Debra Winger (born May 16, 1955) is an Academy Award- nominated American actress.

Biography

Early life

Born Mary Debra Winger in Cleveland Heights, Ohio to a Jewish family, she spent several years in Israel, and served in the Israel Defense Forces. After returning to the United States, she was involved in an automobile accident and suffered a cerebral hemorrhage as a result. She was left partially paralyzed and blind for ten months, although she was initially told that she would never see again. With time on her hands to think about her life, she decided that, if she recovered, she would move to California and become an actress.

Career

Her first acting role was as "Debbie" in the 1976 sexploitation film Slumber Party '57. Her next role was as Diana Prince's younger sister Drusilla (Wonder Girl) in the Wonder Woman television series. Although awkward onscreen next to star Lynda Carter, Winger created a spunky role which met with fan acceptance. She got her first starring role in Urban Cowboy in 1980, opposite John Travolta for which she received a BAFTA award nomination. In 1982, she co-starred with Nick Nolte in "Cannery Row". Also in 1982, she starred opposite Richard Gere in An Officer and a Gentleman, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1986 Winger was in Legal Eagles with Robert Redford and Daryl Hannah. Her voice, digitally altered, was used as the voice of E.T. though she was not credited in the film.

Debra Winger has a reputation in Hollywood for being abrasive or difficult. However, her acting work has received acknowledgement and critical acclaim. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Terms of Endearment in 1983, and Best Actress for Shadowlands, in 1988 film "Betrayed" co-staring with Tom Berenger who commented, "doesn't let anything interfere with her performance, which is the way it should be.", in 1993 for which she also received her second BAFTA award nomination. In 1995, Winger began a hiatus from the film industry, during which she spent a semester as a teaching fellow at Harvard University. In 2001, a critically acclaimed documentary film titled Searching For Debra Winger was made by director/writer/actor Rosanna Arquette and released in 2002 after Winger returned to performing.

Other films include Made in Heaven, Everybody Wins, The Sheltering Sky, Leap of Faith, Black Widow, Betrayed, Wilder Napalm, Cannery Row, A Dangerous Woman, and Sometimes in April, Thank God It's Friday. She also earned an Emmy Award nomination for her performance in Dawn Anna in 2005, marking her return to acting.

In 1995 she performed in The Wizard of Oz in Concert: Dreams Come True a musical performance of the popular story at Lincoln Center to benefit the Children's Defense Fund. The performance was originally broadcast on Turner Network Television (TNT), and issued on CD and video in 1996.

Personal life

From 1986 to 1990 she was married to actor Timothy Hutton and is currently married (since 1996) to actor Arliss Howard, and has a son from each marriage: Noah Hutton (born in 1987) and Babe Howard (born in 1997). She dated then-Gov. Bob Kerrey while filming Terms of Endearment in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Academy Award nominations

• 1982 Best Actress An Officer and a Gentleman
• 1983 Best Actress Terms of Endearment
• 1993 Best Actress Shadowlands

Filmography

• Slumber Party '57 (1976)
• Wonder Woman 3 episodes (1976-77)
• " French Postcards (1979)
• Urban Cowboy (1980)
• Cannery Row (1982)
• An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
• Terms of Endearment (1983)
• " Mike’s Murder" (1984)
• Legal Eagles (1986)
• Black Widow (1987)
• Made in Heaven (film) (1987)
• Betrayed (1988)
• Everybody Wins (1990)
• The Sheltering Sky (1990)
• Leap of Faith (1992)
• Shadowlands (1993)
• Wilder Napalm (1993)
• Forget Paris (1995)
• Radio (2003)
• Eulogy (2004)
• Sometimes in April (2005)

External links

• Debra Winger at the Internet Movie Database
• Debra Winger at TV.com
• Debra Winger at the Notable Names Database
• Transcript of Radio 4 interview

Donate to Wikimedia