Winona Ryder made her debut in the 1986 American romantic comedy-drama film ‘Lucas’ directed by David Seltzer. Even though the film opened to positive reviews, it failed to achieve success at the box office. The following year, she starred as ‘Gemma Dillard’ in the American coming-of-age drama film ‘Square Dance’ directed by Daniel Petrie. The film received mixed reviews from critics but tanked at the box office. In 1988, she appeared in the American fantasy comedy film ‘Beetlejuice.’ The film earned praise from critics and was a major financial success, grossing over $74.2 million on a budget of $15 million. She next starred in films like ‘1969’ (1988), ‘Heathers’ (1989), ‘Great Balls of Fire!’ (1989), ‘Night on Earth’ (1991), and ‘Bram Stoker's Dracula’ (1992). The year 1993 saw the release of the American historical romantic drama film ‘The Age of Innocence’ directed by Martin Scorsese. The film opened to wide critical acclaim and was a financial success. Ryder also earned several award nominations including the ‘Academy Award,’ ‘BAFTA Film Award,’ and ‘Chicago Film Critics Association Award’ nominations for her performance in the film. She also bagged the ‘Golden Globe Award’ for her role.
Ryder bagged another ‘Academy Award’ nomination for her performance as Josephine "Jo" March in the 1994 American coming-of-age historical drama film ‘Little Women’ directed by Gillian Armstrong. The film earned praise from critics and did decent business at the box office. She next appeared in films like ‘How to Make an American Quilt’ (1995), ‘Boys’ (1996), ‘Looking for Richard’ (1996), and ‘The Crucible’ (1996). In 1997, he starred as ‘Annalee Call’ in the American science fiction horror film ‘Alien Resurrection’ directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The film received mostly positive reviews and was a box office success. Ryder’s performance in the film earned her the ‘Blockbuster Entertainment Award.’ She continued to star in films like ‘Celebrity’ (1998), ‘Girl, Interrupted’ (1999), ‘Autumn in New York’ (2000), ‘Zoolander’ (2001), ‘Mr. Deeds’ (2002), ‘Simone’ (2002), ‘The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things’ (2004), ‘The Darwin Awards’ (2006), ‘A Scanner Darkly’ (2006), ‘The Ten’ (2007), and ‘The Last Word’ (2008).Â
In 2009, she was seen playing the role of ‘Amanda Grayson’ in the American science fiction action film ‘Star Trek’ directed by J. J. Abrams. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and was a commercial success, grossing over $385.7 million on a budget of $150 million. The following year, she appeared in the American psychological horror film ‘Black Swan’ directed by Darren Aronofsky. The film received a positive response from critics and was a massive box office success, grossing over $329.4 million on a budget of $13 million. Ryder next appeared in films like ‘The Dilemma’ (2011), ‘Frankenweenie’ (2012), ‘The Letter’ (2012), ‘Homefront’ (2013), and ‘Experimenter’ (2015). In 2016, she joined the main cast of the American science fiction horror drama television series ‘Stranger Things.’ The fourth season of the series will premiere in 2022. She was last seen playing the role of ‘Lacey Groin’ in the 2020 American comedy special ‘Sarah Cooper: Everything's Fine.’