Biography
'Winona Ryder' (qv) was born Winona Horowitz and named after her
the town in which she was born, Winona Minnesota. She grew up in a
ranch commune in Northern California where there was no
electricity. She is the Goddaughter of 'Timothy Leary' (qv) and her
parents were friends of Beat poet 'Allen Ginsberg' (qv) and once
edited a book called "Shaman Woman Mainline Lady" an anthology of
writings on the drug experience in literature - this included one
piece by 'Louisa May Alcott' (qv). Winona Ryder was later to star
as Jo in this author's _Little Women (1994)_ (qv). She moved with
her parents to Petaluma (near San Francisco) when she was ten and
enrolled in acting classes at the American Conservatory Theater. At
13 she had a video audition to the film _Desert Bloom (1986)_ (qv),
but didn't get the part. Director 'David Seltzer (I)' (qv),
however, spotted her and cast her in _Lucas (1986)_ (qv). When
telephoned to ask how she'd like to have her name appear on the
credits, she suggested Ryder as her father's Mitch Ryder album was
playing the background. Ryder was selected for the part of Mary
Corleone in _Godfather: Part III, The (1990)_ (qv), but had to drop
out of the role after catching the flu from the strain of doing the
films _Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990)_ (qv) and _Mermaids
(1990)_ (qv) back to back. She said she didn't want to let everyone
down by doing a substandard performance. Others have suggested that
she pulled out from the part because of problems with boyfriend
'Johnny Depp' (qv), with whom she had been going out since she was
17. Depp got a tattoo saying "Winona Forever" put on his biceps.
'Winona Ryder' (qv) was set to film Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) as
a TV movie with 'Michael Apted' (qv), but took the script to
'Francis Ford Coppola' (qv) and he agreed to film it. She later
made _Age of Innocence, The (1993)_ (qv) which was directed by
'Martin Scorsese' (qv), who she believes to be "the best director
in the world".
Biography courtesy of the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com).
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