Winona Ryder was without a doubt one of the most iconic actresses of the 1990s, having starred in some of the biggest hits in cinema. She entered the industry just a few years earlier, back in 1986, when she was cast in David Seltzer's romantic comedy drama Lucas, starring as Rina, one of the main character's friends. Only two years later, Ryder took part in one of her biggest hits: Beetlejuice, the Tim Burton film she co-starred in with Michael Keaton. This movie, along with the teen comedy Heathers, also in 1988, brought her worldwide recognition and established her in the industry, with increasingly larger roles.
After a highly successful run throughout the 90s, some personal problems and failed projects made Ryder take a break from acting for a few years, only working in a handful of movies and TV series. However, by 2006, she was able to re-establish herself and took part in some indie films such as The Darwin Awards and A Scanner Darkly, among others. Then, in 2016, Ryder made another big leap with an ambitious new project: starring in the Netflix series Stranger Things as Joyce Byers, earning a new generation's praise. And it looks like Ryder is on a hot streak, as last February, per Deadline, it was announced that the sequel to Beetlejuice was being produced, with both her and Keaton reprising their roles. Not much is known about this movie yet, but fans are very excited, anticipating another outstanding performance by Ryder. Check out her best movies of the 90s below.
8 Girl, Interrupted
This 1999 film stars some of the most famous celebrities of the time: Ryder, Angelina Jolie, Brittany Murphy, Clea DuVall, and Whoopi Goldberg, among others. Directed by James Mangold and inspired by Susanna Kaysen's memoir, Girl, Interrupted centers on a young woman who is admitted to a psychiatric hospital following an overdose. At this facility, she finds out all about her borderline personality disorder and establishes bonds with the other patients. Despite the film's popularity, Kaysen was highly critical of the production, accusing the director of throwing in melodramatic nonsense that never happened.
7 How to Make an American Quilt
In How to Make an American Quilt, Ryder is Finn, a young woman on the verge of completing her doctoral thesis and planning to marry her fiancé Sam (Dermot Mulroney). However, so many changes in her life make her hesitant: she is worried about her future and afraid of losing her freedom. Filled with uncertainty, Finn decides to pay a visit to her grandmother Hy Dodd (Ellen Burstyn), and fortunately this lady and her other relatives are able to help her clear her mind and shape her future. This 1995 film is based on the novel of the same name by Whitney Otto, and it marked Jared Leto's film debut.
6 Mermaids
Mermaids is a 1990 film directed by Richard Benjamin and starred Cher, Ryder, Christina Ricci, Bob Hoskins, and Michael Schoeffling. Set in the 1960s, the production explores mother-daughter relationships as it follows Charlotte, a conservative and anxious young woman, and her flamboyant mother Rachel. After moving to a small town in Massachusetts, their relationship grows increasingly turbulent, but eventually they both start looking at things from new perspectives and learn to understand each other. For her performance as Charlotte, Ryder was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
5 Bram Stoker's Dracula
In 1992, Francis Ford Coppola helmed a project with a huge impact on both popular culture and the movie industry: a movie adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. This production features some major names in the movie industry, such as Gary Oldman, Ryder, Anthony Hopkins ,and Keanu Reeves, recounting the well-known tale of the world-famous vampire through the eyes of an award-winning director. The film became the first Dracula adaptation to win Academy Awards, and it was widely praised upon its release. A lesser known fact, per Screen Rant, is that Ryder, who was cast as Mina Harker, was a major producer on the film, offering the script to Coppola and suggesting a number of her fellow cast members. Still, she was never credited for such work.
4 Night on Earth
Jim Jarmusch wrote, produced and directed the 1991 film Night on Earth, a feature that showcases five independent stories about an evening in five big cities, portrayed through the connections between several taxi drivers and their passengers. The film introduces characters from Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Rome, and Helsinki, who are all affected, in different ways, by loneliness. In this production, Ryder plays Corky, a taxi driver who dreams of becoming a mechanic, and drives Hollywood executive Victoria Snelling (Gena Rowlands).
3 The Age of Innocence
This 1993 film follows a love affair that had to face an entire society's bigots. Directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the novel of the same name by Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence introduces Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), a high-society man of the 1870s, who is torn between two women: while married to young May Welland (Ryder), he found himself drawn to her cousin, Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), who left her husband in Europe in order to transform her life. Ryder earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in this film and went on to win, among other accolades, a Golden Globe Award.
2 Little Women
This Gillian Armstrong feature marked the fifth film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's beloved novel Little Women, and it is considered, alongside Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation, one of the finest. The production stars Ryder, Trini Alvarado, Samantha Mathis, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes, Susan Sarandon, Gabriel Byrne, and Christian Bale, among other actors, and portrays the lives of the March sisters, a group of young girls who are left in their mother's care when their father is forced to report to the American Civil War. Ryder played Jo March, the rebellious and ambitious young girl who wanted to become a renowned writer, and this role led her to receive an Academy Award nomination.
1 Edward Scissorhands
Following their great experience working side by side on the 1988 film Beetlejuice, Burton thought of Ryder to star in his most personal project: Edward Scissorhands, a tale of isolation and self-discovery. This movie, which also marked the very first of many collaborations between Johnny Depp and Burton, follows the story of Edward, an artificial humanoid made by an inventor who died before he could attach his hands to his body. Despite his strange appearance with scissor blades for hands, Avon saleswoman Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) feels sorry for the young man and ends up inviting him to live with her family. There, Edward experiences a whole new feeling as he falls in love with Peg's daughter Kim (Ryder).