yuri, with Michael. They would marry when Winona was 12.
At age 7, Winona moved with her family to a commune in the northern
Californian town of Elk. Here they lived for several years with seven
other families and numerous horses on a 300-acre plot. There was no TV,
and Winona became a voracious reader, relating especially to The Catcher
In The Rye. But her mother did show movies on a screen in the barn,
exposing her curious daughter to all the classics and quickly
engendering a desire to act. “Everyone walked around naked,” Ryder later
explained. “It wasn’t a nightmare, but it was no Utopia as a child. In
Northern California it gets really freezing in the winters. We had no
electricity, no running water. Everyone was looking after everyone’s
else’s kids and sometimes I just wanted my own family”.
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