Little Known Facts About Actress Winona Ryder

Winona Laura Horowitz was born on October 29, 1971 in Winona, Minnesota to parents Cindy and Michael. Being named after the town you were born in is rather creative. "Winona" is an Indian Sioux word that means "first born." But, as they say in Hollywood, "the plot thickens." A little known fact about actress Winona Ryder is that her real surname isn't her father's. Instead, it's her grandmother's. Her father's family name is "Tomchin." To add to it all, Ryder's nickname is "Noni". If you ever read in the tabloids that Winona Ryder is suffering from Identity Crisis, now you'll know why!

Her Childhood
The blonde-haired girl (this is not a misprint) was raised up in a commune in Northern California for the first decade of her life. Her mother is a "White Anglo-Saxon Buddhist." Her father is an atheist who had a bookstore that sold poetry and books about new age thought. Ryder's favorite book is The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.

Then, her family moved to Petaluma, California. Winona Ryder started taking acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater.

An interesting note about Winona Ryder's childhood is that, her family always had a tree at Christmastime... it was a Cannabis tree with a star mounted on top.

Her Career
Winona Ryder has appeared in such films as "Great Balls of Fire!" (1989)- which earned her a Young Artist Award in 1990; "The Age of Innocence" (1993)- she was nominated for the "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" Academy Award; "Alien: Resurrection" (1997)- she won another nomination for "Best Supporting Actress" from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films in 1998. Plus, Ryder won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for "Favorite Supporting Actress" in the Sci-Fi category for the same movie.